Student Review and Retention Policy
Successful completion of a graduate program in counseling is based on the demonstration of effectiveness in academic, professional, and personal areas as they relate to the counseling profession. The faculty of the Department of Counselor Education have a professional responsibility to evaluate the academic, professional, and personal development of students in training programs. Evaluation procedures serve two major purposes:
- To provide students with information related to their progress that will enable them to take advantage of strengths and to remediate weaknesses in their academic, professional, and personal development.
- To provide faculty with information about student progress which will facilitate decisions that are in the best interests of students and the profession they are preparing to enter.
The Student Review and Retention policy for the Master of Arts in Counseling describes the process for faculty sharing of information about student progress. For courses with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), students must earn a “2” or higher on each domain of the KPI rubric. If they earn less than a “2,” they will work with the instructor to remediate the assignment. Faculty review student dispositions formally once a year using the PPAAD assessment. Students who earn a “1” on any item must meet with their advisor to discuss concerns and develop a remediation plan. Student review is also ongoing and continuous. The faculty is concerned about the suitability of a student entering a profession with evidence of unsatisfactory performance in practical skills, behaviors which are unethical, illegal, or unprofessional, and/or dispositions deemed inappropriate for a professional counselor. Any faculty member may raise questions about a particular student’s performance and progress at any time. Discussions of student performance and progress will be held in “executive session.” Note that all students are reviewed by all program faculty several times a year.
If, in the professional judgment of the program faculty, a student’s behavior is deemed substandard, unethical, illegal, and/or professionally unbecoming during the course of training (including course work, practicum, externships, and internships), the following steps are taken:
- Within ten (10) academic days, the cohort advisor will inform the student in writing of the identified problem areas noted by the faculty, requesting an appointment to provide the student with feedback and appropriate and/or remedial procedures expected of the student in order to return to good standing with the program.
- During the appointment with the cohort advisor, the advisor will discuss with the student a written plan for remediation of the student’s behavior which:
- Behaviorally defines the student’s problems
- Identifies the expected behavior patterns or goals
- Specifies possible methods to reach the goals, which could include:
- Personal counseling
- Group growth experiences
- Self-structured behavioral change
- Additional academic course work or practicum, field experience, etc.
- Specifies possible resources available to assist the student in achieving satisfactory performance and/or behavior change
- Designates a way in which the goal attainments will be demonstrated
- Sets a date for re-evaluation and/or goal attainment
- A copy of the approved plan will be provided to the student and a copy will be retained in the student’s file in the Department of Counselor Education. Both copies of the plan will be signed and dated.
- At or near the date set for re-evaluation, the student’s progress will be reviewed by the faculty, with four options of recommendation:
- Continuation in the program: the specified concerns no longer present a significant problem and the student is allowed to continue in the program.
- Probation and remediation: progress is documented on the first evaluation, an updated behavioral plan is prepared, and a date is set for another re-evaluation.
- Voluntary resignation: progress is documented as insufficient with the recommendation that the student resign from the program.
- Dismissal from the program: the student has failed to attain the behavioral goals and there is no expectation that he or she can reasonably attain them in the near future.
- The student will be immediately notified in writing by the cohort advisor of the re-evaluation decision, requesting the student make an appointment with the advisor, and specifying if the student is on conduct or professional probation within the Program. If dismissal from the program is recommended by the faculty, the notice will include the specific reasons for the potential termination.
Note: Academic Probation is governed by Graduate College Regulations. - Depending upon the re-evaluation decision (as outlined in sections 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, and 4-4) by the faculty, the student and the cohort advisor will review the options available to the student.
- If 4-4 Dismissal from the program is the decision, the student will be given thirty (30) days from the meeting with the cohort advisor in which to, if the student choses.
- and present to the program faculty a written response to the decision and
- Request, in writing, a full counseling faculty review of the decision.
- Upon receipt of a written request from the student, a faculty meeting will be held within twenty (20) academic days to provide the student with the opportunity to present his or her case to the faculty.
- Following the student’s presentation, the program faculty will meet to:
- Review the student’s progress in the program
- Review the student’s behaviors as related to expected professional and/or personal dispositions and behavior
- Review the student’s remediation progress
- Render a decision as to whether the dismissal recommendation is upheld.
- Immediate notification of the decision will be provided to the student by the chair of the Counselor Education Department with a copy to the Dean of the Graduate College and the Dean of the College of Education.
- If the dismissal decision is upheld, the chair of the Counselor Education Department will submit a formal recommendation for an administrative withdrawal.
- If a student’s unacceptable professional and/or personal behaviors are deemed severe enough by the program faculty, a recommendation for immediate dismissal from the program will be made. Steps 1 through 8 of this policy will not be employed in this circumstance. The student will be informed of the recommendation by letter from the Chair of the Counselor Education Department, with copies to the Dean of the College of Education and the Dean of the Graduate College. Steps 9-13 will then be implemented.
- If the student is not satisfied with the decision reached by program faculty, the appeals procedure is outlined in the Student Code of Conduct (Policy 2020), See: boisestate.edu/policy/student-affairs/code-of-conduct.