Graduate Program Grade Policy
Documentation of Academic and Clinical Progress
In order to fulfill requirements for the ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC), knowledge and skills assessment (KASA) "tracking records" are maintained for each graduate student (MS, MA, AuD). The KASA guidelines dictate the knowledge and skills that the CSD program expects students to master by the time of their graduation. Assessments are conducted each semester to determine if students have demonstrated adequate progress relative to the KASA guidelines. In addition to receiving an overall course grade for a class, students are also evaluated by the course instructor for specific knowledge and skills.
If a student receives a grade of C+ or lower in more than one academic course, s/he is put on "academic probation" by the Department. Following a grade of C+ or lower, the instructor will inform the Director of Graduate Studies, the Clinic Director and the student’s Committee to determine an appropriate plan for remediation, if necessary. For example, the Clinic Director and/or the Committee may require the student to repeat any or all of the problem courses (and obtain a grade of B or higher) prior to the student beginning his/her externships. Remediation of the courses must be completed within a timeline designated by the instructor(s). If remediation for KASA purposes is necessary, the remediation guidelines outlined below will be in effect.
If a student receives a single grade of D+ or lower as an overall course grade in any academic or clinical course, he or she will be required to repeat that course and obtain a grade of B or higher. The student may not begin his/her externship until the problem course is repeated successfully.
If a student receives a grade of C+ or lower as an overall grade for a clinic registration, s/he is put on "clinic probation" by the Department. The Clinic Director and Clinic Instructors will determine an appropriate plan of action to remediate the relevant deficiencies. The remediation plan will be developed and carried out in the semester immediately following the semester the student was placed on probation. The student must obtain a grade of B or higher in the subsequent clinic practicum registration and meet all requirements of the remediation contract/plan that were established. Both of these requirements must be met in the semester immediately following the semester that resulted in the student being placed on probation. A student will not be able to begin his/her externships until the remediation plan has been satisfactorily completed.
The Doctor of Audiology and Master’s Degree in speech-language pathology are clinical training programs. Appropriate academic proficiency and clinical competence must be achieved in order for individuals to function as ethical and competent audiologists or speech-language pathologists. Dismissal from the clinical graduate programs in CSD will be effective beginning the semester immediately following the occurrence of any one of the following:
- An overall GPA of less than 3.0 for two consecutive semesters.1
- Three grades of C+ or lower in any academic or clinic courses.
- An overall grade of D or F in any academic or clinical course and either:
- A grade of C+ or lower earned in any other class, or
- an overall GPA of less than 3.0
- A clinical practicum grade of C+ or lower for two semesters and/or failure to complete any applicable remediation plans.
If a student's knowledge and skills in a particular area are lacking, the student will be required to undertake remediation activities to demonstrate that they have achieved competency. Except in instances that require a student to retake a course, the remediation process for a given course must be completed within the first 3 weeks of the semester following the one in which the competency was not met.
If a student receives a grade of C+ or lower in an academic course, s/he must remediate that portion failed or the entire class (depending upon the discretion of the instructor) in order to demonstrate completed KASA competency. Completion of these remediation activities does not result in changes to a student's overall grade in a course. Only one opportunity for course remediation is allowed. If a student fails to remediate a course they will be required to retake the course (with a grade of B or better) in order to demonstrate KASA competency.2
NOTES:
1. The Graduate School requires that students maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 in order to graduate. A cumulative GPA below will place a student on probation with the Graduate School. A grade below C- is not accepted for credit toward a graduate degree.
2. Retaking a course to improve the grade will not affect the Dismissal Policy.