Concerns during placement

Level 1 Concern can usually be resolved after the issues have been formally identified by the mentor with the pre-service teacher (PST). Level 1 examples include, but are not limited to:

• punctuality/absences
• standard of dress
• lack of initiative
• limited understanding of placement requirements

The following Notification of Concern Agreement should be discussed and completed by the mentor teacher, the education setting’s placement coordinator (if needed), and the PST.

A copy of the completed form is emailed to inschool@cdu.edu.au The Field Manager, or allocated Professional Experience Supervisor, who will make contact to discuss the concern. The Mentor Teacher and PST retain a copy of this form for their records.

As soon as the mentor teacher has concerns that the preservice teacher (PST) may fail to achieve the requirements of the placement, the Targeted Support Plan, must be completed. 

The targeted support plan should be completed following a discussion between the mentor teacher, setting-based professional experience coordinator, and the PST, and in consultation with the CDU Professional Experience Supervisor. It must then be signed by all present and emailed to inschool@cdu.edu.au, with all parties copied into the email.

The Targeted Support Plan runs for a period of five days. Its purpose is to identify the key areas of concern in the form of developmental goals and to establish a program of strategies to support the PST in meeting these goals. PST performance against these goals is assessed daily over the five-day period.

1. The PST gets back on track meeting the requirements by the end of the placement. In this case the PST submits the plan with the final report to the CDU Unit Coordinator, and ccs inschool@cdu.edu.au, the MT and the PES.
2. The PST does not meet the identified developmental goals within the 5 days. A second and final opportunity may be provided. The provision of the additional time is a decision made in collaboration with the Unit Coordinator and the Associate Dean WIL.
3. If the PST does not successfully complete the Targeted Support Plan over two targeted support periods (10 days total) they will be deemed to be unsuccessful in the placement and a Fail grade will be recorded.

At the completion of the support plan, the Placement reports and support plans are uploaded to LearnLine by the PST and emailed to the Mentor Teacher, copying in the Professional Learning Leader, Professional Experience Supervisor, Field Manager, Unit Coordinator and Inschool@cdu.edu.au 

Termination of placement

Termination of a placement is a serious matter.

It may occur if a PST is experiencing extreme difficulty in meeting the placement requirements (Level 2), or in cases of misconduct (Level 3).

Termination of placement is a last-resort process and will usually only occur after consultation with the PST, mentor teacher, setting-based coordinator, unit coordinator, and Associate Dean – Work Integrated Learning (AD-WIL). Termination usually does not occur without warning or before remedial actions have been implemented.

Termination of placement can occur immediately if the situation is viewed as urgent or of significant seriousness. This includes if a PST presents to a placement under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or if the learning and safety of students in host classes and schools is seriously compromised by a PST’s professional experience. 

Voluntary withdrawal by the PST

A Pre-service teacher (PST) who voluntarily withdraws from a placement at any stage before its completion, without the knowledge and/or agreement of both the university and the educational setting, will be deemed to have failed the placement.