SOE: Academic Policies

Students in the School of Education are subject to the academic policies of the School and of the individual programs in which they enroll as well as the rules and regulations of the College. Policies for individual programs are included in the description for that program. In accordance with The College of William and Mary’s academic policies, it is your responsibility for knowing and meeting the academic requirements of your program. The academic policies of the School are as follows:

Academic Records, Confidentiality & Privacy

Privacy of Student Records: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their educational records. Enrolled students have the following rights under the law:

Student Rights Under FERPA:

1. Enrolled students have the right to inspect their records within 45 days of the request for inspection and are entitled to an explanation of any information therein. “Records” refers to those files and their contents that are maintained by official units of the College. Generally, students have the right to review any official record that the College maintains on them. When access is permitted, documents will be examined only under conditions that will prevent unauthorized removal, alteration, or mutilation. Information to which the student does not have access is limited to the following:
   1. Confidential letters of recommendation placed in student’s files before January 1, 1975, and those letters for which the student has signed a waiver of his or her right of access.
   2. Parent’s confidential financial statements.
   3. Medical, psychiatric, or similar records “which are created, maintained, or used only in connection with the provision of treatment to the student and are not available to anyone other than persons providing such treatment; provided, however, that such records can be personally reviewed by a physician or other appropriate professional of the student’s choice.”
   4. Personal files and records of members of the faculty or administrative personnel, which are in the sole possession of the maker thereof, and which are not accessible or revealed to any person except a substitute.
   5. Records of the Office of Academic Programs concerning students admitted but not yet enrolled at the College.
   6. Documents submitted to the College by or for the student will not be returned to the student. Academic records received from other institutions will not be sent to third parties external to the College, nor will copies of such documents be given to the student. Such records should be requested by the student from the originating institution.
2. Students have the right to request an amendment of the education record that the student believes is inaccurate or misleading. Should a student believe his or her record is incorrect, a written request should be submitted to the appropriate College official indicating the correct information that should be entered. The official will respond within a reasonable period concerning his or her action. Should the student not be satisfied, a hearing may be requested.
3. Students have the right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education record, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
4. Students have the right to file a complaint with the US Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the College to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is: Family Policy Compliance Office, US Department of Education, 600 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-4605.

Disclosure to members of the College community:

1. “School Official” is defined as a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position; or a person or company with whom the College has contracted (such as attorney, auditor, or collection agent).
2. A school official must have a legitimate educational interest in order to review an education record. “Legitimate Educational Interest” is defined in the following manner: the information requested must be within the context of the responsibilities assigned to the School Official; the information sought must be used within the context of official College business and not for purposes extraneous to the official’s area of responsibility or the College; information requested must be relevant and necessary to the accomplishment of some task or to making some determination within the scope of College employment.

Directory Information:

The College has designated the following information as “Directory Information” which may be released to the public without the consent of the student:

Student’s Name
Current Classification
Address (permanent, local, and email)
Previous schools attended and degrees awarded
Telephone Number
Dates of Attendance
Current Enrollment Status
Photograph
Degree(s) earned and date awarded
Major(s), Minor
Honors or Special Recognition
Height, weight, and birth date of members of athletic teams

Students may prohibit the release of directory information by completing a ‘Request for Confidentiality’ form, located on the University Registrar’s website at http://www.wm.edu/offices/registrar/forms/index.php. This request must be submitted in person to the Office of the University Registrar and will remain on file indefinitely until written notice is submitted by the student to remove it. For additional information regarding students’ rights related to the release of personally identifiable information, see the University Registrar’s website at http://www.wm.edu/registrar or the section entitled ‘Statement of Rights and Responsibilities’ in the Student Handbook.

Release of Academic, Judicial, and Financial Information to Parents:

Students who wish their parents, guardians, and/or spouse to have access to academic, financial or judicial information protected by FERPA may provide consent by completing the appropriate form in the Office of the Dean of Students. Students have the right to revoke this consent at any time. Parents of dependent students have the right to information about their children; however, they must provide tax documents if there is no release already on file with the College.

Advisement

Each student is assigned a program faculty advisor upon acceptance of admission to the School of Education. Students are responsible for planning a course of study with their advisor. Each graduate student and his or her advisor should work closely together to develop a program of studies that is consistent with the student’s personal and professional goals; that builds effectively on previous educational experiences; that fulfills degree requirements in foundational, specialty, and emphasis areas; and that satisfies relevant requirements for certification or licensure. An approved program of study that indicates the specific courses the student will take as part of his or her master’s, specialist, or doctoral program must be filed in the Office of Academic Programs during the initial term of enrollment following admission. Courses completed prior to the filing of an approved program of studies may not be applicable to the degree program.

Independent Study

A required course cannot be taken as an independent study or problems in education course, unless the student petitions the Academic Affairs Committee and receives approval prior to registering for the course. The main purpose of an independent study course is to give the student the opportunity to learn information not taught in regular courses.

Definition of Graduate Credit/Courses

Only those courses numbered in the 500’s and above in the School of Education are acceptable for credit toward a graduate degree. Some courses at the master’s level have alphabetic characters rather than 5’s in the hundreds place. When courses are cross-listed at the 400/500 levels, graduate students are expected to enroll at the master’s level. Courses offered by other schools and departments of the College are acceptable for graduate credit upon the approval of a student’s program advisor, irrespective of course number.

Courses with an EPPL designation fall within the Educational Policy, Planning & Leadership division, while those with a CRIN prefix are Curriculum and Instruction division classes. Classes with an EDUC prefix are foundations classes or Counseling/School Psychology classes.

Academic Standards

A degree is awarded only when a student has complete a program of studies with a grade-point average of at least a B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale).

Degree credit is granted only for coursework in which the student earns a grade of C – or above. A graduate student may repeat one course in which a grade of C +or lower is received. The grade earned initially remains a part of the student’s record and is included in computations of quality-point requirements. Any student receiving more than one D or F in an approved program of studies will not be permitted to continue in that program. All papers/projects/dissertations/thesis submitted must be original to each course unless the student has explicit prior permission from the instructor(s) involved.

Program Course Exemptions

Graduate students who believe they have previously met the objectives of a graduate course offered by the School of Education may request a program course exemption. Requests for this exemption should be directed to an appropriate faculty member who has taught the course. The faculty member will assess the previous course(s) for objective coverage and, when necessary, make the arrangements for an oral and/or written assessment. Semester hours of credit are not awarded for exempted courses, and the total number of required hours in a degree program will not be reduced. Requests for program course exemptions must be made within the first semester following admission and must be requested on the Program Course Exemption/Advanced Placement form, available on the School of Education’s web site. The Office of Academic Programs will inform the student and the student’s program advisor when course exemptions have been awarded.

Students enrolled in Master of Arts in Education (M.A.Ed.) programs in Curriculum & Instruction who have previously met the objectives of a graduate course offered by the School of Education may request a course exemption from their program. Although semester hours of credit will not be awarded for exempted courses, the total number of required credit hours in the degree program will be reduced by the number of credit hours exempted. Students who exempt one or more courses must complete a minimum of 30 graduate credit hours to be eligible M.A.Ed. recipients. Students must earn a minimum of 24 graduate credit hours at William & Mary post admission to their current graduate program.

Transfer Credit from Other Institutions and Work Taken at the College Prior to Admission

Students who wish to request degree credit for graduate work taken at another institution of higher education, whether completed prior to or following admission to graduate study in the School of Education, should consult with their program advisor and request concurrence. Prior coursework can be considered for transfer credit only if it was completed within four years of the date of admission to the student’s current graduate program. Also, in order for a course to be considered for transfer credit from another institution, the student must have received a grade of B or better. Only graduate courses which were not part of a master’s degree program may be eligible for transfer (providing the maximum number of transfer hours and the course age requirements are met). If a student wishes to transfer a course that was not part of a prior degree, but taken in addition to and during the time in which the student was pursuing the prior degree, the student must have the transferring institution provide documentation to that effect. If approval is given, the advisor will complete an Approved Transfer of Graduate Credit form and forward the request to the Office of Academic Programs. Request for transfer can be considered formally only following admission to graduate study and upon receipt of an official transcript from the institution where the work was completed.

A maximum of 12 hours of credit earned at other accredited institutions of higher education and/or credit for coursework completed at The College of William and Mary prior to admission may be applied to a master’s degree and Ed.D., 15 hours toward the Ed.S. and Ph.D.; and only upon approval and recommendation by the student’s program advisor and the Associate Dean for Academic Programs. Ed.D. students must earn a minimum of 36 hours and Ph.D. students must earn a minimum of 45 hours beyond the master’s level at the College of William and Mary. Courses taken during the semester in which the student receives his/her letter of admission will be counted as transfer credit.

Evaluation System

The Faculty of the School of Education uses the following grading system including plus and minus designations as appropriate to evaluate student performance in graduate courses:

Students are graded A, they receive 4 quality points;

A-, 3.7; B+, 3.3; B, 3.0; B-, 2.7; C+, 2.3; C, 2.0; C-, 1.7; D+, 1.3; D, 1.0; D-, .7; and an F carries no credit and no quality points.

Add/Drop and Withdrawal

Regulations regarding dropping of courses and withdrawal from the College apply to both unclassified post-baccalaureate students and graduate students who have been formally admitted to a program in the School of Education. Failure to complete official procedures for withdrawal will result in a grade of “F.”

Transfers Between Program Areas and Within Program Areas

The three program areas are defined as (1) Curriculum and Instruction, (2) Educational Policy, Planning and Leadership and (3) School Psychology and Counselor Education. Matriculated students who wish to transfer between areas will be required to complete an abbreviated re-application process. The student will be considered and treated as a new applicant. The following information should be provided:

1. A new or revised application form to include a new essay that explains the reason for change;
2. updated transcripts, if applicable;
3. updated test scores, if applicable;
4. updated letters of recommendation, if applicant chooses to do so; and
5. any additional materials or documentation required by specific programs. After a student submits the new application, the review process will follow regular admission procedures.

For students who wish to change an emphasis within a program area, the student must receive the approval of his or her current faculty advisor, the new advisor, and the program area coordinator. Forms for a change of emphasis are available on the School of Education’s website at education.wm.edu.

Research Graduate Students

Upon the recommendation of a student’s advisor and approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Programs, a student’s eligibility for Research Graduate status is established if the following conditions are met:

1. The student has completed all required coursework.
2. The student is not employed significantly in any activity other than research and writing in fulfillment of degree requirements.
3. The student is present on campus or is engaged in approved field work.

While classified as a Research Graduate, a student may register for a maximum of 12 credit hours of research or thesis or dissertation upon payment of the part-time rate for one credit hour.

A Research Graduate student:

1. is not eligible for student services (e.g., student health and athletic events) unless fees are paid at the time of registration; and
2. may take courses other than research or thesis or dissertation only upon payment of the generally applicable additional part-time tuition.

Candidacy for Graduation

Students who have completed a planned program of studies and satisfied all of the academic standards of the School of Education are eligible to receive their degrees at the next regularly scheduled commencement exercise of the College. Exercises are scheduled only in May following the spring semester, but degrees are also awarded in August and December. Students completing degrees in summer sessions or in the fall semester may participate in the exercises the following May.

Graduate students anticipating completion of the requirements for the master’s, educational specialist, or doctorate degree must file a Notice of Candidacy for Graduation and an Application for Graduation form within the School’s established deadlines (announced on the School of Education’s web site calendar) with the Graduate Registrar located in the Office of Academic Programs. Additionally, some students may be asked to complete an exit evaluation questionnaire.

Requests for Changes

To request a change of advisor, a course substitution in an approved program of studies, an extension of time for program completion, or other exceptions to academic policies, students should direct their appeals to the School of Education Academic Affairs Committee, through the Associate Dean for Academic Programs of the School of Education. Petition forms for this purpose are available in the Office of Academic Programs or on the School of Education web site.

Study Abroad

Study abroad opportunities are available for elementary and secondary education students in Bath, England, through the Advanced Studies in England Program. Students can earn six hours of elective credit beyond their regular scheduled course work by arranging transfer credit for EDUC V91 . Study abroad credits will be accepted beyond the normal 12-hour limit on transfer credit.

Academic Holds

The institution reserves the right to place an administrative hold on a student’s record when students have not provided requested paperwork, have not completed course evaluations, or have not complied with the rules and regulations of the institution. Such holds typically prevent registration and/or receipt of grades or transcripts. Questions regarding the Dean of Education hold should be referred to the Office of Academic Programs.