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COMDDE Department Policies

Department Policy Index

Undergraduate Acceptance and Retention Academic Honesty Transfer Credit Leave of Absence SLP Student Clock Hours SLP At-Risk Student Teachers Guidelines SLP At-Risk Student Teachers Procedures Second Bachelor's Clinic Nondiscrimination

ASHA National Exam Graduate Credit Senior Clinic Registration Outreach Master's Late Acceptance Outreach Class Attendance Outreach Clinical Grade Graduate School Grade COMDE Graduate Students Graduate Program Completion C Grade in SLP Program SLP Remediation

Undergraduate Student Acceptance and Retention Policies (8/27/07)

Professional certification (and employment) in the field of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education requires a master's degree. In order for students to be accepted into graduate school programs they must meet high professional training standards. One of the standards used in selecting students for acceptance into graduate schools is the student's grade point average. Because a high grade point average is so important for acceptance into graduate school and because a student cannot obtain professional certification with less that a master's degree, the following policies have been established within The Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education at Utah State University. These policies will assure that students who do not meet the rigorous grade point average standards will be able to change majors at an early time in their university training experience so that they will graduate with a profession that will be useful, satisfying and financially beneficial.

Any accepted student at Utah State University may major in Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education (COMD-DE) during the Freshman and/or Sophomore years. However, during the first semester of the junior year the student must formally apply for admission into the COMD-DE undergraduate professional preparation program and the College of Education Teacher Education Program. The application process is as follows: A meeting with all juniors will be held during the first part of Fall semester. Application forms for admission into COMD-DE and the College of Education Teacher Education Program will be disseminated. As part of the application process for the College of Education Teacher Education Program each student will complete the College of Education Writing Examination. Each student will complete the application process and return the application forms to the academic advisor within the Department of Communicative Disorders by the deadline specified in the meeting. The student will be formally notified of acceptance into the COMD-DE undergraduate program no later than the beginning of the second semester of the junior year. The student will be accepted if: cumulative grade point average is 3.0 or higher general education hours are within 15 credits of completion College of Education Writing Exam has been taken and passed* College of Education Speech and Hearing Test has been taken and passed.

A student who fails to meet any of the above criteria will not be allowed to continue in the major. In such a case, if the student has no other major to declare, he/she must change to Undeclared major until another major is chosen.

*Students in the USU Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education who are identified through the College of Education speech and hearing screening program as having possible speech, language or hearing disorders themselves or English competency issues due to English being a second language will need to be evaluated at the USU Speech-Language-Hearing Center under the direction of a certified speech-language pathologist or audiologist to determine if speech, language or hearing treatment is required prior to being accepted into the major OR during the course of completing the junior and senior years. If treatment is required, personnel at the USU Speech-Language-Hearing Center will provide treatment to the student at no cost for one semester and for a reduced student fee if more than one semester of treatment is recommended.

Students who suspect they may not meet the acceptance criteria are encouraged to select other professional options early in their educational training experience. This is particularly important when planning for the second semester of the junior year. As previously mentioned, if the student is not accepted into the COMD-DE program at the end of the first semester of the Junior year he/she must have alternative class plans for the second semester because he/she will not be allowed to continue in COMD-DE classes.

Once a student is admitted into the undergraduate program the following retention policies will apply to continuation in the undergraduate program: If, at any time, an accepted junior or senior's grade point average falls below 3.0 he/she will not be allowed to continue in the major until the GPA is raised above 3.0. Students should work closely with the departmental advisor if they suspect their grade point average is in jeopardy.

Students who choose to repeat COMD classes to earn higher grades can only have a total of three repeats combined for COMD classes. For example, if a student repeats one COMD class twice and another COMD class once that equals three repeats.

Academic Honesty Policy (8/26/02)

Students are responsible for complying with the University policies regarding academic honesty as stated in the Utah State University Honor System document. This document is available at the USU Bookstore and on the USU Web site.

Transfer Credit Policy (02/28/07)

Applicants may transfer up to 2 classes (5 credits maximum) of undergraduate COMD courses they have taken elsewhere to USU and use them to replace those same courses that are part of our program with permission from USU's COMD advisor (Dee Child) IF the credits were completed as part of an ASHA accredited program.

Leave Of Absence Policy (8/26/02)

It is expected that graduate students within the Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) graduate program in the Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education at Utah State University will maintain a full-time status as defined by the Department. This is defined as 9 - 12 credits (as opposed to 6 credits required by the Graduate School) per semester. Students are accepted into the program on this basis. When unexpected health problems or other compelling personal circumstances are experienced by a graduate student during the course of his or her program, which affect a student ability to successfully maintain the full-time status, he or she must petition the Department's SLP Committee to take one semester of a Departmental Leave of Absence (LOA).

Under extreme extenuating circumstances the SLP Committee may extend a leave beyond that time limit. Also, it is possible, with extenuating circumstances, to obtain a leave of absence from the Graduate School during which the continuous registration fee does not have to be paid (2002-2004 Utah State University General Catalog, pp.75).

1. The student cannot be enrolled in any academic courses or clinical practicum at the university during the LOA.
2. The student must maintain continuing graduate enrollment through the graduate school in order to maintain matriculated student status during that time.
3. Any missed courses and/or clinical practicum as a result of the LOA must be integrated into the student's graduate program, which will likely extend the graduate program by at least one semester.
4. The LOA may not be taken as a means of avoiding low grades in academic courses or clinical practicum. No more than one LOA may be granted during the student's graduate program.
5. At the end of the one-semester LOA, the student will be required to resume his or her graduate studies on a full-time basis. If the student is unable to do so, a recommendation will be made to the graduate dean that the student will be dropped. If the recommendation is approved, the student will be dropped from the graduate program. Should the student wish to reapply to the graduate program, he/she may do so on a competitive basis according to the University's regular graduate admission deadlines and procedures.

Student Clock Hour Policy for Speech-Language Pathology (posted 01/01/05)

A student must meet specific requirements of the Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education before the student is allowed to begin the clinical practicum portion of their training program at either the undergraduate or graduate level. Freshman, Sophomores and Juniors enrolled in the Department of Communicative Disorders are not allowed to obtain clinical clock hours that are applicable to ASHA certification, since it is the Department's decision that students at these levels have not acquired a sufficient knowledge base to qualify for such experience as per ASHA Certification Standards for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology, beginning Jan. 1, 2005.

Before a senior in Communicative Disorders or a graduate student in Speech-Language Pathology can begin or continue in their clinical practicum training in either on or off-campus settings, the student must meet the following conditions:

1. The student must be an officially accepted undergraduate student or a graduate student in speech-language pathology within the department and have completed, or be in the process of completing, department requirements in the following areas: background check, health insurance, immunization and liability insurance.
2. The department Speech-Language Pathology Committee must have formally approved the student for entry into clinical practicum training, which includes speech and hearing screenings.
3. The student must meet published GPA requirements within the department during each semester in which the student is participating in clinical practicum.
4. The student must have successfully completed or be concurrently enrolled in course work that is a prerequisite for the specific practicum in which the student is engaged. The prerequisite course work for the specific practicum in Speech-Language Pathology will be determined by the Clinical Coordinator in Speech-Language Pathology.
5. Off-campus practicum must be completed at sites and with supervisors that have been pre-approved by the department Clinical Coordinator in Speech-Language Pathology as meeting both ASHA requirements and the Department clinical training requirements.
6. The Clinical Coordinator in Speech-Language Pathology has the responsibility of determining the appropriateness of all clinical practicum activities for seniors in Communicative Disorders and graduate students in Speech-Language Pathology before the practicum hours are begun. Students enrolled in the department may not complete independently arranged clinical practicum hours and then submit them to the department for later approval.

Guidelines for Assisting Speech-Language Pathology Student Teachers at Risk for Failure (Policy adopted 2/26/04)

The student teaching experience is an extensive off-campus practicum assignment required of all graduate students in Speech-Language Pathology. It is the joint goal of the department university coordinators and onsite school supervisors that our students have successful student teaching experiences. Students must understand, however, that university and school personnel must balance the training and clock hour needs of student teachers with their professional obligation to provide quality services to the children in the school caseload. On occasion, student teachers have specific skill deficits that seriously compromise the quality of services being provided to the school children in their caseloads. When this occurs, the onsite school supervisor, university coordinator, and Department coordinator of student teaching must jointly decide whether the student should be withdrawn from the student teaching assignment or have the student teaching practicum restructured. The procedures outlined below are designed to assist the concerned parties during this process.

These procedures do not cover serious violations by student teachers of public school policy or of Department policies related to attendance, dress, hygiene, confidentiality, conduct or other issues of ethics or professionalism. Expectations in these areas are covered in the Department Standard Operating Procedures Manual for Speech-Language Pathology available to each student in the department. Serious violations in these areas may also result in the graduate student being withdrawn from student teaching and/or that a failing grade be given for the student teaching practicum, as per Department policy.

Procedures for At Risk Speech-Language Pathology Student Teachers

Serious problems in the student teacher clinical skills should be identified and addressed as early as possible during the student semester of student teaching. The concerned parties will then develop a remedial plan to maximize the student teacher opportunities for improvement and to minimize the negative impact on the children in the student teacher caseload. To this end:

1. The onsite school supervisor should immediately notify the university coordinator whenever serious questions arise concerning the student teacher clinical competencies.
2. The university coordinator should then immediately notify the Department coordinator of student teaching that serious questions are present concerning the student teacher clinical competencies.
3. The university coordinator should then notify the student teacher that she/he is at risk for failing the student teaching practicum assignment.
4. The university coordinator should then schedule an initial review meeting with the student teacher, onsite school supervisor, Department coordinator of student teaching and any other necessary parties to discuss the reported concerns and to develop a written Student Teacher Remedial Plan. The plan will identify the specific:
1. Skill areas of concern.
2. Improvements/actions needed from the student teacher to allow her/him to continue in the student teaching practicum.
3. Strategies that should help the student teacher successfully develop the targeted clinical skills.
4. Methods/criteria that will be used to assess the student teacher improvement in each targeted area.
5. The plan will also include:
6. Three observation dates for the university coordinator and one observation date for the Department coordinator of student teaching to monitor the student teacher implementation of the remedial plan during a four week period. Other relevant parties may also be scheduled for observations during this period, as needed.
7. Specific behaviors that must be accomplished by the student teacher for each of these dates.
8. A specific decision date by which the student teacher will be held accountable for achieving all of the required improvements/actions.
5. The university coordinator will then schedule and conduct a second review meeting with the student teacher, onsite school supervisor, and the Department coordinator of student teaching to determine if the student teacher has satisfactorily achieved the required improvements/actions by the specified decision date.

If the student teacher has been successful in achieving the required outcomes, Option One will be recommended:

1. Option One: The student teaching assignment will continue as planned and an appropriate letter grade assigned using the Department student teacher grading criteria.

If the required improvements/actions have not been satisfactorily achieved by the student teacher, one of the remaining options will be recommended for the student teacher:

1. Option Two: The student teaching practicum will continue but be modified so that the children in the student teacher caseload will not be negatively impacted. An appropriate final letter grade will be assigned using the Department student teacher grading criteria. This option may result in a C+ or lower final grade.
2. Option Three: The student teacher will be removed from the student teaching experience. A grade of or lower will be given for the student teaching practicum when Option Three is recommended. Student teachers recommended for removal from their student teaching practicum have the right to appeal this recommendation to the Department Head, as per university policy.

No clinical clock hours will be earned for the student teaching practicum whenever a lower grade is obtained.

6. A student teaching retake option will be recommended by the review committee whenever a grade of C+ or lower is obtained in student teaching.
1. Retake Option: Additional remedial procedures will be specified in writing by the review committee in a Retake Option Remedial Plan. The proposed Remedial Plan will be signed by the student teacher, onsite school supervisor, university coordinator, Department coordinator of student teaching, and the Com DDE Department Head.
2. When the student considers that the skills specified in the Retake Option Remedial Plan have been acquired, the student should contact the Department coordinator of student teaching, who will schedule a Remedial Plan Review Meeting with the other members of the student review committee. The committee will determine if the Retake Option Remedial Plan has been satisfactorily completed before the student will be allowed to re-enroll in student teaching.
3. Should the student re-enroll in student teaching during a future semester and again receive a lower grade, the student will not be allowed to continue in the Department Speech-Language Pathology graduate program, as per Department policy.

Students recommended for removal from the department have the right to appeal this recommendation to the Department Head, as per university policy.

Second Bachelors Degree Policy (8/26/02)

A student with a bachelor's degree in another field who desires to receive a master's degree in Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education (COMD-DE) must obtain a 2nd bachelor's degree in COMD-DE or have the equivalent junior and senior level COMD-DE courses and extra-departmental courses before he/she will be considered for acceptance into the master's degree program.

In order to be accepted into the 2nd bachelor's degree program, the student must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited university and have earned at least a 3.0 GPA. The specific COMD-DE course schedule is developed by the academic advisor and student prior to beginning the 2nd bachelor's degree program. Once the student is admitted, the departmental retention standards must be maintained (no COMD-DE grade lower than B-, and GPA no lower than 3.0) in order for the student to continue in the undergraduate program.

 

Clinic Nondiscrimination Policy (08/01/07)

Students, faculty, staff, and persons served in the USU Speech-Language -Hearing Clinic are treated in a nondiscriminatory manner ­ that is, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, participation restriction, age, sexual orientation, or status as a parent. The institution and program comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and executive orders pertaining thereto.

 

ASHA National Exam (NESPA)Policy (8/26/02)

All SLP and Audiology graduate students must take the ASHA national exam (NESPA) in order to graduate from the Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education. All students must enroll in an independent study (COMD 6900) ASHA exam prep course during the final semester of graduate school. Students will take the national exam by the end of the final semester of graduate program.

 

Graduate Credit Policy (8/26/02)

Each graduate student in the Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education is required to complete all the COMD-DE graduate level courses even though he/she may have had a similar course in an undergraduate program. Doing so will assure that the student will meet all departmental, University and ASHA requirements. Any exceptions to this policy must be approved by memo from the professor teaching the course. The exception must also be approved and signed by the advisor and filed in the student's graduate file. If a class is waived, the student and the advisor or major professor may choose an alternate class to meet graduation requirements.

 

Senior Clinic Registration (8/26/02)

The total number of senior students participating in clinic each semester will be based upon availability of faculty supervision. Once graduate student clinic assignments are made at the start of each Semester, any remaining clinic openings in the faculty supervisors' schedules will be assigned to selected seniors. Senior clinicians will be selected for these available clinic slots based on their GPA and the compatibility of academic and client schedules.

Seniors should not register for senior clinic (Com D 4100) unless notified to do so at the start of each semester. Students will typically not be registered for more than one semester of clinic during their senior year.

Although the senior clinic experience is highly desirable for several reasons, not having clinic as a senior should not affect the student's ability to obtain letters of recommendation from our faculty or to be competitive when applying to other graduate schools. Most university undergraduate COMD programs do not provide undergraduate clinical training.

 

Outreach Master Program Late Acceptance Policy (2/5/03)

The deadline for admission into the Outreach Master Program in Speech-Language Pathology in The Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education (COMD-DE) is no later than the first day of classes during the first semester of the program.

Exceptions: In the event that a student seeks admission beyond the admission deadline, he/she will be considered for admission ONLY under the following circumstances:

1. The student meets or surpasses all admission standards set by the Department.
2. There are student openings available in the outreach graduate program.
3. The student must acknowledge in writing that he/she understands the following:
1. In the event that he/she has not already satisfactorily completed those graduate classes missed as a result of entering the graduate program after the deadline, he/she will have to complete part of his/her graduate program as part of the next cohort in the Outreach Master Program, unless other opportunities for completing those classes are available. If such classes are available they must be approved by the COMD-DE Speech-Language Pathology Committee.
2. Because the Outreach Master Program is funded through the Utah State Office of Education and is funded annually on a year to year basis, there is always a possibility that this program might NOT be funded in the future. If that were to happen, and if the student had not yet completed his/her graduate program, he/she would have to complete his/her degree in some other way, possibly through our on-campus graduate program or through some other university. He/She would not hold COMD-DE or Utah State University liable in such a circumstance.
3. He/She must meet all the other requirements and complete all admission paperwork required by COMD-DE and the College of Education during his/her first semester of the graduate program.

Outreach Class Attendance Policy (8/26/02)

Each session of the Outreach Program includes a large portion of the total material for that class. For that reason, students are required to attend all classes on all scheduled dates. The only exception will be serious medical problems or the loss of a family member. It is the student's responsibility to communicate as early as possible with faculty members when one of the exceptions occurs and to make arrangements through colleagues in the program to acquire the material covered during the student's absence. The student will remain responsible for the material covered, examinations administered, and project deadlines. The student's grade will drop 1/8 of a grade for every hour (50 minutes) of instruction missed.

 

Outreach Clinical Grade Policy (8/26/02)

If, for some reason, a student is not meeting the expectations of the clinic supervisor in the district, the clinic supervisor and the district clinic coordinator will provide written feedback to the Outreach clinic coordinator, and the student clinic grade given by the USU Outreach clinic coordinator will reflect the student performance.

If a student clinic grade for a semester is lower than B-, he/she will be reviewed by the USU Outreach clinic coordinator and the district?clinical coordinator and the student clinical supervisor. The student will be given written feedback regarding specific changes that must occur. If the student receives another grade lower than B-, he/she will be dismissed from the graduate program.

Graduate School Grade Policy (8/26/02)

Students are responsible for being aware of the University policies regarding grading as stated in the Utah State University General Catalog.

 

COMD-DE Graduate Student Grade Policy (4/30/07)

If, at the end of any semester, an accepted graduate student receives a grade lower than B- in any one COMD-DE course, including a clinic practicum/student teaching course, he/she may continue as a COMD-DE graduate student as long as his/her grade point average is 3.0 or higher. The student must retake the course and receive a grade of B- or better before the student will meet department requirements for graduation.

Clock hours/Student teaching hours will not be accepted for any clinic/student teaching practicum course in which a grade lower than B- has been obtained, because the student will not have met the competency standards required for his/her level of training. If a graduate student receives two grades lower than B-, he/she will not be allowed to continue in the department's graduate program in the student's area of specialty. Appeals may be directed to the Department's Graduate Committee in the student's area of specialty.

Graduate Program Completion (4/30/07)

A graduate student will officially graduate when he/she successfully completes all the academic coursework and all clinical/student teaching coursework (clinical and/or student teaching experiences for which the student has registered) in his/her specialty area. If a student does not successfully complete the coursework by the end of the last semester listed on the student's program of study, in order to graduate he/she will continue as a graduate student, retaking the courses required until all graduation requirements have been met. His/her degree will be posted on the transcript at the end of the semester when all requirements have been met. The "degree conferred" semester will be the semester that the student actually completed all degree requirements and final grades were posted.

 

GRADES OF C in SLP Graduate School Program (5/08/08)

1. If a student receives two grades of C+ or lower then he/she is dropped from the graduate program.
2. If a student receives a grade of C+ or lower in a graduate class, then he/she is required to take the class once again in a subsequent semester. This class will not result in the replacement of the C+ or lower grade, instead the student will register for the specified credits in an independent study course. If the student receives a grade of C+ or lower in this subsequent class, he/she will be dismissed from the graduate program.

 

Remediation in SLP Graduate School Program (5/08/08)

In this course each student will be provided with an opportunity to demonstrate required knowledge and/or skill development. These knowledge and skills will be assessed as delineated in the syllabus (by examination, paper, presentation, project, etc.). ASHA has specified that in order to be competent, you must achieve a level of 80% or better on each KASA item. If the student does not attain this level in this course, he/she will be provided, if appropriate, with ONE additional opportunity (in the current class) to demonstrate this knowledge or skill. If the student does not pass the competency a second time, no action will be taken if another opportunity (course or clinic) remains available in which the skill can be acquired. However, if no such opportunity is available, the student will be asked to complete an exam/demonstration of the knowledge and/or skill as determined by the department. For students failing to attain the set criteria on a required competency assessment, the department head is not able to sign the KASA form required for ASHA certification, even though the student may receive an acceptable course/clinic grade or exceed the minimum GPA.

1. If the remediation for a student requires that a student repeat a course or a section of a course, then the student will audit the course for the specified credits the semester that the course is repeated. The repetition of the course will not result in a change of grade from the original course. If the student receives a C+ or lower on the specified material in the subsequent course, then the department head will not be able to sign the KASA form required for ASHA certification.

2. The SLP committee will monitor graduate students’ academic and clinical progress on a monthly basis. If the committee determines that a graduate student is not making acceptable progress then the student will be placed on departmental probation. A subcommittee assigned to the student will then determine the actions and timeline required for the student to end the probation. Students can be on departmental probation for a maximum of one semester. If a student fails to complete the required probationary steps within the assigned timeline then he/she will be dropped dismissed from the SLP graduate program.