Standard 3: Field Experiences and Clinical Practice

The College views meaningful field/practica experiences as the cornerstone for integrating the strands of the Conceptual Framework in all programs. The overarching principle guiding field/practica/internship experiences is to provide multiple experiences in diverse settings where candidates can apply content knowledge, develop and practice pedagogical knowledge and skills, and demonstrate content pedagogy to promote student learning. Each of the new licensure programs for teachers was designed in collaboration with school partners to include multiple field experiences in inclusive classrooms in urban and suburban or rural settings. (Field Placement Statistical Data). Candidates seeking administrative licenses or pupil services licenses participate in practica and internships in appropriate settings.

Initial Licensure Programs

Most licensure programs require candidates to participate in practica during every quarter of education coursework so as to develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to help all students learn. Candidates are placed in Partnership Schools and are mentored by classroom teachers jointly selected by Unit and partnership administrators to serve as clinical faculty (Clinical Faculty Nomination Form). Candidates document practica experiences, lesson planning, use of technology in classroom instruction, reflective self-analysis, and positive impact on student learning in their journals, professional portfolios, and online discussion forums.

Partnership Schools provide a learning laboratory rich in opportunities to learn and practice collaborative, intentional teaching. Partnership personnel and University faculty collaborate on school teams to explore simultaneous renewal through instructional or curricular improvements in teacher preparation and P-12 classrooms. The Unit provides bi-annual Praxis/Pathwise training for University and partnership personnel, grant funding for Partnership School personnel to attend professional conferences, and on-site in-service seminars upon request. Currently, 80 percent of the cooperating teachers in the Partnership Schools have received Praxis/Pathwise training, and nine members of the CEHS faculty are trained, certified Praxis assessors (CEHS Praxis Assessors). University faculty serve as consultants to assist and/or provide school-based professional staff development activities for partnership personnel and occasionally team with school partners to teach university courses. Partnership Schools generously provide on-site classrooms for unit satellite courses.

The Office of Professional Field Experiences (OPFE) primarily places all initial licensure candidates in Partnership School settings. Phase I, II, and III candidate placements are jointly determined by the OPFE, faculty advisors, and school partners. In the Partner Schools, lists of candidate names and concentration areas are provided to Partnership School administrators who determine the classroom assignments for candidates. Quarterly Information and Orientation sessions are conducted to prepare candidates for their field experiences. The OPFE also conducts an annual luncheon and quarterly supervisors’ meetings to provide University supervisors, Partnership School administrators, clinical faculty, and all teacher education faculty with licensure program updates, essential supervision information, and opportunity for conversation about program goals and issues of candidate performance.

Undergraduate licensure programs in Early Childhood Education require candidates to be mentored in partnership school settings a minimum of three days a week during their junior and senior years. Candidates for the Early Childhood Education licensure were first admitted Fall Quarter 2000.

Through August 2002, the “sunsetting” of undergraduate certification programs will continue in order to permit candidates to complete elementary, secondary, and K-12 certification programs before the state certification deadline of September 2002. This means that during the 2001-2002 school year, the College will not only offer Phase II and III certification courses, but all phases of licensure courses simultaneously.

The state-mandated changes in educator preparation programs will yield outstanding teachers, but Ohio teacher educators have faced many challenges during this transition to an age-based licensure system. As an example, the field experiences for elementary certification candidates are distinctly different from those for candidates in the Early Childhood licensure program. Fortunately, after September 2002, these certification programs of study will no longer be offered, and all candidates in field experiences will be following licensure programs of study.

Graduate programs for initial teaching credentials require candidates to be mentored in Partnership School settings for a minimum of three days a week for ten months during a 15-month program of study. The model for the15-month fifth year professional program has been piloted for the past four years as the Professional Educator Program (PEP) for elementary and secondary teaching certification. Beginning in September 2002, this graduate program will change to reflect the state of Ohio requirements for teacher licensure (Teacher Education and Licensure Standards). Changes in licensure requirements have resulted in several modifications of College courses in the existing pilot program. However, the field/practica experiences in the PEP model will remain as the cornerstone of the new fifth year (15 month) professional program for Multi-age, Middle Childhood and Adolescent/Young Adult licensure.

The Office of Professional Field Experiences (OPFE) has identified four goals to facilitate the Unit’s transition from certification to licensure standards:

  Create and maintain a proactive communication system.

Develop a coherent Regional Facilitator Scheme.

  Develop a cohort placement system for students in partnership schools with
     designated contact personnel.

  Refine field/practica assessment tools to more clearly reflect professional, state,
     and institutional standards and candidate outcomes contained within each of the
     strands of the Unit’s Conceptual Framework.

Professional Licensure Programs

Advanced graduate programs for administrative and pupil services licenses require candidates to be mentored in appropriate professional settings. The Department of Educational Leadership, in collaboration with area schools, arranges, places, and supervises all administrative licensure candidates in required field settings. Internships are coupled with integrating experiences in related clinics and seminars to facilitate synthesis of knowledge and skills essential in visionary school leaders. Full-time mentors provide candidates with varied experiences in diverse settings involving increasingly complex and demanding responsibilities over time. Internships range from six months to one full year in two or more settings and multiple age/grade levels, and include experiences with social service organizations and community organizations. Standardized evaluation forms aligned with professional, state, and institutional standards are used by supervisors to document the candidate’s development in required knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Candidates document internship experiences, reflective practices, and positive impact on the school community in their professional portfolios.

The Department of Human Services arranges, places, and supervises School Counselor practica. The counseling practica, CNL 867 (Internship, School Counseling), is a capstone experience designed to provide candidates with multiple opportunities to display essential knowledge, skills, and values in school settings. Candidates are required to have completed a minimum of 30–45 hours of coursework with a minimum GPA of 3.0 before enrolling in the practica, which consists of a minimum of 100 hours in a school under the supervision of a Licensed School Counselor. The School Nurse Program includes an intensive five-week course of study that is followed by a ten-week internship in a school setting.