School of Education | Graduate Policies

Limited Criminal History Check

School corporations require a limited criminal history check before participating in field placements and/or student teaching. School corporations may deny a field placement or student teaching assignment based on a misdemeanor or felony conviction that is on the limited criminal history check. Visit www.in.gov/ai/appfiles/isp-lch/ to obtain a limited criminal history check. All searches conducted using this website’s online service will be considered a completed request and are subject to associated fees regardless of whether or not a detailed record is found. A response of No Records Found is an official search result. Follow the directions on the website to complete the limited criminal history check, print out the response from the website, and take a copy with you on the first day of your field placement or student teaching. Schools may require a more extensive background check. Students are expected to following all requirements of the IU Child Protection Policy when working with children and youth under the age of 18 in IU sponsored programs.

E-mail Communication

Electronic mail (e-mail) is the official means of communication at IU South Bend. A failure to receive or read official university communications sent to the official e-mail address does not absolve one from knowing and complying with the content of the official communication. It is recommended that students check e-mail messages at least once daily. The university provides a simple mechanism to forward e-mail from the official university e-mail address to another e-mail address of choice. However, those who choose to have e-mail forwarded to another e-mail address do so at their own risk.

Issues Resolution

Issues resolution is a process followed when a candidate has a concern that cannot be resolved at a meeting with the appropriate professional in the School of Education. If a candidate has a concern about a class or instruction, advising, or a School of Education policy, the candidate should meet individually to discuss the concern in an attempt to resolve it in a satisfactory manner. If the issue/concern is not resolved by the end of the meeting, the candidate should be advised that he or she can follow a process to seek resolution at other levels. The candidate should ask for an Issues Resolution form and cover sheet from the Office of Education Student Services. The candidate should follow the directions on the cover sheet. All steps should be documented. Certain issues follow university policies. For example, any grade grievances follow IU South Bend procedures.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a serious infraction particularly for graduate students. All procedures in the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct are followed in all cases of plagiarism.

Plagiarism and academic misconduct include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Copying any other person’s work and submitting it as one’s own, whether as a written document or an oral presentation.
• Copying or paraphrasing passages, sentences, phrases, data, statistics, isolated formulas, and visual aids from print, oral, or Internet sources without proper acknowledgment.
• Using someone else’s ideas without giving credit to the source.
• Submitting a professionally prepared research paper as one’s own work.
• Submitting work that resulted from an unauthorized collaborative effort as individual work.
• Reusing or recycling a paper or research done for credit in a previous course without the permission and approval of all the professors involved.
• Offering material assembled or collected by others as one’s own project or collection.
• Fabricating or creating material (statistics, text, etc.) to cite as a legitimate source.
• Documenting a source inaccurately.

Visit www.iusb.edu/%7esbwrite/plagiarism.shtml for additional information on plagarism.

Residence

The residence requirement for the degree Master of Science in Education at IU South Bend may be met by completion of at least 24 of the 36 credit hours on the IU South Bend campus. These 24 hours may include online classes offered through the School of Education.

Semester Load

Indiana University defines full-time status for graduate students as enrollment in a minimum of 8 credit hours per semester. Half-time status is enrollment in a minimum of 4 credit hours per semester.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in all work to be eligible for the degree Master of Science in Education. An overall 2.5 cumulative GPA must be earned in the content area to meet licensure requirements. Refer to undergraduate academic policies for other requirements that may apply to graduate students pursuing standard teacher licensure programs at IU South Bend; then consult an advisor. The School of Education at IU South Bend does not accept grades below a C (2.0) earned at IU South Bend or at any institution for credit toward a graduate degree. No grade below C (2.0) is accepted in the student’s concentration area(s) for any teacher licensure program.

The latter rule applies to various licensure areas as follows:

For students majoring in elementary education, this rule applies to all education courses.

For students majoring in secondary education, this rule applies to:

• Education courses
• All content courses

For students majoring in special education, this rule applies to:

• Education courses
• All content courses

Transferring Courses Into Graduate Degree Programs

Students seeking a graduate degree in the School of Education may request a transfer of a maximum of 12 credit hours of required courses from any institution, including IU South Bend, into School of Education graduate degree programs. Each program in the School of Education may further limit the number of transfer credit hours and specific courses that may be transferred. The transfer of all courses must be approved by the department head or a designee. All courses transferred into graduate degree programs in the School of Education must have a grade of B or higher.

Students already admitted to a graduate degree program must seek advanced approval for all courses taken at other institutions.

Pass/Fail Option

Any graduate student may choose to be evaluated on a Pass/Fail (P/F) basis in any elective course, up to a maximum of four courses per degree program and not more than two courses in any calendar year. A Master of Science in Education degree student may not elect the Pass/Fail (P/F)option for any of the credit hours required in the major, minor, or any area of certification.

A student choosing the Pass/Fail (P/F) option for an elective course must do so during the first three weeks of a regular semester or during the first two weeks of a summer session by processing the prescribed request in the Office of Education Student Services. This election is not reversible.

Retention in Graduate Degree Study

Students failing to maintain a B (3.0) average in all work taken after admission to graduate study in the School of Education are placed on academic probation and so notified. If a student fails to remove the probationary status during the next enrollment period, the privilege of continuing in the School of Education may be denied. Students dismissed from the School of Education are not eligible for recommendation for teaching or other licenses. Students dismissed may follow the issues resolution process if there are extenuating circumstances that may not have been considered.

A student admitted to the School of Education, but denied admission to a particular program, may not take any further work in that area of study unless the program agrees to the continued work.

Once a student is admitted to a degree program, all work must be complete within six calendar years from the date of the receipt of a grade in the first course that is to be used toward the degree.

Letters of Concern

All graduate students are expected to abide by all specific program policies. In addition to academic performance, IU South Bend’s graduate students are evaluated on the basis of their professional conduct and dispositions. Unsatisfactory professional conduct or unprofessional dispositions observed on the part of a graduate student in the School of Education in classes at IU South Bend or in field or clinical experiences, may result in that student’s dismissal from the graduate degree program. Dispositions are assessed as part of the unit assessment system. Also, a Letter of Concern serves as documentation of concerns related to professional conduct or dispositions. School of Education procedures are followed when documenting concerns about dispositions with a Letter of Concern.

Student Teaching and Practica Policies

Prior to beginning student teaching and practica, graduate candidates must:

• Have completed all required coursework for licensure.
• Have successfully passed all Praxis I® subtests.
• Have successfully passed all Praxis II® tests if required to do so by department policies.
• Have a minimum overall GPA of 2.5 if only earning a license. Students also completing master’s degree requirements must have an overall GPA of 3.0.
• Must have a grade of C or better in all required licensure and degree coursework. All coursework required for licensure must be completed prior to beginning the student teaching experience.
• Complete all assignments in courses with a grade of incomplete (I) and have a grade of C or better posted to replace the incomplete.
• Submit an application for the student teaching or graduate practicum placement according to the deadlines listed below. Applications are valid for a period of 12 months. Beyond that time students will be required to submit a new application.

Semester | Placement Deadline

Fall | May 1
Spring | September 15

• Candidates are allowed to state preferences for student teaching and practica placements, but first priority is to place according to availability of qualified classroom supervising teachers. Graduate students working on emergency permits may request to complete their student teaching experience in their own classroom. Permission to do this must be given by the school corporation and the director of student teaching and clinical practice. Other factors that influence placement decisions follow.
• Candidates typically are placed within 20 miles of IU South Bend.
• Candidates may not complete student teaching or practica experiences in corporations where they are school board members or are related to a school board member.
• Candidates may student teach out of state in Michigan where we have established contractual agreements. Candidates need to request permission from the director of student teaching and clinical practice for other out of state placements.
• Candidates are not placed in schools where their children are in attendance or where they have been students.
• It is the candidate’s responsibility to complete forms accurately, submit them according to the deadlines above, and to meet all eligibility criteria before they can begin their student teaching or graduate practicum experience.

Application for Graduate Degree

An application for a degree must be completed and filed with the Office of Education Student Services by the following deadline dates:

Graduation | Deadline | Tentative List Posted by

May | October 1 | February 15
August | October 1 | February 15
December | March 1 | September 15

Failure to file this application by the proper deadline may result in failure to graduate at the expected time. The responsibility for checking degree requirements rests with the student.

Timeline for Master of science Degree Completion

Once candidates have been admitted into a degree program, they have two years to complete their first course. Candidates then have six years to complete all degree requirements. If candidates are admitted and do not take a course within two years, they must reapply for admission into the degree program.

Field and Clinical Experience for Graduate Students

Graduate candidates in the School of Education complete a variety of field and clinical experiences. Some of these are integrated into coursework and do not require a separate placement. Students working on licensure in elementary education, English as a New Language, any secondary teaching license, and a license in exceptional needs mild interventions may require separate placements for certain field or clinical experiences and should work with the director of clinical and field experiences for these placements.

Required Field Experience for Elementary Education

Graduate students in elementary education are required to complete field experience, practica and/or student teaching if their program of study includes certification. Field experience requirements are specific to individual programs of study. Students should refer to their advising sheet and/or consult their advisor for current field requirements for their program of study.

• Concentration in early childhood
• Literacy focus
• Elementary education with K-12 licensure in educational leadership
• Elementary education with English as a new language certification

Required Field Experience for Secondary

Graduate students in secondary education are required to complete field experience, practica and/or student teaching if their program of study includes certification. Field experience requirements are specific to individual programs of study. Students should refer to their advising sheet and/or consult their advisor for current field requirements for their program of study.

• Focus in secondary education
• Focus in secondary education with initial certification
• Focus in secondary education with reading licensure
• Secondary education with K-12 licensure in educational leadership
• Secondary education with English as a new language licensure

Required Field Experience for Special Education

Graduate students in special education who are working on their initial teaching license or an additional license will typically complete field experiences in specific placements. If approved, these placements may be in the classroom where they are employed. Students should refer to the advising sheet, consult their advisor, and meet with the director of clinical and field experiences for current field requirements for their program of study.

• Mild interventions
• Intense interventions

Required Field Experience for Counseling and Human Services

Counseling students complete practica and internships that meet CACREP accreditation standards. Students should refer to the advising sheet and/or consult with the program coordinator and their advisor for current requirements.

• Alcohol and substance abuse
• Clinical mental health counseling
• School counseling

Accreditation

The School of Education was granted continuing accreditation by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Indiana Department of Education Division of Professional Standards through 2012. The School of Education met all NCATE standards for initial and advanced programs. The Counseling and Human Services degree program has received national accreditation by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

Conceptual Framework

The members of the faculty and staff in the School of Education have a commitment to preparing educators who assume leadership responsibilities in and beyond the classroom. In our advanced programs, teachers, counselors, and principals build on classroom leadership responsibilities to become advocates, decision makers, researchers, and partners in school and community settings. The conceptual framework for advanced programs summarizes these themes.

Standards

Graduate programs are aligned with appropriate national and state standards. All advanced teacher education programs are aligned with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards or standards from the Council for Exceptional Children. The Educational Leadership Program is aligned with standards from the Educational Leadership Constituent Council. All programs in Counseling and Human Services are aligned with standards from the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs.