4.5 Termination of Student Teaching Experiences

A teacher candidate's performance may fall below a satisfactory level due to:

• Unprofessional attitude and/or behavior,
• Unethical behavior,
• Lack of skill in teaching,
• Inability to relate to students, peers, and/or staff,
• Insufficient knowledge of subject matter,
• Inability to communicate subject matter.

In the event that any of the above are exhibited, and early termination of student teaching seems advisable to the cooperating teacher, university supervisor, and/or principal, the university supervisor should notify the program coordinator, who will notify the Director of Field Experiences and Student Teaching and the Assistant Dean of the School of Education immediately and inform the teacher candidate of possible termination. Provision should be made for the teacher candidate to be involved in the decision.

Before the candidate is withdrawn from student teaching, the Admission and Retention Committee should confer to determine what action should be taken. Again the teacher candidate should be involved in this decision making. The details of the case should be fully and carefully documented.

If the Admission and Retention Committee decides to withdraw the teacher candidate from student teaching, the Assistant Dean of the School of Education, with the assistance of the program coordinator, the university supervisor, the Director of Field Experiences and Student Teaching, and the advisor, should prepare a report with relevant supporting data for the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, explaining the action taken.

Tuition refund and transcript notation policies defined in the Northwestern Catalog for all Northwestern courses apply to withdrawal from student teaching.

In the event of dissatisfaction with forced termination of student teaching, the teacher candidate may appeal her/his case to the Teacher Education Appeals Committee.