Departmental Policies

Departmental policies on examinations, independent study, course validation and internship can be found below. Any questions concerning these policies or other matters can be addressed to your advisor.

Transfer Credit

If you plan to apply any graduate credits earned at another institution, prior to completing your Program of Study form you must complete a "Graduate Credit Transfer Evaluation Request" available in the Educational Leadership Department. Results of the evaluation will be directed to the student, advisor and Graduate Dean for reference in program planning.

Examinations

All Ed.D. and Ph.D. applicants must complete a qualifying examination. The exam will require that the candidate select one of two questions to be given on site, and respond to the question by writing an essay of approximately 1,000 words. This essay will be included with the candidate's departmental application materials.
All students applying to take comprehensive examinations must enroll in EL 795, Comprehensive Examination, 1 credit.
The comprehensive examination for the M.A., M.Ed. and Ed.S. Degree is normally taken in the final semester or summer session of coursework. It may be taken earlier with the advisor's approval if no more than six semester hours of class work remain.
All master's candidates in the principalship program must pass the ETS Praxis examination, Educational Leadership: Administration and Supervision (0410). This examination is offered five times a year. Contact UNR testing center for details (784-4638).
All students not in the principalship program and pursuing the M.A., M.Ed. and Ed.S. Degrees must complete an Application for the Written Comprehensive Examination approximately three weeks before the examination date. Each student will be given an identification number which is to be used on the actual exam.
The department chair will annually schedule dates in each semester including the summer for the administration of the M.A., M.Ed. and Ed.S. exams. This date will be within the first five weeks of the semester. The M.A., M.Ed. and Ed.S. examinations will be given at the same time and location.
The comprehensive examination for the Ed.D. or Ph.D. Degree is normally taken after coursework is completed. It may be taken later, but the examining committee retains the right to require additional work.
Ed.D. and Ph.D. exams are individually scheduled. Students pursuing the Ed.D. or Ph.D. must file a written request for Qualifying and Comprehensive Examinations with the office manager. This request must be approved by the student's advisor at least three weeks prior to the examination.
Time limits for comprehensive examinations for each degree are as follows: M.Ed.--6 hours, Ed.S.--8 hours, Ed.D./Ph.D.--16 hours. Two hours will be allowed for the completion of the qualifying examination for the Ed.D. or Ph.D.
A reading committee, rotated among department faculty members according to academic specialty, shall independently score each exam on a scale of 1-5. A minimum score of 3 in each academic area tested is required to pass the examination. Examinations must be well written and careful attention must be given to spelling, punctuation and usage. One month should be allowed for the scoring of all exams. This time period may be shortened should the student elect to Xerox five copies, at his/her own expense, to circulate among the faculty.
Final oral examinations are required of all advanced degree candidates after successful completion of the written exam. The student has the responsibility of scheduling the oral examination and contacting the committee members concerned. Masters, Ed.S., Ed.D. and Ph.D. students must take the final oral examination at least three weeks before the end of the semester or term.
A student who fails an academic area of the written comprehensive examination may repeat that section of the examination up to two times. The completion of additional coursework or experiences may be required by the advisory committee.
No student will be allowed to take written comprehensive examinations before an approved program of study has been filed with the Graduate School.

Departmental Responsibilities

A proctor/monitor will be assigned, and computers for word processing provided.
In order to provide and maintain the proper environment, students are asked not to smoke or eat during the examination.
Students will be informed as to the proper location and guidelines.
Attendance will be checked against the enrollment sheet.
Alternatives will be provided in the event of an emergency, i.e. power failure, illness, inadequate heat or light, seats, etc.
The examination will be accurately timed. All students will begin and end at the same time.
All interruptions will be avoided.
Provisions for late registration may be made by the department if the student has a legitimate reason.
Examinations will be graded by all EL faculty members with the individual scores being averaged. Three (3) weeks will be allowed for the reporting of the results.

Student Responsibilities

Arrive prior to official starting time so the examination may begin promptly.
Register for the examination three (3) weeks prior to the designated date.
Students are expected to arrive well prepared. Though it is anticipated that examinees will complete their responses using a computer for word processing, an examinee may handwrite responses during the comprehensive examination. Appropriate accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made.
Avoid taking numerous or lengthy recesses other than those prescribed by the proctor.
Plan your time carefully. Plan to complete the required tasks/questions in the time allotted as extensions are not permitted. If time is perceived beforehand as a potential problem, alternative scheduling arrangements must be made in advance.
Students will be sequestered during the exam and only messages of an urgent nature will be relayed. Clear your calendar in advance of the test date since it is not necessary to receive or make calls that are not of an emergency nature.
Reference material is not permitted in the examining room.
Proctors are not permitted to answer questions relative to exam questions.

Independent Study Policy

Independent study is recommended only in those instances in which a student desires to do further research or explore special interests. Such study is not to be undertaken in lieu of regularly scheduled coursework which covers the same topics.

A student wishing to pursue independent study must complete the appropriate request form (available from the office manager), and must have a definite project in mind at the time of registration. He or she should have arranged with a member of the faculty to supervise the independent study prior to registration. The department chair must approve. The student should discuss the project with the faculty member at regular intervals.

It is understood that the effort expended in independent study must be comparable to formal coursework. Students taking a college course are expected to attend 15 class sessions for each semester credit and to spend approximately two hours in study and preparation each hour spent in the classroom. Students taking independent study credit are expected to devote comparable time and effort for the credits earned.

Evaluation of the student's performance usually is based either entirely or largely on a written paper or project submitted near the end of the term. The format, presentation and length of the project shall be agreed upon by the student and supervising faculty member.

Guidelines for Written Papers

Grades will be based on the criteria listed below.

The topic selected should be one that can be handled satisfactorily in view of the credit allotted. An in-depth presentation is far preferable to a generalized overview.
The paper should be documented adequately and supported by references used in preparing the paper. A reference section listing sources investigated using adequate citation should be included.
The writer should be consistent in using APA style.
The paper should be typed and proofread. Spelling, punctuation and usage must be given careful attention.
The paper should have a distinct organization and develop a limited number of important points logically and thoughtfully in a serious manner.

Course Validation

Coursework time limits have been established for the various degrees:

M.A., M.Ed. and Ed.S. - Requirements must be satisfied within the period of six calendar years immediately preceding the granting of the degree.

Ed.D./Ph.D. - Eight years, excluding prerequisite graduate coursework or prerequisite master's degree.

Courses that extend beyond the above time limits may be validated, i.e. accepted for credit toward certification or toward a graduate program if the student satisfactorily passes the comprehensive examination in that particular course area at the appropriate level (master's, specialist, doctoral). In addition, relevant work experience may be used to further justify course validation. The faculty advisor and the department chair must concur in all cases of course validation.

Internships

EL 798, Internship, 6 to 9 credits, "Practical experience in the student's major field under close supervision and direction of local school system personnel and university faculty. Experience areas selected by student, advisor and intern coordinator. Prerequisite: Approval of student's advisor or departmental chair."

The internship can be an integrated part of the Master's, Ed.S., Ed.D. and Ph.D. programs. As a result, prospective interns must have been formally admitted into an EL graduate program or have completed a degree in educational administration. Students within the Master's program must have successfully completed at least 12 semester hours of coursework prior to registering for an internship. The committee may waive the requirement if the student has had comparable administrative experience.

Students planning to register for internship credits should discuss potential projects with their advisors and then meet with the appropriate university supervisor who is monitoring the internship during the desired semester. Students should make plans for internship one semester in advance of the starting date.

After meeting with the university internship supervisor to discuss ideas for an internship project, the student and supervisor plan with an administrator to initiate the project. The student completes an internship contract (available in the EL office) and returns it to the university supervisor for review and approval.

Internship experiences may be designed to accomplish one of three primary objectives within the program. They may be:

designed to accomplish a specific task or project. Projects such as the revision of a district policy manual or student handbook would be assessed on the basis of the scope of work, and credit would be accorded as warranted. The project idea could be initiated by the student with the consent of the cooperating administrator or educational agency seeking assistance on the task. Student learning would be task specific and include the requisite interpersonal skills needed to work effectively with the cooperating administrator.
designed to provide on-the-job training and experience. The focus would be to provide students with realistic job specific experiences. Experiences could directly relate to the elementary school, the middle/junior high school, the high school or postsecondary levels. In addition, district level posts such as business manager, personnel director or federal programs administrator could be available to students seeking corresponding learning opportunities. In most instances, this type of administrative internship would become the practicum component serving as a complement to the unit administrator coursework.
designed to provide special assistance and support to the initial year administrator. This approach extends the internship experience through the provision of coaching and consultation with department and school district staff. Specific aspects of the job could be focused on in a helpful mode reinforcing the previously learned effective practices. An internship of this type could provide access to critical support during formative stages. Again the cooperation of the school district would be essential.

Critically important to the success of the internship is the proper planning and goal setting. This is followed by monitoring, possible goal modification and finally by evaluation and feedback. The entire process is seen as a collaborative one. Sequentially, the process would typically occur as follows:

The student initiates the process wherein a tentative plan is discussed with the advisor. If the advisor concurs, the student meets with the departmental faculty member coordinating internships.
Student meets with staff and discusses a tentative plan. Some modification may result from the discussion and a preliminary contact with a cooperating administrator is made in order to ascertain the project's feasibility and if he/she is willing to cooperate. If concurrence is reached, the student proceeds to develop a program contract or plan.
Once the plan has been completed by the student and reviewed by the appropriate faculty member, the staff arranges a meeting with the student, cooperating administrator and faculty who comprise the internship committee.
Internship committee meets to review the student's plan in detail with the cooperating administrator.
The plan should include:
1. project title
2. if appropriate, statement of the problem
3. goals
4. objectives
5. activities
6. proposed time line
7. sign offs - student, administrator, faculty or, completion of the department contract form.
A monitoring schedule which is acceptable to all parties is discussed and finalized by the faculty member supervising the internship. In addition the evaluation criteria is clearly communicated and understood.
It is recommended that the internship committee, student and university supervisor meet at a mid-point during the project in addition to an exit conference.
During the exit conference all parties may discuss the learning experience overall. A brief student self-evaluation may be included as a requirement following the exit conference in addition to the student log of hours.
A grade will be assigned after copies of final product are reviewed.

An important factor throughout the development of the internship experience is an understanding by the cooperating administrator of his/her responsibilities as related to the intern plan. Cooperating administrators should be sought who are interested in providing a quality experience for students and who are personally committed to the concept.

The entire emphasis of the internship is to provide a well thought out, planned "hands-on" learning experience for students which is relevant and from which they will derive substantial benefit.