Attendance Policy

Prompt and regular attendance is an expectation of a professional educator.  When participating in an Education class, the student is considered a member of the teaching profession.  Therefore, she/he is expected to be in class and in the field.

Guidelines regarding attendance are provided below:

• All students are expected to be on time for class and during the field experience.
• If there is a need for an absence from the classroom, the student is expected to:
  • Notify the class professor before class begins.
  • During the field experience, the student must telephone both the field supervisor and the field mentor teacher well in advance of the established start time.
• For an absence to be excused, a student must provide a request or explanation prior to the class or field placement to be missed.  Examples of an excused absence:
  • Illness (with confirmation from the Wellness Center)
  • A personal family emergency
  • A college sanctioned athletic or music commitment – provided the student notifies the class professor and field mentor teacher ahead of scheduled class or field experience.
• Unexcused absences will negatively affect the student’s final grade and could result in removal from the field placement.
  • It is the Department of Education’s policy that students are permitted zero unexcused absences within any given course.
    For every unexcused absence, students will receive a 5% reduction from their final course grade.
  • More than one (1) unexcused absences will result in the removal from the field experience and a failure of the field component in the course.

At each step of the departmental application process (On Target, Full Admission, Student Teaching, Application for Licensure) the student’s professional attendance record will be reviewed.  With poor attendance, a student will be denied acceptance at any level of the application process. Once admitted, however, professional attendance is expected for the student to maintain each level of admission status.