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III. Standard 3: field experience and clinical practice
This 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.
Element 1: Collaboration Between the Unit and School
Partners
Collaboration between the Unit and its school partners is present in all
certification programs at the initial and graduate level. The Unit and
its partners in 30 school systems throughout the service region share
resources and expertise to provide opportunities for field experiences,
clinical practice, internships, and professional development for candidates,
teachers, administrators and other school professionals at the initial
and graduate level. (Documents Room 801GH: Field Experience Logs; Student
Teacher Placement Notebooks; Internship Database)
The review of methods courses and field experience by the Teacher Reform
Task force and the Executive Committee for the Transformation of Education
led to a challenge to increase partnerships between the Unit and the public
schools. The Unit has worked, particularly in the last two years, to improve
partnerships with public schools by identifying a cadre of teachers who
regularly work with our field experiences and bringing them together with
university teacher education faculty for training, feedback, and planning
of field experiences. With state Action Agenda funds, partnering public
school teachers (designated as “clinical faculty”) have received
stipends and university faculty have received either stipends or Palm
handheld computers for their partnership efforts. Feedback has been excellent,
and we plan to continue these partnership activities indefinitely. (Documents
Room: Field Partnership Information 3.1) Additionally, the Unit has expanded
its professional development schools relationships at off-campus centers.
Clinical faculty who work with our Center in Ashland participated in a
partnership event similar to the ones held on campus, and the Department
of Elementary, Reading, and Special Education developed a new partnership
with Johnson County Schools for candidates at the Big Sandy Center in
Prestonsburg. (Documents Room: Partnership Agreements 3.2)
In addition to these changes, the Unit has developed an on-going process
for assessing student dispositions as they go through field experiences.
At all levels of field experiences, university faculty and clinical faculty
have the opportunity to evaluate candidates on eight dispositional characteristics
using newly developed instruments. New procedures provide for problems
to be identified and addressed prior to and during clinical student teaching
and give clinical faculty input into that process. www.msucoe.org/dispositions.html
Two high profile projects have influenced MSU's field
experience partnerships, both directly and indirectly. MSU’s Preparing
Teachers to Use Tomorrow’s Technology (PT3) Program included the
development of the Multi-Media Collaborative Project (MMP), a partnership
between public school practitioners from five school districts and faculty
and teacher education candidates, in which multi-media collaborative projects
are produced to increase the technology skills of practitioners, faculty
and teacher education candidates. Teacher education candidates design
instructional sequences with an assigned teacher coordinated in the content
areas and teach lessons. Documents Room: PT3 information 1.12 or go to
the www.ed-u-tech.net. Additionally, Professors
in the Schools Fellowships (PSF) provide faculty an opportunity to work
directly with practitioners in the development of lesson plans and supports
modeling of effective teaching practices from the public school environment
in their classrooms. While these fellowships include faculty from all
across campus, many are teacher educators whose partnerships with the
schools have directly influenced field experience coordination and assignments.
(Documents Room: Professors in the Schools Reports: 1.14)
Element 2: Design, Implementation and Evaluation of Field Experiences
and Clinical Practice
Field and clinical experiences at the initial and advanced level are an
essential component of the Unit’s teacher preparation program at
Morehead State University. Teacher education candidates are involved in
quality field experiences that integrate content and pedagogy. Carefully
structured placements allow teacher candidates, administrators and other
education professionals to apply theoretical constructs and research-based
practices in authentic settings. Performance tasks completed in clinical
settings promote reflective thinking regarding effective teaching practices
and the application of the New Teacher Performance Standards. (Documents
Room 801GH: Memorandum of Agreement; Teacher Education Program Handbook)
Almost all graduate students enrolled in traditional educator preparation
programs are teaching or working in a school setting. Since they work
during the day, the field experiences required for graduate classes are
generally projects they complete in their classroom or in their school.
While almost all education classes have projects or required activities
that are designed to relate the content taught to the “real world
of the classroom,” each program has one or more classes that, because
of the nature of the subject content, have an important focus upon working
in schools. These courses are identified for each program and the number
of hours estimated for completion of required field experience projects/activities
is provided in course syllabi. www.msucoe.org/syllabi.html
In addition to those traditional graduate programs, the Unit has new Alternative
Route to Certification Programs referred to as MAT programs. Over half
of the candidates in these programs are teaching in public schools on
Temporary Provisional Certificates and have the same opportunities for
field activities in their own classrooms that other graduate students
have. Those MAT students who are not yet teaching complete their field
experiences through field assignments similar to those used in undergraduate
classes.
In the last three years, significant steps have been taken improve the
sequencing of undergraduate field experiences. Pre-student teaching field
experiences were divided into three specifically defined levels with target
numbers of hours for each and a process was begun to identify which courses
would include field experiences at each level. See Table 3.1 below.
In all programs, initial field experiences are heavily
weighted toward structured observation, one-on-one tutoring, and classroom
aiding - rich learning experiences in the real world of teaching, but
ones that require little expertise and professional maturity on the part
of teacher education candidates. The expertise and maturity demanded increases
in the second level experiences, and by the third level, it is our goal
that candidates spend a significant amount of time working with whole-class
size groups.
The sequence is maintained through the prerequisites
for the courses with which field experiences are associated. For example,
Foundations of Education, Human Growth and Development, and Education
of the Exceptional Child (with their associated field experiences) must
be taken prior to Learning Theories, which must be taken prior to Foundations
of Reading, which must be taken prior to the teaching methods courses.
In all, teacher education candidates are required to complete pre-set
number of field experiences prior to the clinical practice. http://www.moreheadstate.edu/colleges/education/esu/
The field hours are planned participations or observations in the public
school classroom or other appropriate setting. Field experiences include
reflective teaching, tutoring, the application of technology to learning
situations, and simulations on the computer. Candidates experience hands-on
application, instructional planning, and actual teaching of large and
small groups of students. A performance evaluation is completed on the
field experiences of each candidate.
The departments determine the field experience hours, which correlate
with the model and are cited in the clinical and field tables in each
Program Review document. www.msucoe.org/programs.html
Course syllabi identify the nature of candidate’s experiences that
result in readiness to demonstrate proficiency in relation to each New
or Experienced Teacher Standard, institution, or program guidelines. Guidelines
and requirements are kept in the Educational Service Unit. Field Experience
logs are submitted by the faculty to the Coordinator of Field Experiences
to be added to the candidate observation hour database. This database
provides easy access to verify the number of hours completed by each initial
candidate prior to the Clinical Practice. Graduate candidate field experiences
are logged and evaluated by the course instructor. (Documents Room 801GH:
Field Experience Log)
As noted above, field experiences during the first three tiers are designed
to prepare candidates to be effective teachers as is demonstrated during
the Clinical Practice semester. Teacher education candidates are placed
in the public schools for single or split assignments for a twelve to
fourteen week clinical teaching experience. Cooperating teachers are selected
through recommendations of university supervisors, principals, student
evaluations of cooperating teachers, and the Education Professional Standards
Board (EPSB) and KDE guidelines. The Clinical Practice Handbook Documents
Room: 3.4 Clinical Practice Handbook p. 23 or www.moreheadstate.edu/colleges/education/esu/
contains the requirement guidelines and evaluation instruments pp.57,
86-91, 103)
Clinical practice requires teacher education candidates,
in all content areas, to complete 12-14 weeks of monitored practice. Teacher
education candidates are placed under the supervision of an experienced
practitioner and a university supervisor. Candidates are expected to demonstrate
and document their knowledge and skills in relation to each of the nine
Kentucky New Teacher Standards and level of proficiency is documented
through a rubric-based exit portfolio (Documents Room: Clinical Practice
Handbook, p 57) and KTIP observation scores (Documents Room: Data Portfolio-
2.1 Tab 6. Dispositions are assessed using the MSU Disposition Evaluation
Rubric and expectations articulated in the Kentucky Personnel Code of
Ethics mark acceptable progress in each of the standards. Observation
Scores, Disposition Rubric Scores, and exit portfolios document the candidates’
progress. (Documents Room: Data Portfolio: 2.1 Tab 6 and Candidate Work
Exhibit)
Teacher education candidates participate in a capstone course (EDSE 499c,
EDMG 499c, PHED 499c, HLTH 499c) delivered in the form of a seminar, and
it is taken concurrently with the Clinical Practice Course. Seminar topics
are designed to prepare candidates for the clinical experience with a
review of assignments (lesson plan formats, four KTIP or Student Teacher
Record of Performance observations by the MSU Supervisors and Cooperating
Teachers, observations, and growth plans) and digital portfolio requirements.
Workshops are also included and these address topics such as classroom
management, classroom technology, discipline, school law, and school safety.
MSU supervisors also use these seminars as a way to handle candidate concerns
related to classroom effectiveness. Exit Portfolio Assessment is also
part of the capstone. www.msucoe.org/syllabi.html
The university supervisor and the cooperating teacher
evaluate candidates at the midpoint and end of the clinical experience.
The assessments address the candidate’s dispositions, knowledge base,
and teaching skills that are embedded in the MSU Conceptual Framework
and Kentucky New Teacher Standards. Examples of assessment instruments
are the KTIP Instrument (4 required), Student Teacher Record of Performance
(modified using KTIP indicators (Cooperating teachers may complete 2 of
these and 2 KTIP), Summative Evaluation Digital Portfolio, portfolio check-list,
a summative portfolio evaluation instrument, Digital Portfolio Rubric
Evaluation, and disposition evaluations. Observations and assessments
are shared with the candidate throughout the semester to determine professional
growth and to document progress.
The number of placements vary, for example: candidates
seeking certification in P-12 (Health, Physical Education, Music, Art,
Spanish and French, and Theater) are required to have dual placements.
Candidates seeking 5-12 (Technology Education, Agriculture and Business)
certification are assigned to dual placements. When possible, Special
Education candidates are scheduled for six to twelve weeks in conjunction
with primary or middle grades depending on certification area, and candidates
with an area of concentration in LBD or MSD complete their clinical practice
in the area of certification. Candidates completing the Middle Grade certification
split dual placements based on their academic components. Elementary Grades
(P-5) candidates are scheduled in a P-5 setting for the entire experience,
and IECE candidates are scheduled for clinical practice in an early childhood
setting.
Clinical practice experiences are normally completed
within MSU’s service region, but through special partnerships, they
are sometimes done in Jefferson County, Kentucky and Sunderland, England.
The latter involves close supervision by faculty at the University of
Sunderland, and a one-week visit from an MSU supervisor. (Documents Room
801GH: Partnership Agreements for Clinical Practice 3.5)
The process for determining a candidate’s placement(s)
involves an interview with the Coordinator of Clinical Experiences, the
consideration of faculty member recommendations for placements, and the
availability of appropriate cooperating teachers. (Documents Room 801GH:
Forms: Notification of Placement; Cooperating Teacher Contract; Clinical
Practice Handbook; Confirmation of Placement).
The clinical semester is the capstone experience prior
to the candidates entering the Kentucky Teacher Internship Program (KTIP).
Graduates must successfully complete the internship year prior to certification.
To better ensure graduate success the Unit has chosen to model candidate
assessments to reflect those required during internship program. In addition,
all university supervisors and approximately 42% of all cooperating teachers
have received KTIP training. (Documents 801GH: Cooperating Teacher Background)
Element 3: Candidates’ Development of Knowledge,
Skills and Dispositions to Help All Students Learn
All candidates must demonstrate the knowledge, skills and dispositions
for teaching prior to placement in clinical practice. On-going assessment
of candidate progress is evaluated at specified transition points throughout
both the initial undergraduate level and advanced graduate programs. At
the initial, undergraduate level, four transition points have been identified:
1) admission to the Teacher Education Program (TEP), 2) admission to the
clinical practice semester, 3) completion of the clinical practice semester,
and 4) program completion. Three transition points are identified for
advanced, graduate level candidates: 1) admission to a program, 2) eligibility
to take required departmental examinations, and 3) program completion.
The specific requirements that must be fulfilled at each juncture are
articulated in the Undergraduate Transition Points Document and the Graduate
Degree Transition Points Document www.msucoe.org/ttp.html or pages 40
and 41 of the IR).
Knowledge base preparation is documented through the
achievement and maintenance of a minimum of a 2.5 GPA to be eligible for
admission to, and continued progress through the teacher education program.
The skills essential for effective teaching are demonstrated through candidates’
performance on a variety of course-related formative and summative assessments
and reflected in the final grade. Dispositions are assessed by MSU faculty
and clinical faculty in public schools throughout their field experiences
and appropriate dispositions must be demonstrated (scoring 13 or more
points of the DESS) to be eligible for clinical practice. (See p. 33 Standard
I Element 6 for detailed discussion of process.)
In the initial teacher preparation programs, continuous assessment of
candidates’ knowledge, skills and dispositions begins with the admissions
process. Through all phases of the program, assessments continue as candidates
complete performance tasks, reflection assignments and portfolio reviews.
Before TEP admission and before admission to clinical practice, candidates
are individually interviewed. Portfolios are evaluated at admission to
the TEP and at clinical practice completion.
Clinical practice provides candidates the opportunity to demonstrate their
knowledge and sharpen their beginning teacher skills in carefully selected
real world classroom settings. Their performances are evaluated by highly
qualified, experienced practitioners and their university supervisors.
Through sharing of KTIP Observation Instruments and other assessments,
including disposition evaluations, completed throughout the clinical practice
semester, candidates receive feedback regarding their performance and
guidance for improvement where indicated. Candidates must submit a portfolio
(notebook and digital) of documents that provide evidence of their performance
and address each area of the New Teacher Standards. Evaluation of candidates
is based upon their classroom performance, reflections and presentation
of their portfolios with all required standards successfully represented.
(Documents Room: Clinical Practice Handbook Exit Portfolio 3.3)
At the end of their programs, candidates must have
a GPA of 2.5 or better overall and in their certification areas. Candidates
may complete their programs and graduate without obtaining passing scores
on the PRAXIS tests required for their certifications. However, candidates
not obtaining passing scores are identified prior to program completion
and offered assistance with remediation and mentoring through the re-testing
process.
Throughout the programs, the Unit employs multiple
assessment approaches (formal and informal) to evaluate candidates' learning
and effect on student learning. These include observations, reflection
logs, portfolios, creative projects, traditional testing, formal writing,
and role playing. Many of these are directly related to field experience
activities. Reflection has been a long-running theme in the Unit's field
experience activities - beginning with reflective peer teaching activities
and field logs in Foundations of Education (EDF 207) and continuing through
the clinical practice semester. www.msucoe.org/syllabi.html
Most field experiences for candidates are in schools and other education
settings in the local community of Rowan County that has only two minority
teachers of a total of 200 teachers, and only a small minority student
population. This presents no small challenge when it comes to providing
candidates with culturally diverse field experiences. One solution is
to try to place students in other counties as much as possible. In 2002,
for example, the Unit placed candidates for their clinical experiences
in 29 Kentucky counties other than Rowan, and in the state of Ohio, with
7.3% of candidates being placed in the targeted counties of Fayette and
Jefferson, and a further 20.5% placed in Mason and Montgomery counties
where the minority population is larger than the regional average. See
Census Data p.73 of IR.
Of course, learning exceptionalities cross all cultural lines, and we
have no difficulty making sure that all candidates receive exposure to
a wide range of individuals with disabilities. In every public school
field experience candidates will deal with the realities of wide ranging
student abilities. The field experiences associated with EDSP 230, Education
of Exceptional Children, EDSP 332, Teaching the Exceptional Student, and
at the graduate level, EDSP 601, Survey of Exceptional Students focus
heavily on these diversity issues. www.msucoe.org/syllabi.html
or Documents Room: Candidate Work Exhibit
Next: Standard
4: diversity
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