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Education

STANDARD 3: FIELD EXPERIENCES AND CLINICAL PRACTICE

The unit and its school partners design, implement, and evaluate field experiences and clinical practice so that teacher candidates and other school personnel develop and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to help all students learn

The curriculum of the CSC teacher preparation program is systematically designed to provide candidates with opportunities to observe, plan, and practice fundamental education skills through authentic experiential learning activities.

Field experiences and clinical practices are integral parts of unit programs for initial and continuing preparation of teachers and for other school personnel. Through field experiences and clinical practices, candidates learn to apply the knowledge, skills, and dispositions defined by the Unit’s conceptual framework. Initial and advanced programs require candidates to complete either a practicum, internship, action research, or other field experience activity related to P-12 schools. The unit’s goal is to provide multiple field experiences in diverse settings where candidates can apply their knowledge and skills, have a positive impact on student learning, and receive feedback and reinforcement of their practice to help them grow. The faculty and shared stakeholders recognize the critical role that field experiences play in graduating candidates that embrace the philosophy of the "Developing Visionary Leaders". Table 3.1 identifies those Partnering School Districts within the CSC Service Region. The diversity of these field placements provides candidates the opportunity to practice their skills in a fairly wide variety of physical facilities with an equally wide range of technologies for instructional support, within diverse educational settings.

Collaboration between Unit and School Partners

Initial Programs

The unit and its school partners collaborate in the development, implementation and evaluation of clinical and field experiences for the preparation of candidates. These collaborations and relationships are formalized through agreements between the unit and the school districts where candidates are placed for clinical or field experiences. The agreements specify the responsibilities of the unit and the participating school districts regarding placement decisions, selection of cooperating teachers and onsite supervisors, candidate and clinical faculty roles and responsibilities, and assessment of candidate performance.

Collaboration is inherent in the structure of field experiences in that the focus is on the teacher preparation team. This team consists of the candidate, the college supervisor/instructor, and the cooperating teacher. P-12 schools are involved in the design of field experiences through their membership on the Teacher Education Committee and through the unit’s involvement with the Highway 20 Administrators and the Western Nebraska School Administrators associations. Approximately twenty-six attendance centers in the CSC service region accommodate the unit’s pre-service candidates and teacher interns with additional schools in the region providing field experience placements and employment (see Table 3.1). As a result, candidates are provided with appropriate settings to confirm their knowledge base, develop and enhance their pedagogical skills, and to corroborate their dispositions. In return, schools/districts are provided with a cadre of pre-professionals to strengthen their curriculum and instructional efforts. These partnerships serve the College, the schools/districts, the students and candidates well, as evidenced by the large number of program completers who are offered professional contracts within the service region.

As incentives/rewards to schools who qualify and participate in the pre-teacher intern field experience component, the unit awards one graduate credit for every eighty clock hours of supervision provided by a school/district teacher. In addition, to provide professional growth activities, enhance supervisory skills, and recognize professional services, the unit offers a tuition-free workshop to cooperating teachers who have supervised, or will be supervising, at least one teacher intern (EDCI 536). School administrators are also eligible and encouraged to attend these workshops. Credit earned (3 credit hours) may be used by the attendees as a professional elective in the master’s/specialist programs. An lastly, for every three Teacher Interns a P-12 school hosts, a CSC student scholarship is awarded to the school for a one-half tuition waiver for each semester over 4 years. Schools select the recipients of this award (2006 Cooperating Schools Scholarship Letter).

The Director of Field Experiences, or his/her designee works with a liaison in each school to formalize field experience placements for education candidates. Placements are always a joint effort of the unit and the partnership schools with each having the opportunity to reject or request a different placement. Candidates may ask for specific placements; these are considered when placements are requested and finalized. The steps in the standard placement process are as follows:

• candidates submit a list of placement preferences to the Director of Field Experiences

• Unit faculty are consulted to verify an appropriate placement,

• selected school district approval is sought,

• candidates are then placed with teachers who agree to serve as supervising teachers (who have had at least three years of teaching experience),

• approved and confirmed placements are then returned to the Director of Field Experiences for final review and Unit approval,

• if acceptable by all, candidates and schools are notified of formal placement status.

Throughout the field experience, candidates are evaluated by the college supervisor, the P-12 cooperating supervisors, and a self evaluation is completed by the candidate. Feedback regarding the program comes from candidates, P-12 teachers, administrators, or counselors either formally through the Teacher Education Committee, or informally to the Director of Field Experiences, unit faculty or administrators. Both cooperating teachers and college supervisors participate in evaluating candidate progress. The cooperating teacher observes the candidate/teacher intern first-hand on a daily basis and provides a midpoint and a final evaluation. The college supervisor(s) observes the Intern on-site at least five times during the student teaching semester. Continuous communication, as well as a common final evaluation, with input from both cooperating teacher and college supervisors, is required. Copies of unit supervisor ratings and cooperating teacher ratings are provided to the Director of Field Experiences. The Director of Field Experiences then assigns an appropriate grade for the Internship Field Experience, (Teacher Intern Application Form).

Advanced Programs

Field experiences at the advanced level are defined as practica, internships, action research projects, and/or other approved P-12 related activity. Since the number of candidates is much smaller and placement must be more specific as to the type and location, candidates (with approval of the instructor) generally make field placements in collaboration with the graduate faculty member responsible for teaching the practicum course. Candidates in administration and school counseling programs are encouraged to complete their field experiences in school systems different from where they have worked or are currently working. However, this is not always a possibility given the isolated demographic realities within this rural service region. College and school supervisors throughout the course of the field experience complete assessment measures.

If a candidate does an action research project or other P-12 related activity, a college faculty member supervises them. In many cases, these projects are completed by candidates in their own classroom setting, and involve an authentic school activity or enterprise. The action research or project must be tied to the candidate’s program of study and generally focus on the improvement of programs or operational procedures within the P-12 schools. School administrators are asked for project input and approval.