GROWTH AND EVALUATION
Performance Evaluations
Mid-Term and Final Performance Evaluations are conducted EACH SEMESTER.
There are two evaluations each semester- A mid-term and a final evaluation.
These conferences are a time to pause and evaluate the student's level of competence and growth.
The learning tasks will be used as part of the evaluation process in conjunction with the student's demonstration of the competency in their everyday practicum learning opportunities.
In addition to evaluating the demonstration of social work competencies, Practicum Instructors will also evaluate the demonstration of professionalism and progress with BSW Capstone Projects. There are no capstone projects for graduate students.
Ratings for the evaluations:
Students will be rated on the following scale:
Rating of 1
The student has not yet demonstrated practice behaviors in this competency.
Rating of 2
The student demonstrates emerging practice behaviors in this competency.
Rating of 3
The student demonstrates satisfactory practicum behaviors in this competency.
Rating of 4
The student demonstrates advanced practice behaviors in this competency.
Rating of 5
The student demonstrates exceptional expectations in this competency.
Practicum Instructor documentation is required for Exceptional ratings. Examples of exceptional performance might be: writing grants for funding, presenting at conferences, publishing an article, consistent autonomous practice, etc.
Application of the ratings:
Students and Practicum Instructors often think of a rating of a 5 as being an "A" and a 4 as being a "B", etc. However, that is not how our system works.
Our rating system is designed to be a growth chart. When students start they often have little knowledge or skill in a competency area. Then as they advance in the practicum, practice behaviors and skills being (emerge) as they begin to develop the skills, they grow and become satisfactory. With lots of time, practice and supervision, they can become advanced in some of the practice behaviors and competencies.
Some may become "exceptional" with a specific practice behavior or competency. Think of exceptional as being the level of skill of a Practicum Instructor. There will rarely be an exceptional rating for any student unless the student addresses each practice behavior of the competency and brings prior work experience that influences their knowledge/demonstration of a particular competency. Ratings of "Exceptional" require documentation of the specific practice behavior beyond expectation for student performance.
We recognize that approaching evaluating as a growth chart is very different from a traditional grading approach. Practicum Instructors and students often struggle with not being "exceptional" or getting the "A". We have some wonderful and extremely gifted students, and we do want you to have a way of reflecting they are exceptional practicum students (with still much learning ahead of them).
So, if there is a student who exceeds your expectations of where a student should be, there are some options for noting that.
There is a check box at the end of the two evaluations where you can say if the student is exceeding expectations.
You also have a box on each of the end of the evaluation form where you will write a narrative about your student. This is a great place to reflect the student's exceptional areas, attitude, eagerness to learn, and all the other strengths and skills you see, even while they have much more to learn.
Instructions for the Mid-Term Evaluation :
Students must complete a Mid-Term Reflection on Practice (paper) before the evaluation conference with the Practicum Liaison. The due date for that is in the syllabus. The reflection paper is then uploaded and embedded in the evaluation form ... for your review too!
For each competency, Practicum Instructors should rate the overall competencies and provide a summative assessment of performance at the end of the form. Students will write their response to the evaluation and describe a plan of focus for the remainder of the semester. The Practicum Instructor, the Task Supervisor (if applicable) and the Practicum Student should meet to discuss and complete the Final Evaluation form prior to the scheduled conference with all with their Practicum Liaison.
Practicum Instructor documentation is required for Exceptional ratings. Examples of exceptional performance might be: writing grants for funding, presenting at conferences, publishing an article, consistent professional level self-guided practice, etc.
At the bottom of the page there is the generalist form. The specialized form is similar.
Instructions for Final Evaluation
Students must complete a Final Reflection on Practice paper before the evaluation conference with the Practicum Liaison. The due date for that is in the syllabus. The reflection paper is then uploaded and embedded in the evaluation form ... for your review too!
The Practicum Instructor, the Task Supervisor (if applicable) , and the Practicum Student should meet to discuss and complete the Final Evaluation form prior to the scheduled conference with all with their Practicum Liaison.
Practicum Instructor documentation is required for Exceptional ratings. Examples of exceptional performance might be: writing grants for funding, presenting at conferences, publishing an article, consistent autonomous practice, etc.
Below is the generalist final evaluation fom Fall 2023. The Fall 2024 is like is with the updated competencies. The Specialized one looks similar.
