NCATE Standard 3: Field Experiences & Clinical Practice

NCATE Standard 3: Field Experiences & Clinical Practice Donna M. Gollnick, NCATE Jeri A. Carroll, BOE Team Chair & Wichita State University

Standard 3: Critical Vocabulary • Initial programs and advanced programs • Professional education faculty, clinical faculty and school faculty • Field placements, clinical practice, internships • Candidates, students • Professional community, school partners • Use of technology

The unit and its school partners Standard 3 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.

Unacceptable Acceptable Target The unit makes decisions about the nature & assignment of field experiences and clinical practice independently of the schools or other agencies hosting them. The unit’s school partners do not participate in the design, delivery, or evaluation of field experiences or clinical practice. Decisions about the specific placement of candidates in field experiences & clinical practices are solely the responsibility of the schools. The unit, its school partners, & other members of the professional community design, deliver, & evaluate field experiences & clinical practice to help candidates develop their knowledge, skills, & dispositions. The unit & its school partners jointly determine the specific placement of student teachers & interns for other professional roles to provide appropriate learning experiences. The school and unit share expertise to support candidates’ learning in field experiences and clinical practice. Both unit and school-based faculty are involved in designing, implementing, and evaluating the unit’s conceptual framework(s) and the school program; they each participate in the unit’s and the school partners’ professional development activities and instructional programs for candidates and for children. The unit and its school partners share expertise and integrate resources to support candidate learning. They jointly determine the specific placements of student teachers and interns for other professional roles to maximize the learning experience for candidates and P–12 students. Collaboration between Unit & School Partners

Collaboration: Unit & School Partners… • Design, deliver, & evaluate field experience & clinical practice. • Jointly determine placement of student teachers and interns. Note Standard 5 connection: Collaboration Note Standard 6 connection: Professional community participation

AFIs Partnership • No clear evidence exists that the unit collaborates with its school partners in establishing criteria for selecting clinical faculty. • P-12 personnel are not involved in the design and placement of candidates for field experiences and clinical practice. • The unit does not ensure involvement of school-based personnel in designing field experiences and related assessment measures. • The unit, its school partners, and other members of the professional community do not jointly design, deliver, and evaluate field experiences and clinical practice or jointly determine student teacher/internship placements.

AFIs Placement • (Advanced preparation level) The unit does not have systematic and explicit guidelines that delineate requirements for field experiences at the advanced preparation level. • Student teaching placements of five weeks are insufficient for candidates to demonstrate proficiency in the professional roles for which they are preparing. • Because the unit does not require field experiences of advanced candidates who are teaching, the unit lacks evidence that clinical practice for these candidates is sufficiently extensive and intensive for them to demonstrate proficiencies in helping all students learn. • The placement process does not ensure breadth of field experiences for initial and advanced candidates.

Design, Implementation, & Evaluation • Field experiences provide • observing in schools & other agencies, • tutoring, • assisting teachers & other school personnel • attending school board meetings, & • participating in education-related community events. • Field experiences & clinical practice reflect conceptual framework.

What are the purposes of your field experience, clinical practice, and internships? • What do you think are your school partners’ expectations of these experiences? • What is the relationship of these experiences to candidate performance?

How do you evaluate what you are seeing?

AFIs Consistency/Alignment • Supervision of field experiences is not consistent for all candidates. • (Initial teacher preparation) Field experience design in the early childhood, middle grades, and special education programs does not ensure the development of reflective practice, an essential element of the unit’s conceptual framework. • The unit does not ensure that all interns are consistently assigned mentor teachers in their content areas.

Clinical practice… • Allows candidates to use information technology to support learning. • Is sufficiently extensive and intensive for candidates to demonstrate proficiencies. Note Standard 4 connection: Design, implementation, and evaluation of curriculum and experiences

AFIs • (Advanced Preparation) School-based clinical faculty in the M.A. in Education Administration program do not participate in the evaluation of candidates’ field experiences. • (Initial teacher preparation) The unit does not include P-12 faculty in planning and evaluating field experiences and clinical practice. • Cooperating teachers are not sufficiently involved in the design and delivery of field experiences and clinical practice, resulting in their lack of awareness of the unit’s conceptual framework and expectations of practice for the institution.

Clinical faculty… • have clear criteria, which are known to all. • are accomplished school professionals. Note Standard 5 connection: Qualified faculty • provide regular & continuing support for candidates through • Observation • Conferencing • Group discussion • Email • Use of other technology Note Standard 1 connection: Use of technology

AFIs Criteria for cooperating teachers • (Advanced Preparation) The unit has not developed criteria for the selection and evaluation of school-based clinical faculty in the M.A. in Education Administration program. • The unit lacks documentation to show that all cooperating teachers meet established criteria for accomplished school professionals. • The unit does not consistently apply criteria for the selection of cooperating teachers.

Standard III Revision • Element 3b:Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Field Experiences and Clinical Practice: • Acceptable: Candidates in advanced programsfor teachers participate in field experiences that require them to apply course work in classroom settings, analyze P-12 student learning and reflect on their practice in context of theories on teaching and learning. Candidates in programs for other school professionals participate in field experiences and clinical practice that require them to engage in structured activities related to the roles for which they are preparing.

Development & Demonstration of KSD… • Entry & exit criteria exist • Assessments linked to standards • Multiple assessments used • Assessments conducted by candidates, school faculty, & university faculty Note Standard 2 connection: Transition points, multiple assessments

Development & Demonstration of KSD… • Time allowed for reflection & feedback • Opportunities exist to develop KSD • Experiences with exceptional & diverse students exist. Connection to Standard 4: Experiences with diverse candidates in P-12 schools

Questions to consider… • How are assessments from field experiences, clinical practice, and internships used to assess candidate knowledge, skills and dispositions? Note Standard 1 connection: Assessment of candidate knowledge, skills, and dispositions. • How are assessments from field experiences, clinical practice, and internships used to improve programs? Note Standard 2 connection: Use of data for program improvement

AFIs Assessment • (Advanced preparation level) The unit does not systematically collect assessment data during field experiences. • Note Standard 2 connection • The assessments used in field experiences and clinical practice are not linked to candidate outcomes specified by the unit. • Clinical faculty do not always provide performance feedback to candidates.

and one more… • How does one ensure that field experiences, student teaching, and internships include diverse and special needs populations? Connection to Standard 4: Experiences with diverse candidates in P-12 schools

AFIs Diversity of settings • (Advanced Preparation) In the Educational Leadership program, sites for internships are not systematically selected to provide experience in a variety of settings. • The unit lacks a systematic plan to ensure that all candidates are assigned to a school setting with a diverse student population. • Some candidates in the Emotional Disturbances/Learning Disabilities PK-12 dual licensure program do not have the opportunity to work with students from both elementary and secondary levels. • Candidates receiving a PK-12 license in English as a Second Language through the UTEEM program do not have experience working with secondary students for whom English is not the first language.

What is required for advanced programs? • Field experiences are required, but they can be projects in the candidate’s classroom or school. • Field experiences should provide experiences with diverse populations. Connection to Standard 4: Experiences with diverse candidates in P-12 schools • Professional standards for other school professionals require internships.

Standard III Revision:Supporting Explanation • Licensed teachers who are continuing their education in advanced programs are expected to complete structured field experiences in settings that 1) deepen their understanding of the knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions that foster student learning and 2) broaden their ability to apply those K, S, and professional dispositions so that they are able to help all students learn.

Standard III Revision (cont.) • These structured field experiences can take place in multiple settings such as neighboring schools or school districts, day care centers and after school programs, alternate youth centers, and in the schools and classrooms in which candidates work.

NCATE Standard 3: Field Experiences & Clinical Practice