College of Education

Admission, Review, and Retention Committees and Process

Purpose

The Admission, Review, and Retention Committees of the Department of Teacher Education and Administration serve the purpose of reviewing Teacher Education admission appeals, requests for exemptions from requirements, and issues of academic and professional performance in courses and programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The ARR Committees are not the same as ad hoc faculty committees constituted when a student requests a grade appeal, although some committee members may be the same. For details on grade appeals and the ad hoc committees, see the UNT Undergraduate or Graduate Catalogues. Students also have all the rights, responsibilities, and avenues for appeal that are enumerated by the University of North Texas Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities.

Committees

The Department of Teacher Education and Administration's charter establishes two Admission, Review, and Retention Committees for students in Teacher Education — one for elementary and middle school certification programs (EC-6/4-8) and one for secondary (7-12) and all-level (EC-12) programs. The committees hear student appeals of decisions related to their respective programs' requirements and consider requests for exceptions to these requirements and evaluate referrals from faculty members or programs regarding the admission or retention of specific students in Teacher Education.

Membership

Each of these committees consists of three members who are full-time, tenured or tenure-track faculty members in Teacher Education and who serve their respective programs as instructors. One member of each committee is elected each year so that there is a rotation of membership. Members are elected by their respective programs' faculty and serve a three-year term. There is no limit to the number of terms a faculty member may serve on the ARR Committee. The TE&A Assistant Department Chair of Initial Certification Programs serves as the Chair and a non-voting member of both ARR Committees (EC-6/4-8 and Secondary/All-Level). Two members of the EC-6/4-8 ARR Committee are elected from the faculty in elementary and/or middle school (EC-6/4-8) education, and one is elected from the faculty in Language, Literacy, and Bilingual Education. The Secondary/All-Level ARR Committee is comprised of three faculty members drawn from the faculty in secondary education. 

Student Initiated Appeals

Students may appeal Teacher Education admission requirements or decisions or appeal Teacher Education program requirements or decisions. To initiate an appeal, a student must completes the College of Education Admission, Retention and Review Appeal Form. The student completes the application and attaches the required materials and documents and other information the student considers relevant. This form and the written materials from the student are used to render a judgment in the appeal. The student typically does not appear before the ARR Committee in person.

The form and documentation are submitted electronically to the Assistant Department Chair of Initial Certification Programs in the Department of Teacher Education and Administration. The Assistant Department Chair then contacts and/or sets a meeting of the appropriate ARR Committee. Relevant materials are distributed and/or a meeting is held as soon as possible after the receipt of the appeal by the Department. The Assistant Department Chair of Initial Certification Programs, as Chair of the ARR Committee, requests (as needed) a written statement from the affected program and/or any faculty members involved in the appeal.

Faculty Initiated Appeals

Faculty in Teacher Education may refer a student to the appropriate ARR Committee when there are academic concerns or concerns about the student's potential to succeed in the teaching profession. These concerns include (but are not limited to) poor grades, inadequate academic progress, and/or conduct in or outside the classroom which would negatively affect a student's ability to teach as a student teacher or to succeed as a future teacher. Before making such referrals, faculty members should, if possible, counsel students informally about the concern(s). 

To initiate the referral, faculty members complete an ARR student referral form (i.e. the "Potential for Teaching Success Referral Form") which (a) indicates the nature of the concern involved and includes the faculty member's written statement related to the referral, along with any supporting documentation. The faculty member then sets a meeting with the student, at which time the referral form and supporting materials are discussed. The desired outcome of this meeting is to resolve the referral issue, but if the issues remain unresolved, the faculty member will ask the student being referred to sign the form in order to acknowledge awareness of the concerns, the receipt of counseling about them, and their referral to the ARR Committee. The student may submit a written statement of their position on the referral issue to the Assistant Department Chair of Initial Certification Programs, who serves as Chair of the ARR Committee. 

The faculty member is responsible for delivering the referral form and the faculty member's written materials to the Assistant Department Chair of Initial Certification Programs in TE&A. The Assistant Department Chair then sets a meeting of the appropriate ARR Committee. This meeting is held within ten working days of the receipt of the referral by the Department. The student is responsible for delivering their written statement to the Assistant Department Chair before the meeting. 

The ARR Process

ARR Committee members read the written appeals packet (student, faculty, and/or program) before the ARR Committee confers and/or meets. Students and non-ARR faculty typically do not participate, but they may do so at the ARR Committee's request. All parties to an appeal should have the opportunity to address the ARR Committee if any party is given this privilege. 

All individuals and groups involved in the appeal (student, faculty, program, SAO, PDS school, etc.) are notified in writing of the ARR Committee's decision by the ARR Chair within two working days of the committee's meeting. A copy of all ARR written decisions are sent to the Student Advising Office (SAO). If the recommendation from the ARR is to dismiss or withdraw a student, the Associate Dean for Teacher Education must be notified and must approve the recommendation before any action is taken and before this information is sent to the student or anyone else. The Assistant Department Chair of Initial Certification Programs keeps a copy of all materials from each appeal, and these are stored electronically in a secure University drive and in students' respective SAO files. 

Any party in the appeal has ten working days following the ARR Committees' decision to appeal to the Chair of the Department of Teacher Education and Administration. The Department Chair, after careful review of the decision, makes a ruling within ten working days. Additional appeals may be possible, depending on the nature of the appeal. 

Types of Decisions Made by the ARR Committees

Depending on the nature of the concerns and the ARR Committee's findings, the ARR Committee may decide on a range of actions including (but not limited to) granting or denying admission, removing the student from a program, reinstating a student in a program, or requiring the fulfillment of certain conditions for continuation in a program. It is ARR policy to immediately review the admission status of students who fall below the required 2.75 GPA in any sub area of the degree plan and fail the same education course more than once; continuance in the program requires ARR approval.

Nothing in the ARR procedures shall preclude the University from also reviewing conduct matters that fall under the Code of Student Conduct.