Charles Sturt University
Information for Supervising Teachers, ULOs and PELOs
supporting students “At Risk” of failing professional
experience
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 2
IDENTIFICATION OF CONCERNS: Supervising Teacher, ULO and/or PELO .............. 2
MID-PLACEMENT REVIEW: Supervising Teacher ........................................................ 3
NOTIFICATION OF CONCERN FORM: Supervising Teacher ....................................... 3
“AT RISK” LETTER TO TEACHER EDUCATION STUDENT: Director, Professional
Experience Unit, Supervising Teacher & ULO/PELO ..................................................... 4
DEVELOPMENTAL SUPPORT PLAN: Supervising Teacher with Teacher Education
Student .......................................................................................................................... 4
SCHEDULED REVIEW MEETINGS: Supervising Teacher and Teacher Education
Student .......................................................................................................................... 5
PROVISION OF GENERAL AND TARGETED SUPPORT TO THE TEACHER
EDUCATION STUDENT: Supervising Teacher and ULO/PELO .................................... 5
COMPLETION OF FINAL REPORT: Supervising Teacher ............................................ 6
ACTION IN CASES OF EXTREME DIFFICULTY: Relocation or withdrawal from
placement ...................................................................................................................... 6
FAILURE TO ACHIEVE THE REQUIRED STANDARDS ............................................... 6
APPENDIX: Required Documentation ............................................................................... 8
Document 1: Notification of Concern .......................................................................... 8
Document 2: At Risk letter to student ......................................................................... 9
Document 3: Developmental Support Plan ............................................................... 10
Document 4: Meeting Record ................................................................................... 13
Teacher Education: Procedures for student at risk of failing professional experience placement - 2016
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INTRODUCTION
All professional experience subjects are regarded as indicators of a student’s professional
suitability because they include a professional experience placement. This means that a
student who has not met the standard of competence required has therefore not fulfilled an
essential requirement of the Academic Progress Regulations. Where a student fails the
professional experience component of a subject, the University may decide to exclude the
student from their course for up to three years. If a student is excluded, the student will be
required to apply for re-admission to the course as continuation after exclusion is not
automatic.
Most teacher education students complete their placements satisfactorily. However, It is
important that supervising teachers and liaison staff provide support for a teacher education
student who is identified as having difficulties while on their professional experience
placement. These students should be given every opportunity to meet the requirements of the
placement.
Staff performing liaison roles may be designated University Liaison Officer (ULO) or
Professional Experience Liaison Officer (PELO). The ULO provides support to students and
sites through phone, email and personal visits; the PELO supports students in placements by
phone and email.
The University Liaison Officer (ULO) and the Professional Experience Liaison Officer (PELO)
play a very important role in supporting and advising a teacher education student who is having
difficulty. They willalso provide additional information and support to the supervising teacher
(ST) and to other staff in the school or Early Childhood setting, where needed. The ULO or
PELO in turn may seek the support of the Director, Professional Experience Unit (PEU) in
order to fulfil their liaison role effectively.
A ULO/PELO who is supporting a Teacher Education Student having difficulties will work with
the supervising teacher and the teacher education student to complete the actions noted in
the following Guidelines.
IDENTIFICATION OF CONCERNS: Supervising Teacher, ULO and/or PELO

It is important that the supervising teacher (ST) and/or the ULO/PELO identify any
emergent concerns as early as possible during the placement. These identified
concerns must link to the listed competencies from the final report as well as to the
expectations, requirements and tasks set out in the Guide to Professional Experience
Placement. The supervising teacher will initially discuss these with the teacher
education student in order to improve the student’s teaching as soon as possible.

The ST will consult with the ULO/PELO at this stage to confirm university expectations
of the student and seek further guidance in the identification of concerns. If it appears
Teacher Education: Procedures for student at risk of failing professional experience placement - 2016
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that the teacher education student has made insufficient progress in remedying
identified emergent concerns these concerns should be notified to the Professional
Experience Unit as early as possible in the placement but no later than the mid-point
of the placement or the end of the second week, whichever is earlier.

The supervising teacher and ULO/PELO will notify the PEU of emergent concerns by
email ([email protected]) using the email subject: Concerns re Professional
Experience Placement <Student Name>.
MID-PLACEMENT REVIEW: Supervising Teacher

The supervising teacher conducts the mid-placement review with the teacher
education student at the mid-point of the placement. S/he identifies any areas in the
final report where the teacher education student is at risk of receiving a grading of
Causing Concern (Early Childhood placements) or Not Demonstrated (school-based
placements) where ND (Not Demonstrated) reflects the teacher education student’s
inability to perform to the required standard.

The supervising teacher will advise the Teacher Education Student of the processes
to be followed to support a student at risk of failing a placement.

The supervising teacher, with support from the ULO/PELO will advise the teacher
education student of the processes to be followed to support a student at risk of failing
a professional experience placement by reference to the Professional Experience
Handbook on the Professional Experience website.
The Supervising Teacher may seek further information and support from the ULO in
this process. The ULO/PELO will also discuss the Mid-Placement Review with the
teacher education student and the supervising teacher at the time of the midplacement extended visit or consultation/phone call.

NOTIFICATION OF CONCERN FORM: Supervising Teacher
The supervising teacher will complete the Notification of Concern form after the midplacement review (or earlier if required).

If the Supervising Teacher identifies concerns in the course of the Mid-Placement
Review, s/he will complete the Notification of Concern form as soon as possible after
the conclusion of the Mid-Placement Review. The Notification of Concern form is
accessed by the supervising teacher’s from the Associate Teacher’s subject page as
a pdf writable document, and is also contained in the Appendix, Document 1.

The Notification of Concern form should then be emailed to [email protected], using
the email subject: Notification of Concern: <Student Name> with a cc to the
ULO/PELO. and the Director, Professional Experience Unit ([email protected])
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
The ULO/PELO will respond to the supervising teacher and teacher education student
identified as “at risk” in order to assist both parties. They will provide information to the
supervising teacher and the teacher education student, relevant school/EC setting staff
and other liaison officers where necessary about the process of supporting a teacher
education student “at risk” and the implications for the teacher education student of
being deemed to be at risk of failure on professional experience.
“AT RISK” LETTER TO TEACHER EDUCATION STUDENT: Director, Professional
Experience Unit, Supervising Teacher & ULO/PELO

On receipt of a Notification of Concern in which a student is deemed to be at risk of
failing the professional experience placement, the Director, Professional Experience
Unit will send the teacher education student an “at risk” letter informing him/her that
failure in the placement could lead to exclusion from the course. The Director will cc
both the supervising teacher and the ULO/PELO into this letter.

This letter must be signed by the teacher education student and a copy of the signed
letter emailed back to the Director, Professional Experience Unit at
[email protected] as a matter of urgency, using the email subject: At Risk letter:
<Student Name>.

The supervising teacher and the ULO/PELO will follow up with the teacher education
student to ensure that s/he has read and understood the “at risk” letter and has
returned a signed copy to the Director, PEU. The At Risk letter is provided in the
Appendix as Document 2 for the information of supervisory and liaison staff.
DEVELOPMENTAL SUPPORT PLAN: Supervising Teacher with Teacher Education
Student
Where a student has been identified as at risk of failing a placement, it is important
that in the remainder of the placement, the ST and the student focus on planning for
and achieving remediation of the identified areas of concern.

As soon as possible after the Mid-Placement Review, the supervising teacher will
complete the Developmental Support Plan (see Appendix, Document 3), in
consultation with the student and any, or all, available resource people. Resource
people may include the ULO/ PELO, the University Subject Coordinator and the SiteBased Professional Experience Coordinator, Principal or Director.

The supervising teacher will ensure that the areas for remediation listed on the
Developmental Support Plan (DSP) are explicitly drawn from the Graduate Standards
or Early Childhood Standards as listed in the final Report. For school–based
placements, the supervising teacher may refer to the Evidence Guide appropriate to
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the placement (early or final placement) found in A Framework for High-Quality
Professional Experience in NSW Schools http://www.nswteachers.nsw.edu.au/taas-schools/principals-supervisors/supervising-teacher-education-students/ (Document
4).

Within the Developmental Support Plan, the sections concerned with Objectives,
Strategies, Expectations and Review will be completed by the supervising teacher and
discussed with the teacher education student. Following this discussion, both parties
will sign the DSP.

The supervising teacher will email the completed and signed Developmental Support
Plan to the Professional Experience Unit for ratification, signature and any further
discussion, using the email subject: Developmental Support Plan: <Student Name>.
SCHEDULED REVIEW MEETINGS: Supervising Teacher and Teacher Education
Student

The supervising teacher will convene review meetings with the teacher education
student to identify progress towards the objectives of the Developmental Support Plan.
The record of each of these meetings will be signed by all parties present. The
supervising teacher will send signed written records of all scheduled review meetings
to the PEU, cc ULO/PELO, using the email subject: Student at Risk-Meeting
record<Student Name>.

The Record of Meetings is provided in the Appendix as Document 4.
PROVISION OF GENERAL AND TARGETED SUPPORT TO THE TEACHER
EDUCATION STUDENT: Supervising Teacher and ULO/PELO

The supervising teacher and the ULO/PELO will continue to support the teacher
education student to achieve the specific objectives of the Developmental Support Plan
and all required outcomes of the placement. The ULO/PELO will maintain contact with
the school/EC setting and the supervising teacher in relation to the teacher education
student’s progress in achieving the requirements of the Developmental Support Plan
and of the placement. The ULO/PELO will maintain contact with the Director,
Professional Experience Unit.

Where the ULO is available to provide additional support to the teacher education
student and the school/EC setting the PEU will arrange for the ULO to have an increase
in contracted time in order to provide additional assistance to staff at the school/EC
setting and to the teacher education student. The ULO/PELO should contact the Office
Manager, PEU, at [email protected] to make these arrangements.
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COMPLETION OF FINAL REPORT: Supervising Teacher
The supervising teacher completes the overall assessment of the student’s placement.
The supervising teacher may elect to consult the ULO/PELO at the time of completing the
final report. However, the supervising teacher has final responsibility for the decisions
registered in the report. After the supervising teacher has returned the final report to the
university, the CSU Subject Coordinator is responsible for the award of the final subject
grade.
ACTION IN CASES OF EXTREME DIFFICULTY: Relocation or withdrawal from
placement
Unfortunately, there are occasions when all of the above cannot resolve the extreme
difficulties that some teacher education students experience on placement. In this case,
the supervising teacher may recommend to the PEU that the teacher education student
1. relocate to another class, setting or school, or
2. that the professional experience placement be terminated prior to its conclusion and
the student withdrawn from the school or EC setting.
FAILURE TO ACHIEVE THE REQUIRED STANDARDS

Students whose placement has been deemed sufficiently unsatisfactory to warrant
withdrawal from the site by the university at the request of the school or EC setting will
be referred to the Professional Experience Results Committee. The student will be
deemed to have failed the placement.

A student who voluntarily withdraws from a placement at any stage before the
completion of the placement will also be referred to the Professional Experience
Results Committee (PERC) and deemed to have failed the placement. This applies
especially to students who have been given a “second chance”, through the
implementation of a Developmental Support Plan, to remediate issues in their
professional practice before the supervising teacher completes the final report for the
professional experience placement.

Where a teacher education student completes a placement but fails to achieve all the
required Standards of the professional experience placement, and the final report
describes any area of the Standards as “Not Demonstrated” or “Causing Concern”
related to teaching competence, the teacher education student will be referred to the
Professional Experience Results Committee (PERC) prior to finalising the result of the
subject.

The PERC will review documentation received during the placement from the
supervising teacher and the ULO/PELO. The teacher education student will also be
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invited to submit a report. The ULO or PELO will be invited to attend the PERC meeting
if available.
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APPENDIX: Required Documentation
Document 1: Notification of Concern
See Associate Teacher Page for appropriate subject for Writable PDF
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PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE UNIT
FACULTY OF EDUCATION
DATE 2016
PO Box 883
Panorama Ave
Bathurst NSW 2795
STUDENT NAME
STUDENT MAILING ADDRESS
Tel: +61 2 63384365
Fax: +61 2 63384134
Email: [email protected]
www.csu.edu.au/faculty/educat/pep/
Document 2: At Risk letter to student
Dear STUDENT
I am writing to advise you that staff in the Faculty of Education and your associated school/service have received notice
from staff at <NAME OF SITE> that you are at risk of failing your current site-based professional experience placement
in the subject, EPTXXX,<NAME OF SUBJECT>.
It is important that you familiarise yourself with the procedures for supporting students at risk. These can be found in
your professional experience handbook. Staff in your professional experience placement service have negotiated and
documented a Developmental Support Plan with you. This includes explicit actions that you as a Teacher Education
Student need to take in order to complete the placement satisfactorily. The plan also includes a time for reviewing the
situation and for consultation meetings. Depending on the outcome of the Developmental Support Plan, different
processes will be undertaken to support you in your endeavour to meet the requirements for satisfactory subject
completion. It should be noted that the awarding of an Unsatisfactory grade at the conclusion of the professional
experience placement will constitute a fail in the subject, EPT308. Failure in the subject may lead to exclusion from the
course for a period of up to three years.
As a matter of urgency, you are required to sign the declaration at the bottom of this letter to indicate that you have
read it and then return the letter IMMEDIATELY by email to the Professional Experience Unit at [email protected]
If you have any concerns or queries about the process, please discuss these with your Supervising Teacher, your Liaison
Officer, <NAME OF ULO/PELO>, and or with me. My contact details are:
Phone: (02) 6338 4365
Email: [email protected]
Regards
Associate Professor Marilyn Pietsch
Director
Professional Experience Unit
_____________________________________________________________________________________
I __________________________________ (INSERT YOUR NAME) have read the above letter in relation to the fact that
I am/ have been placed at risk of failure on professional experience. I am aware of the consequences of failing
professional experience.
________________________________________
(Signature)
____________ (Date)
PLEASE EMAIL IMMEDIATELY TO PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE UNIT at [email protected]
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Document 3: Developmental Support Plan
Developmental Support Plan: For A Teacher Education Student Identified At Risk of Failure In Professional Experience
To be completed PRIOR TO OR AT THE MID- PLACEMENT REVIEW by the Supervising Teacher following discussions with the Site Based
Professional Experience Coordinator, University Liaison Officer and Teacher Education Student.
Please forward to the Professional Experience Unit at [email protected] for ratification and signature after expected outcomes have been negotiated
and support program agreed upon.
Areas Causing Concern
Please describe areas of concern.
Please indicate the focus area of the
final report to which each concern
relates
Action Required By The
Teacher Education Student
Support Program For
Teacher Education Student & Staff
Responsible
Teacher Education: Procedures for student at risk of failing professional experience placement - 2016
Timeline For Satisfactory
Completion
Page 10
Areas Causing Concern
Please describe areas of concern.
Please indicate the focus area of the
final report to which each concern
relates
Action Required By The
Teacher Education Student
Support Program For
Teacher Education Student & Staff
Responsible
Timeline For Satisfactory
Completion
PLEASE NOTE: The implication of failing to satisfactorily address the issues raised in this Development Support Plan is that
the pre-service teacher will be awarded an Unsatisfactory grade for professional experience and may be excluded from the
course.
School/Service: ________________________________________________________
Name of Supervising Teacher (Please print) __________________________________
(Signature)
.
__________________________________ Date _______________________
Name of Teacher Education Student (Please print) _______________________________
(Signature)
__________________________________ Date ____________________
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Site Professional Experience Coordinator (Please print)__________________________
(Signature)
__________________________________________ Date______
University Liaison Officer (Please Print) _______________________________________
(Signature)
__________________________________________
Date________
Please email to the Professional Experience Unit immediately on [email protected] using Subject: Developmental Support Plan:
<Student Name>
Professional Experience Unit (CSU) (Please print) ______________________________
(Signature)
____________________________ Date _________________________
Director Professional Experience notified?
Yes
No
Date______
Professional Experience Unit to email the signed copy back to school/centre/service.
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Document 4: Meeting Record
Record of meetings for teacher education student requiring additional support
This document is used to record discussions and outcomes for all formal meetings associated with supporting a teacher education student experiencing
difficulty.
MEETING No: __________ Date:_____________ Teacher education student’s name & signature:____________________________________________
SITE NAME: _____________________________ Supervising teacher’s name & signature __________________________________________________
OTHERS PRESENT (Name/s, Position/s &Signature/s): ________________________________________________________________________________
Areas of Concern

Changes/goals to address concerns
Strategies
By When
Notification made to Principal/Director and Site-Based PE coordinator
When the timeframe for achievement has been reached, a further assessment indicates that:

Teacher Education Student has addressed these issues and is now making satisfactory progress; OR

Teacher Education Student has not addressed the areas of concern and will be notified that she/he is/continues to be At Risk of failing this
Professional Experience placement; AND

University staff will be notified of the outcome of this meeting
Outcome recorded by: Pre-service Teacher ___________________________________________________________________(sign & date)
Outcome recorded by: Associate Teacher ____________________________________________________________________(sign & date)
Outcome recorded by: University Liaison Officer ________________________________________________________________(sign & date)
Email to CSU Professional Experience Office immediately at [email protected] Student at Risk-Meeting record<Student Name>
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