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Education Academic Policies

School of Education Academic Policy and Procedures

School of Education students are recommended to Alberta Education for certification by the Ambrose University School of Education. Only Alberta Education is empowered to grant Alberta Teaching Certificates. Based on the recommendation of the School of Education, Alberta Education grants the Interim Professional Certificate to those who are qualified to legally work in Canada. Recommendations by the Associate Dean are forwarded upon completion of the Bachelor of Education (After-Degree) (Elementary) program. Candidates are evaluated on the basis of all data relating to their readiness to assume the responsibilities of a professional teacher, as defined in the Teaching Quality Standard.

Definitions Specific to the School of Education

Academic Dismissal
A student may be dismissed from the School of Education if they are convicted of a crime under the Criminal Code that would prohibit them from working with a vulnerable sector. 

Academic Intervention
A program that enables students to identify academic challenges, and work to create a plan to improve academic success, in order to avoid Academic Probation. Academic Intervention is not recorded on your transcript. The goal of Academic Intervention is to create a custom plan for the student’s future success.

Academic Rustication
A student placed on Academic Rustication is asked to step down from the program for a period of up to a year and they must:

  • meet with the Associate Dean and other appointed faculty, including the Director of Field Experience, to discuss a professional growth plan outlining an action plan, including volunteering, engaging with a mentor and participating in additional coursework or prescribed professional learning.
  • provide evidence of activities that demonstrate how they have addressed the goals set as readmission into the program.

Academic Standards Policy
Upon completion of the program and in order to graduate, students must present a grade of 2.70 or higher in each and every course taken after admission to the School of Education.

Appeals
Students have the right to appeal a decision made in response to academic dishonesty, academic probation, or suspension from Ambrose University on the following grounds:

  • There is evidence available that was not considered in the decision;
  • There is evidence of prejudicial treatment in the decision; or
  • The appropriate process, as outlined in the Academic Calendar, was not followed.
  • See procedures below for the appeals process.

Notification of Concern
A written plan provided by a Faculty Member to the student that details:

  • area(s) of concern to be addressed
  • any feedback previously provided
  • required improvement(s)
  • timelines
  • expected outcomes and assessments

The document is signed by all parties involved, including but not limited to the student, faculty member, partner teacher, university consultant and Associate Dean of Education. Initial Notice of Concern documents during Academic Intervention will be held in the School of Education. If the student is unable to meet the requirements and is placed on Academic Rustication, the Notice of Concern will then be filed and kept in the student’s file.

Required Withdrawal
A student is required to withdraw from the School of Education if the following occurs:

  • The student is in the second round of any field experience (600 or 700) and is not successful at the midpoint.
  • The student is unable to successfully achieve a grade of 2.70 or higher in any course that is attempted a second time.

Procedures
Students who receive a grade lower than 2.70 in any course will be placed on Academic Intervention. Students who receive a failing grade in any course, will be placed on Academic Rustication and are able to return in the semester of the following year to redo the failed course(s). If the student is unable to meet a minimum grade of 2.70 in a course upon the second attempt, they will be subject to a Required Withdrawal and this will be indicated on the official transcript. If the terms of an Academic Intervention or Rustication are met, no indication of either will appear on the official transcript. The Associate Dean is responsible to recommend any students who may be placed on Academic Intervention, Academic Rustication and Required Withdrawal to the Registrar, who makes the final decision of student academic status. A student may initiate the appeals process with any course grade.

Appeals:

Level 1: An appeal for change of final grade begins with the course instructor within 5 business days of receiving notification of the final grade. If the instructor agrees to change the final grade, the instructor must submit a Change of Grade form to the Office of the Registrar. If a student is unsuccessful at the mid-point evaluation in Field Experience, the appeal will be made to the Director of Field Experience.

Level 2: If the student is not satisfied with the decision at Level 1, they may initiate Level 2 of the process by applying for an appeal through the Office of the Registrar. An application for a final grade appeal must be submitted on the appropriate form within 15 days of receiving notice of the final grade or mid-point assessment. The Associate Dean has the authority to take any action s/he determines is appropriate in adjudicating the grade appeal. At the Associate Dean’s discretion, the final grade may be increased, decreased, or left unchanged. The Associate Dean’s decision must be recorded on the appeal form which is to be returned to the Office of the Registrar no later than 10 business days after receiving the appeal. The Associate Dean is responsible for providing the student and instructor with written notification of the decision and ensuring the Registrar is copied on the communication.

Level 3: If the student is not satisfied with the decision of the Associate Dean, for a fee, the application will be reviewed by the Academic Appeals Committee. An appeal form must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar no later than 7 business days after a decision at Level 2. The Chair of the Academic Appeals committee must be satisfied there are grounds for a Level 3 appeal (see Procedures for Appeal section of the Academic Calendar for grounds for appeal). If the Chair is not satisfied that the appeal has merit, s/he may deny it. If an Academic Appeals committee is convened, the meeting must occur no later than 20 working days after receipt of the original notice of appeal of the Chair’s decision. The Appeals Committee has the authority to take any action it determines is appropriate in adjudicating the appeal. The decision of the Academic Appeals committee is final. If the appeal is successful, the fee will be reimbursed. The Chair of the Academic Appeals Committee is responsible for providing the student, chair and instructor with written notification of the decision and ensuring the Registrar is copied on the communication.

There is no appeal of a terminated practicum.

YEAR ONE

In year one, semester one, a student must meet the required grade of 2.70 in all three courses: CDPD 500, LTA 500 and SCMP 500. Field Experience 500 (FE 500) is a pass/fail course and attendance at both field placements and seminars is a requirement to pass. A student who is not meeting the attendance requirements will be issued a Notification of Concern by the seminar instructor. A student who achieves a grade lower than 2.70 at the completion of semester one is eligible to participate in FE 600 under a Notification of Concern, which is completed by the Director of Field Experience and Associate Dean of Education. This document is in force for the duration of semester two and places the student on Academic Intervention until the following is met:

  • successful completion of FE 600; and
  • a grade of 2.70 in all semester two courses: CDPD 600 and SCMP 600.

If the student is successful in meeting these two requirements, the Notification of Concern and Academic Intervention status is removed and the student prepares for year two, semester three.

If the student is unsuccessful in completing FE 600, the student is placed on Academic Rustication and can return in January of the following year to redo FE 600. Academic Rustication requires the student to complete a professional growth plan outlining an action plan, including volunteering, engaging with a mentor and participating in additional coursework or prescribed professional learning. Students must provide evidence of their activities to the Associate Dean of Education in order to be considered for readmission.

In the case of termination by the partner teacher prior to the completion of FE 600 or the student’s requested withdrawal from the practicum, the student may be placed on Academic Intervention and a Notice of Concern may be initiated by the Director of Field Experience. If a suitable placement is available, the student will need to complete the required weeks in the new placement in order to meet attestation requirements, on a case to case basis. There is no guarantee of an additional placement and if there is not one available, the student’s program may be paused, without being placed on Academic Rustication. There is no appeal process for a terminated Field Experience.

If the student is successful in completing FE 600 but unsuccessful in achieving a grade of 2.70 in all required semester two coursework, the student is placed on Academic Rustication and can apply for readmission to return in February of the following year to redo CDPD 600 and SCMP 600.
 

YEAR TWO

In year two, semester three, students must pass the midpoint assessment in FE 700 in order to move on to semester three coursework.

If the student is unsuccessful in FE 700 at the midpoint, the student will be placed on Academic Intervention and a Notification of Concern will be completed by the Director of Field Experience and the Associate Dean of Education, which will remain in force until the completion of FE 700 in semester four. In the case of termination by the partner teacher prior to the completion of FE 700 or the student’s requested withdrawal from the practicum, the student may be placed on Academic Intervention and a Notice of Concern may be initiated by the Director of Field Experience. If a suitable placement is available, the student will need to complete the required weeks in the new placement in order to meet attestation requirements, on a case-to-case basis. There is no guarantee of an additional placement and if there is not one available, the student’s program may be paused, without being placed on Academic Rustication. There is no appeal process for a terminated Field Experience.

In order to have an Academic Intervention removed, the student must complete the following:

  • meet the required grade of 2.70 in both LTA 600 and SCMP 700; and
  • successfully meet the requirements for a pass in FE 700 semester four.

If the student is successful in meeting these two requirements, the Notification of Concern and Academic Intervention status is removed and the student prepares for year two, semester four coursework.

If the student is unsuccessful in meeting the required grade of 2.70 in either LTA 600 or SCMP 700, the student is placed on Academic Rustication and can return in September of the following year to redo FE 700 semesters three and four, and all coursework. If the student is unsuccessful in completing FE 700 semester four, the student is placed on Academic Rustication can return in September of the following year to redo FE700 semesters three and four and all coursework. Academic Rustication requires the student to complete a professional growth plan outlining an action plan including volunteering, engaging with a mentor and participating in additional coursework or prescribed professional learning. Students must provide evidence of their activities to the Associate Dean of Education in order to be considered for readmission.

To move on to year two, semester four coursework, the student must have a successful completion of FE 700.

In year two, semester four, the student must achieve a grade of 2.70 in both CDPD 700 and LTA 700. Successful completion of all semester four coursework is required to graduate.

Any student who requires a second field experience placement for any reason will be levied a one-time $500 course fee to off-set the costs incurred in creating additional field experience partnerships.
 

Field Experience

Field Experience Standards
Standards in Field Experience are in-keeping with memorandums of agreement between Ambrose University, individual school districts and the Alberta Teachers Association. These include:

  • All school practicum and field experience placements will be made by the Director of Field Experience in agreement with an Administrator from the receiving school.
  • Students must not contact schools with the intent of procuring a practicum placement.
  • Students may complete only one practicum with any one partner teacher.
  • Students will complete only one practicum in any specific school.
  • Practicum placements over the course of the four semesters will provide a variety of experiences including but not limited to different grade levels, different divisions, different school boards or districts, and faith-based education vs. non-faith-based education.
  • Students will not be placed in schools where family members are employed or where family members are pupils. No student will be placed in a school in which the student attended, graduated from or was employed.

Ambrose University School of Education reserves the right to place students in practicum experiences up to 50 km from the student’s primary residence. Students who refuse a placement may be required to withdraw from the practicum and reapply for admission to resume their studies in a subsequent year.

Students who do not provide all relevant information at the time a placement is made may be required to withdraw from the practicum and reapply for admission to resume their studies in a subsequent year.

Students who provide false information at the time a placement is made may be required to withdraw from the practicum and reapply for admission to resume their studies in a subsequent year.

There may be times when a student chooses to reject a practicum placement. Students who refuse a placement, must do so in writing to the Director of Field Experience, and may be required to withdraw from the practicum and reapply for admission to resume their studies in a subsequent year.

The following list of reasons a student may choose to reject a practicum placement does not encompass all situations and should not be considered exhaustive:

  • refusal to travel/drive
  • planned personal travel or vacation that creates an absence from the practicum placement in excess of two days
  • philosophical disagreement with the program philosophy of the practicum placement
  • interpersonal tension with the partner teacher
  • interpersonal tension with the university consultant
  • unwillingness to participate in a specific grade level classroom
  • unwillingness to participate in a specific classroom structure such as team-teaching
  • The Associate Dean of Education reserves the right to deny or terminate a placement in any practicum course to any student if the Associate Dean of Education has reasonable grounds, such as:
  • the student has violated any part of the School of Education's Standards of Professional Conduct, as referenced by the Alberta Teachers’ Association Professional Code of Conduct and the Alberta Education Teaching Quality Standard
  • the student is unable to carry out the classroom responsibilities of that practicum; or
  • the Associate Dean of Education believes denial or termination of a placement is necessary in order to protect the public interest. Students whose practicum placements have been denied or terminated will be informed of the reasons in writing.

Criminal Record Check with a Vulnerable Sector Search (or Equivalent)

All school jurisdictions require vulnerable sector record checks from all individuals (including student teachers) working with children and adolescents. Consequently, all students accepting an Offer of Admission from Ambrose University must make application for a criminal record check, including a Vulnerable Sector Record Check after June 1 of the year of admission. The student is responsible for the cost of obtaining such documentation. Vulnerable Sector Record Checks are submitted to the School of Education and must be available for the student to present at field experience orientation. Students will also carry a copy to all school visits for the duration of the Bachelor of Education program. Students will be required to complete a new Vulnerable Sector Record Check in the June prior to year two of the program.

Students who are unable to present an acceptable Vulnerable Sector Record Check for any reason may be denied a placement by the partner school, the school jurisdiction or the Director of Field Experience. In the instance, the School of Education does not guarantee an alternate placement. In the event a student cannot be placed, the student will be unable to complete the program and thus will be required to withdraw from both the practicum and the program.

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