Richard W. Riley College of Education
Professional Dispositions and Skills Intervention Form Procedures
Undergraduate and MAT Programs
I.
An introduction to the Professional Dispositions and Skills Criteria is typically given to students enrolled in the
first introductory class for their major. For teacher education candidates, information regarding dispositions
will be provided in the required Orientation to Teacher Education and in all classes operating with a field-based
component.
II.
Students receive formative feedback on their professional dispositions as they progress through the program
through (a) the PDSA Professional Disposition Student Assessment, which is administered in selected classes
annually, and (b) field and clinical experience evaluations, which are administered in field placement settings.
III.
If any faculty member has concerns about a student’s professional behavior at any time, the recommended
first step is generally to counsel with the student and document the conference.
IV.
For more serious or persistent concerns, the faculty member will complete a Professional Dispositions and
Skills Intervention Form, discuss the form with the student, and obtain the student’s signature affirming that
he/she has read the form. Either the student or the faculty member can request a third party attend the
meeting. The faculty member sends the completed form to the student’s department chairperson who shares
the form with the appropriate program area committee* for review. The student’s advisor may be contacted
as well.
V.
If the situation involves academic misconduct, e.g. plagiarism, the procedures outlined in the Student Conduct
section of the Winthrop University Student Handbook will be followed in addition to the filing of a Professional
Dispositions and Skills Intervention Form. It is important to also follow the internal COE procedures so that the
program area team has a record of the incident.
VI.
The program area committee will review the Professional Dispositions and Skills Intervention Form and
recommend a plan of action. The plan of action should include specific recommendations for assistance or
improvement and a review date. In addition, the action may include deferring admission to the program,
denying admission to the program, or denying continuation in the program. In some cases, no action will be
taken, based on the judgment of the committee. The original copy of the committee decisions will be
forwarded by the program area coordinator to Student Academic Services for processing. The program area
coordinator will insure that the originating faculty member, the student, and the advisor receive a copy of the
outcome. If the situation warrants, documentation of that conference will be forwarded to the Dean of the
College of Education.
VII
Student Academic Services (SAS) will maintain a database of Professional Dispositions and Skills Intervention
Forms and report summary data to the unit annually. SAS will supply information on dispositional concerns
related to specific students to program area committees at transition point competency review meetings
(Admission to Program or to the College of Education, Admission to Internship, and Program Completion).
VIII.
Student Academic Services will review all applicants for scholarships and notify program area faculty if an
applicant has a Professional Dispositions and Skills Intervention Form on file.
IX.
Students who are denied further progression may follow the appropriate appeals process as described in the
Winthrop University Student Handbook.
* Program area is defined as the student’s major or NCATE area of licensure. The program area committee should be comprised of three
full-time faculty members. If the program area has less than three full-time faculty, other faculty from the department and/or the student
advisor are invited. Non-voting ad hoc participants may be invited as deemed necessary.
Approved by COE Faculty Assembly 3/15/02 revised 8/31/12
Fall 2010