Standard 4.3 Student Intervention Policies & Procedures
Standard 4.3 Student Intervention Policies & Procedures
The MS-SLP program has established policies and procedures to identify and provide intervention for students who do not meet expectations in acquiring knowledge and skills in the academic and clinical components of the program. These interventions are designed to support student success while maintaining the program's rigorous standards.
Academic Expectations and Policies
- Students are expected to earn a final grade of B- or higher in all courses.
- If a student earns a grade below a B-, they may retake the course once to improve their grade.
- Students whose semester GPA falls below 3.0 will be placed on academic probation.
- A student who earns a GPA below 3.0 for a second semester will be dismissed from the graduate program.
Intervention Plans for Academic Concerns
Intervention plans are implemented to address areas of weakness when students fail to demonstrate mastery of specific knowledge or skills. Key steps include:
- Identification of Concerns: The academic instructor identifies the issue and discusses it with the student’s academic advisor.
- Development of the Plan: A detailed plan is created, outlining measurable goals, activities, or experiences the student must complete to demonstrate improvement. The plan specifies the faculty member responsible for monitoring and implementing it.
- Approval and Implementation: The plan is reviewed by the Progression, Intervention, and Probation (PIP) Committee before being shared with the student. The plan must be signed by the student, Program Director, academic instructor, and/or Director of Clinical Education. Copies are distributed to all parties and placed in the student’s file.
- Timeline: Students are typically given one to two semesters to complete the plan, which will specify the deadline for achieving the outlined goals.
Students may remediate a specific issue only once. If the same issue reoccurs after completing the intervention plan, the student will be dismissed from the program. Students may complete multiple intervention plans if they address unrelated issues. In some cases, students may be required to enroll in a one-credit independent study course to fulfill the intervention plan requirements.
At the conclusion of the intervention plan:
- The PIP Committee will gather input from relevant faculty and determine if the student has successfully completed the plan.
- The student will be notified of the outcome, and the decision will be documented in their file.
- Failure to complete the plan within the specified timeframe will result in dismissal from the program.
Clinical concerns are addressed through intervention plans similar to those used in the academic program. These plans may require students to return to the campus clinical practicum for remediation. Possible outcomes include:
- Continuation in practicum with added, reduced, or unchanged responsibilities.
- Discontinuation of practicum participation if significant concerns persist.
The intervention plan for clinical concerns will include:
- A description of the knowledge and skills not being demonstrated.
- Specific goals and behaviors required to meet practicum-level expectations.
- A defined timeframe for demonstrating consistent improvement.
Failure to complete the clinical intervention plan or maintain the required skills may result in termination of clinical privileges. A maximum of two clinical intervention plans will be allowed. If a student earns a B- or lower in clinical practicum after completing two intervention plans, their clinical privileges will be terminated.
Termination of clinical privileges prevents the student from continuing clinical practicum. Successful completion of recommended changes within a designated timeframe may allow privileges to be reinstated.
Program Oversight and Consistency- The Program Director will maintain all records related to intervention plans.
- Faculty who identify the need for an intervention plan must submit a request to the Program Director.
- The PIP Committee will review plans annually to ensure consistency in their development and implementation.
- All program policies are documented in the program handbooks, which are provided to students during orientation and are accessible on the program website. Faculty can access the handbook through the shared drive.
- Assessment Remediation and Academic Remediation Policies are also listed in the course syllabi.
- Policies are consistently applied to all students, ensuring fairness and transparency.
The Program Director and Director of Clinical Education will review intervention plans annually to confirm the consistent application of policies and procedures.
Supporting Documentation can be reviewed by following the links provided below.
MS-SLP Academic and Clinical Policies and Procedures
- MS-SLP Website
- MS-SLP Handbook of Academic Policies and Procedures
- MS-SLP Handbook of Clinical Policies and Procedures
MS-SLP Course Syllabi
- SL 541 Counseling for Communication Disorders
- SL 542 Dysphagia (Adult and Pediatric)
- SL 543 Augmentative and Alternative Communication
- SL 550 Research Methods in Communication Sciences and Disorders
- SL 552 Voice and Velopharyngeal Disorders
- SL 553 Language Disorders in Early Childhood
- SL 554 Language Disorders in School-Age Children
- SL 555 Fluency Disorders
- SL 557 Motor Speech Disorders
- SL 558 Aphasia
- SL 559 Neurocognitive Disorders
- SL 560 Professional Issues in Speech-Language Pathology
- SL 561 Clinical Practicum (On Campus)
- SL 563 Clinical Practicum (Educational Setting)
- SL 564 Clinical Practicum (Medical Setting)
- SL 565 Clinical Practicum (Other)
- SL 566 Clinical Practicum (Externship)
- SL 567 Capstone Case Study