In need of additional support

When the Supervising Teacher and/or the Tertiary Supervisor are concerned about a TES’s progress the following steps should be taken:

• A TES 'in need of additional support' determination is made, usually by the Supervising Teacher (ST) and/or Tertiary Supervisor (TS), although in some instances it is the Unit Convenor in consultation with the ST.
• The Notification of 'in need of additional support' form is prepared electronically or handwritten and signed by all parties (TES, ST & TS). Please complete both Sections A and B. The notification form should then be emailed to arts.wil_admin@mq.edu.au and the Unit Convenor is informed. The TES, ST and TS receive a copy of this form.
• The Unit Convenor collects information about the 'in need of additional support' notification and may speak with/contact the ST and TS.
• The Unit Convenor speaks with/contacts the TES and arranges the follow-up 'in need of additional support'  visit with the TES at the centre or school. If the need for additional support is only for documentation/written work the Unit Convenor would not usually visit the centre/school, but the TES must submit their documentation/written work (e-portfolio) for assessment to the Unit Convenor on the first working day after completion of placement.
• At this follow-up visit the Unit Convenor observes the TES teaching, reviews their written work, and completes the Follow-up 'in need of additional support' form, which outlines whether the TES is improving. This form is signed by the Unit Convenor, the TES, and the ST. The TES and ST receive a copy of the form which is then submitted to the WIL Office.
  
  At this visit the decision is either:
  • sufficient improvement demonstrated (continue Professional Experience), or
  • insufficient progress shown, in which case the placement is terminated, and the TES receives an Unsatisfactory grade for the Professional Experience and fails the unit.
  • If sufficient improvement is demonstrated the TES continues Professional Experience, then the ST should complete the Evaluation Report at the end of placement leaving only the final Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory boxes blank. The final determination of the 'in need of additional support' process and allocation of the final grade on the Professional Experience Evaluation Report is completed by the Unit Convenor at the end of the placement.
  • The Unit Convenor informs the Director of Initial Teacher Education if there are serious issues that require follow-up.

When there are concerns about a student, the supervising teacher, tertiary supervisor and potentially the unit convenor will discuss whether placing them ‘In Need of Additional Support’ is required. This discussion could include:

• "How is the teacher education student doing?"
• "Is there anything noteworthy at this stage of the placement?"
• "Are there any issues that need to be discussed with the student?"

There may be areas of concern and elements in the evaluation document that are not being demonstrated. This is a strong indicator that the student should be placed ‘In Need of Additional Support’.

Use the process. Sometimes staff are reluctant to place a student ‘In Need of Additional Support’ – however, it is in the student's best interest if their work needs to improve.

Simply warning a student that they may be placed ‘In Need of Additional Support’ can cause extra stress without giving them the assistance that comes with the ‘In Need of Additional Support’ process.

While we do not want to pre-empt failure, early notification of being formally ‘In Need of Additional Support’ of failing gives a struggling teacher education student the best opportunity to improve their work.

Even so, it is important to consider that receiving an ‘In Need of Additional Support’ warning is stressful for a student. Be supportive by reminding them of them of the need for professionalism, offering encouragement and advice, and directing them to the unit coordinator if necessary.