STUDENT TEACHING

Benchmark III
Student Teaching

Dear Candidate:
Welcome to your student teaching experience, the culminating experience of your professional preparation! Much of your success on this journey will depend upon your initiative in applying what you have learned about teaching, learning, and best practices. In order to help you succeed, you will receive support from your cooperating teacher and your College supervisor. Together you form a team for building your profession and serving learners and communities. To the full extent that this team communicates and collaborates, we can all achieve our goals.

We have developed explicit School of Education and Sciences outcomes, and a variety of performance assessment instruments to evaluate your student teaching experience. All of these items are consistent with national and state standards and are based on educational research and knowledge of sound practice. We believe that these requirements will strengthen our program and help you to become the most effective educator and leader you can be.

This handbook is a product of collaboration and consultation among educators, cooperating teachers and administrators, candidates, and College faculty also serves as a reflection of these changes. Suggestions and comments are welcome at any time because this handbook, like teaching or training, is a work in progress. We strongly encourage you to familiarize yourself with the rules, regulations, and policies presented in this handbook before your student teaching begins. It is your responsibility to understand fully what is required of you as well as your cooperating teacher and College supervisor.

We sincerely hope that your experience is a successful one. We believe that each of you is ready for the challenges, joys, and hard work that face you; we would not have placed you in the schools/ sites if we were not confident of your ability to teach and have a positive impact on learning. We understand that learning is a developmental process that requires on-going support from others. Therefore, we encourage you to seek support from your Cooperating Teacher, College Field Supervisor, College Faculty, and the Dean. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Dr. Sophia Marshall Chapman, Ph.D
Dean, School of Education and Sciences and Sciences

POLICIES PERTAINING TO STUDENT TEACHING

Placement of Candidates

The Director of Clinical Experiences at Wiley College places candidates for student teaching. The Director of Clinical Experiences matches candidates with cooperating teachers who are fully certified/fully qualified, who have at least three years of successful teaching in the certification area, who practice a constructivist developmental approach to instruction, and who have been highly recommended by their principals or other administrators. In addition, the Director of Clinical Experience takes the following into consideration when making placement decisions:

Academic professional credentials of staff; curriculum specialists and other public school administrators are consulted about suitable placements.
Previous field experience placements; the teacher candidate needs to have field and teaching/ experiences in a range of schools and settings (e.g., rural, urban, low SES, and those with a high percentage of ethnic diversity);
Any personal connections a candidate has to a particular school; the Director of Clinical Experience avoids placing candidates in schools where a relative, friend, or instructor is employed or in schools that the candidate attended.
Duration of Student Teaching and Attendance Policy
The student teaching (clinical practice) lasts approximately 14 weeks.
- Early Childhood teachers will have 7 weeks in a primary grades placement and 7 weeks in an intermediate grades placement.
- Physical Education and Health student teachers will have 7 weeks in an elementary or middle school Physical Education placement and 7 weeks in a high school Health placement.
Due to inclement weather and unforeseen events, a placement may be extended. In rare and special instances, a placement may be 12 weeks. If a candidate fails to complete the 12-week minimum, then he/she will have to repeat the student teaching/ experience.
Candidates must attend every school/week day in the term as set by the school district calendar or organization calendar, and they must be on time in the morning and stay until the teachers are allowed to leave in the afternoon. All absences require sufficient notice as determined by local policies. In the event of an illness, an emergency, or an unforeseen event such as a death in the family, the candidate must notify the cooperating teacher, the school, and the College supervisor of any absence. If a candidate misses more than one day of teaching for any reason, then his/her placement will be extended one day per absence. (See below for more information on the student teaching sequence.) The candidate does not need to make up a day when he/she attends the Data Day or other Professional Development activities. Candidates are required to follow the school districts or organization’s calendar for school holidays not the Wiley College calendar. For example, if a candidate is doing his/her student teaching/ in the spring, he/she would not be off during the College’s spring break but would be off on the district’s spring break schedule.

Full-Time Teaching Assignment

The candidate must carry a full teaching assignment; that means full responsibility for all classes and duties during the school/work day for at least four full weeks in each 7-week placement. Candidates may extend the teaching time if they wish and if the cooperating teacher has agreed to do so, but they must gradually return full responsibility to the cooperating teacher by the end of the semester.

Orientation to the Cooperating School

Schools sites differ in many ways, and each cooperating school’s policies must be learned and not assumed by the candidate. The candidate must learn rules and protocols for such matters as parking, appearance, demeanor, and manners of address (i.e., how students address teachers and vice versa).

Professional Conduct

The School of Education and Sciences expects candidates to conduct themselves in a professional manner. That means that they should not criticize cooperating teachers, administrators, other school personnel, or the school system as a whole. In addition, the School of Education and Sciences expects candidates to follow all the rules and regulations of the school system in which he/she is working, maintain confidentiality with sensitive information, perform teaching and non-teaching duties in a timely manner, and work cooperatively with other school personnel. Confidentiality of student records and/or information is also of the utmost concern. Finally, the candidate should be guided by a code of ethics established by the Texas Administrative Code which is enforced by the State Board for Educator Certification.

Limiting Outside Activities

Student teaching is an extremely important and demanding experience that requires a great deal of time and effort. Therefore, it is recommended that candidates refrain from employment beyond student teaching or minimize work hours; candidates are encouraged not to take more than one college course during student teaching. Although the College does not penalize students who need to work to support themselves during student teaching, the College does discourage candidates from engaging in any activity that would prevent them from giving their full attention to their teaching duties. Additionally, although candidates may participate in school functions beyond the school day, it is not recommended, and Candidates should be very careful. The School of Education and Sciences has high expectations that candidates will need to meet to master their teaching skills.

Liability Insurance

Candidates are required to become members of the Texas State Teachers Association Student Program. The Texas State Teachers Association is affiliated with the National Education Association. Therefore, they qualify for NEA/TSTA-SP’s liability coverage insurance every time they step into a school.

Daily Lesson Plans

Daily plans are required of candidates once they begin any instruction in the classroom site. Plans must be submitted according to the School of Education and Sciences’s policy. Lesson plans should be submitted to the cooperating teacher a week in advance for approval. After the lesson plans have been approved by the cooperating teacher, candidates should submit the lesson plans to their College supervisor the same week that the lessons are taught. Candidates must use the Wiley Lesson Plan Format when creating lessons and units.

Job Actions

If the candidate’s assignment is affected by a job action (such as a teacher strike or disciplinary action against the cooperating teacher, or an ethics violation committee by the cooperating teacher) or work stoppage of any kind, the candidate and/or the cooperating teacher must contact the College’s School of Education and Sciences immediately. When a job action involving work stoppage occurs in a cooperating school system where candidates are assigned, it is the policy of the College that the candidates are non-participants. The candidate then remains away from the assignment on a standby basis during the period of time when schools are closed or during the period of time when schools are declared open without resolution between the parties involved.

Removal from a Placement Site

The College supervisor, with the approval of the Dean of the School of Education and Sciences, may remove a candidate from a placement and/or cooperating teacher if that placement is found to be inappropriate to the candidate’s learning needs.

Removal from Student Teaching

The College supervisor and Director of Clinical Experience may remove a candidate from student teaching (clinical practice) for any of the following reasons: 1) inadequate progress, 2) excessive absence, 3) unprofessional behavior, and/or 4) misconduct.

A teacher candidate who has been removed from the experience shall be given a grade of “D” or “F” for the experience at the discretion of the College supervisor. No candidate who has been removed from student teaching shall be guaranteed re-admittance to student teaching.

Due Process of Candidate’s Rights

In addition to the existing appeals process stated in the College catalog (review of grading system, grade appeals, the “D” and “F” repeat rule, academic probation, and dismissal), the following apply to the candidates during their experience/clinical practice:

Candidates who have been withdrawn from student teaching placement at the request of the school system may request a hearing for a new placement, but the new placements not guaranteed.

Candidates who have been removed by College personnel from student teaching may appeal that action in writing to the Dean, who will convene a hearing between all parties involved. At this hearing, the candidate will be given an opportunity to appeal the action.

Dress Code Requirements:

Wiley College requires all candidates to adhere to the dress code of their particular placement and the Wiley College School of Education and Sciences dress code. Dress professionally when attending the placement. Do not wear anything too tight, short, or revealing. No flip flops. No high heels. No jeans, leggings, or sweat pants. No shirts with inappropriate logos/sayings, no gum, etc. Cover tattoos. No piercings (except ears for female students) with small earrings. Please look like a well-dressed professional teacher, not a student.

Inclement Weather Procedures:

The College requires all candidates to adhere to the inclement weather procedures of their particular placement. When a decision is made to close schools for the day; most school districts contact local news media by 6:00 a.m. When schools are open for students on a delay and conditions still do not look favorable, a decision to close will be made by 8:00 a.m.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR STUDENT TEACHING

Student teaching is the most intensive and extensive of the field-based experiences. This phase is designed to provide candidates an opportunity to test theoretical concepts, discover personal abilities, and strengthen understanding and skills required for effective teaching. The experience is structured to allow candidates an opportunity to demonstrate skill and competence in planning, instructional delivery, classroom management, behavioral management, assessment, and professionalism.

The effectiveness of the Educator Preparation Program lies in the united cooperative efforts of College faculty, cooperating teachers, school personnel, and candidates. This section outlines the roles and expectations of teacher candidates as they relate to cooperating teachers, the College supervisor, and the School of Education and Sciences.

Candidate’s Responsibilities

The task of the candidate is to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to provide instruction in a realistic performance situation. It is expected that candidates will apply the principles of teaching and that they will acquire skill in such application. In fulfilling this role, the candidate is to:
- Report to the principal’s office at his/her assigned school on the first day of the student teaching; become familiar with the school regulations and policies that relate to the duties of teachers; discuss his/her responsibilities with one of the administrators as soon as possible. Sign in and out on the official log or time sheet as formal documentation of his/her attendance.
- Report to his/her cooperating teacher; obtain all of the materials that may be of assistance in his/her teaching duties and make provisions to learn students’ names; discuss responsibilities with the cooperating teacher, including instructional and non-instructional responsibilities share the responsibilities of cooperating teachers with his/her cooperating teacher.
- Write a letter introducing themselves to the school principal and assigned cooperating teacher.
- Make arrangements to meet with his/her cooperating teacher on a daily basis to discuss his/her teaching. The candidate should request evaluative feedback from the cooperating teacher and discuss lesson plans for each day.
- Use the Student Teacher Performance Assessment (STPA) as a self-evaluation to be conducted concurrently with an assessment by his/her cooperating teacher. The candidate should schedule at least 4 formal observations with the cooperating teacher and College supervisor. The STPA will be used to assess the candidate performance during these formal observations. Lesson plans should be completed and emailed to the College supervisor 24 hours before the supervisor is to visit the candidate.
- Maintain a complete record of the teacher candidate’s student teaching experience in a portfolio that includes unit plans, daily plans, assessments, reflections, and other artifacts. The official Unit Plan and associated Daily Plans should also be submitted electronically to the College supervisor.
- Follow the schedule of the public school, not the College, regarding holidays, breaks, etc. The candidate is to remain on campus with his/her cooperating teacher throughout the entire school/work day including lunch breaks, planning periods, etc. to ensure availability for conferences with students, teachers, supervisors and administrators.
- Become familiar with school/classroom policies, especially policies relevant to discipline for disruptive behavior. The candidate should follow the policies related to discipline and should follow the lead of his/her cooperating teacher when managing the behavior of students.
Comply with all policies and regulations and work cooperatively and productively with the assigned College supervisor, the cooperating teacher, and school administrators.
Become aware of each cooperating school’s policies for dealing with health and safety emergencies, particularly those involving infectious diseases and blood-borne pathogens.
At the end of the placement complete the Evaluation of Cooperating Teacher by Student Teacher, which allows the candidate to evaluate the cooperating teacher. This evaluation should be submitted to the Director of Clinical Experience.
Arrange three-way meetings with candidate, cooperating teacher, and College supervisor, and arrange times for observations and conferences with the College supervisor.
Complete and turn in all forms and assignments, including the Effective Impact on Student Learning Project, when they are due.
Candidates must complete all state required teacher licensure application procedures including a background check and forms and FBI fingerprinting. On Data Day, candidates will work with the Director of Clinical Experience and Dean to complete the teacher licensure application process.
The School of Education and Sciences expects candidates to be guided by values that include a commitment to professional practice. Each student teacher is expected to adopt a high standard of professional ethics and to model professional behaviors. In endeavoring to formulate a professional code of ethics, candidates should be guided by the following considerations:
Professional Conduct
Recognize that candidates are professional guests of the school.
Become a part of the spirit of the school as it functions in the community.
Refrain from criticizing school personnel or members of the community.
Know and help to enforce school regulations.
Avoid participating in school politics or professional negotiations.
Abide by school/district’s dress code; dress professionally.
Dress professionally when the candidate attends his or her placement. Do not wear anything too tight, short, or revealing. No flip flops. No high heels. No jeans or sweat pants. No shirts with inappropriate logos/sayings, no gum, etc. Cover tattoos. No piercings. Remember that teacher candidates represent Wiley College and should look like well-dressed professional teachers, not students.
Please keep cell phones locked away or out of sight. They have no place in the classroom. In the event of an emergency, please give a family member the number of the school.
Follow all rules and regulations of the school.
Keep the time sheet up to date and have the cooperating teacher date and sign the time sheet each day.
Provide the cooperating teacher with all forms required and collect them when appropriate. This includes forms asking for permission to video-tape the lesson while working with students in the classroom.
Be open to feedback from the cooperating teacher and College supervisor. They are both there to help candidates learn and improve their teaching skills.
Interacting with the Cooperating Teacher
Communicate with cooperating teacher on a daily basis about lesson plans, learners’ needs, reflections, etc.
Exchange contact information (email, telephone number) with the cooperating teacher and the College supervisor.
Secure approval from the cooperating teacher before imposing any serious disciplinary measures upon students.
Notify the cooperating teacher as soon as possible when an absence from school is necessary. Personal illness, death in the immediate family, and religious holidays are legitimate excuses; however, if the candidate is absent more than one day, he/she must extend his/her placement one day per day’s absence.
Accept constructive feedback from the cooperating teacher.
Take initiative in seeking help from the cooperating teacher.
Arrange any classroom observations of other teachers through the cooperating teacher.
Provide cooperating teacher with all School of Education and Sciences evaluations, forms, documents, and materials necessary for them to guide and facilitate the student teaching experience.

Cooperating Teacher’s Responsibilities

All cooperating teachers are certified teachers or other professionals who have at least three years of experience, have professional status, and are certified at the same level and in the same subject area the candidate is seeking. The cooperating teacher is the teacher candidate’s major resource during student teaching. It is under the cooperating teacher’s guidance that the candidate plans and implements lessons aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. The teacher candidate should communicate daily with his/her cooperating teacher about lesson plans, instructional strategies, classroom arrangements, assessment and evaluation procedures, equity issues, students’ progress, and any other issues that might arise. In turn, the cooperating teacher will give the teacher candidate guidance and feedback. In addition, the cooperating teacher will observe the candidate, both formally and informally, and help him/her meet the School of Education and Sciences Outcomes. In fulfilling this role, the School of Education and Sciences asks that the cooperating teacher:
Prepare materials and space for the candidate, assist students/learners in developing a positive attitude towards the candidate, introduce the candidate to school personnel, etc.
Provide continual supervision and guidance for the candidate. The cooperating teacher’s major task is to help the candidate become a skilled instructor. Therefore, he/she should share his/her expertise with the candidate and discuss teaching performance daily. Frequent conferences are required.
Do not utilize the candidate as a substitute teacher.
Notify the School of Education and Sciences (903-927-4909) immediately if a candidate fails to arrive at school on time, if the candidate leaves early, or is absent without proper notification. All candidates are expected to complete a full day schedule unless excused for a justifiable reason.
Consult frequently with the candidate for the purpose of monitoring progress or resolving problems. The cooperating teacher should use the Student Teacher Performance Assessment (STPA) to evaluate the candidate. These evaluations should be conducted concurrently with the candidate’s self-evaluations and be used as the basis for scheduled evaluation sessions with the candidate. (See below for more information on evaluation procedures.)
Confer with the College supervisor on a regular basis concerning the candidate’s problems and/or performance.
At the end of student teaching, the cooperating teacher will evaluate the candidate using the Final Evaluation by Cooperating teacher. This evaluation should be given to the candidate in a sealed envelope or scanned and emailed to the Director of Clinical Experience.
In collaboration with the candidate and the College supervisor, the cooperating teacher is to evaluate the candidate. The cooperating teacher, at times alone and at times in cooperation with the teacher candidate and the College supervisor, will conduct both formative and summative assessments of the teacher candidate’s performance in meeting the School of Education and Sciences’s outcomes as well as other indicators of performance.

Formative Assessments

The cooperating teacher is in the best position to conduct on-going formative assessment of the candidate’s progress. These assessments may be done both formally, using assessment instruments, and informally, using observation notes and comments, or by having informal conversations about the teacher candidate’s performance and progress. The School of Education and Sciences recommends that the cooperating teacher conduct both formal and informal formative assessments on a daily basis. That is, informally the cooperating teacher and candidate should have frequent conversations about the candidate’s performance in designing and implementing instruction and meeting the needs of the learners. More formally, the cooperating teacher should use the following instruments to guide formative assessment opportunities:
Student Teacher Performance Assessment (STPA): The candidate will be observed multiple times during their student teaching placement. These assessment instruments will be used to provide both quantitative and qualitative feedback. These instruments should be completed three times during the placement.

Summative Assessments

During the final three-way meeting (triadic conference) between the teacher candidate, cooperating teacher, and College supervisor, all parties will cooperatively complete the Student Teacher Performance Assessment (STPA). The use of this instrument at this time will be the summative evaluation of the teacher candidate’s performance in meeting the School’s outcomes. Based on the teacher candidate’s performance on the STPA form, the cooperating teacher will recommend a rating for the student teaching and complete and sign the Final Evaluation by Cooperating Teacher.
Cooperating Teacher/Candidate Discussion Form: This instrument has been designed to ensure that the cooperating teacher and candidate discuss the candidate’s ability to effectively perform certain teaching and non-teaching duties. The School of Education and Sciences encourages the cooperating teacher and candidate to set aside time every week to review some of the items on the guide. Once they have discussed a particular item, the cooperating teacher and candidate should indicate this by initialing the space next to the item. By the end of the semester, the cooperating teacher and candidate should have discussed the candidate’s performance for each item.

College Supervisor’s Responsibilities

It is imperative that the cooperating teacher and College supervisor work cooperatively to assure a successful experience for the teacher candidate. Therefore, the College supervisor will do the following:
Visit the candidate a minimum of three times during each 7-week placement to observe and conference with the teacher candidate. For each 7-week placement, one of the visits should include a three-way (triadic) conference with the cooperating teacher, teacher candidate, and College supervisor. The teacher candidate is responsible for arranging these visits with the approval of the cooperating teacher.
Report to the principal’s office upon arrival at the school, sign in and inform the staff of their presence. Obtain information concerning expectations for and/or regulations concerning visitors and abide by such regulations.
Examine and evaluate daily lesson plans prior to the visit. For formal evaluations, the teacher candidate is required to submit via email a copy of his/her lesson plans at least 24 hours before the scheduled visit. The lesson plans and guides will help focus the supervisor’s observation and discussions with the teacher candidate before and after the observation.
Complete the Student Teaching Performance Assessment (STPA) during each visit when candidate is teaching and share during each post-observation conference.
Evaluate the cooperating teacher using the Final Evaluation of the Cooperating Teacher by the Student Teacher.

Director of Teacher Education Responsibilities

The Director of Clinical Experience is responsible for working with College faculty and instructors as well as cooperating schools and teachers. Administratively, the Director of Clinical Experience serves as a communication liaison between the School of Education and Sciences at Wiley College and public school personnel. Therefore, the Director of Clinical Experience does the following:
Collects and reviews all applications for student teaching and ensures that all teacher candidates meet the required qualifications.
After receiving approval from the Dean for all field-based assignments, the Director makes the official arrangements for placement of candidates. It is the responsibility of the Director of Clinical Experience to confer with cooperating school personnel.
The Director of Clinical Experience should be notified when problems and/or issues arise which involve teacher candidates, the College supervisor, or the cooperating teacher. The Director of Clinical Experience is responsible for notifying the Dean of these problems and/or issues.
Though the College Supervisor assigns grades to each candidate for each assignment, the Director of Clinical Experience must approve the grades.

Dean of the Division of Education Responsibilities

The Dean of the School of Education and Sciences is responsible for working with the Director of Clinical Experience, College faculty and instructors as well as cooperating schools and teachers to provide candidates with a high quality educator preparation program. The Dean does the following:

Approves all field-based assignments

The Dean should be notified when serious problems or issues arise which involve teacher candidates, the College supervisor, or the cooperating teacher.

STUDENT TEACHING SEQUENCE AND TIMELINE

The following section is meant to provide an overview of the sequence of events in a typical student teaching term. There are various levels and approaches to this experience, and the notes provided here are meant to be generally applicable. Within these guidelines, the exact sequence that the candidate will follow will be determined by the planning and effort that the candidate will devote to it in collaboration with the cooperating teacher, the cooperating school, and the College supervisor.

Observations and Conversations

During the first days of each student teaching placement, the candidate should conduct formal observations of the school, students, teacher-student interactions, instructional procedures, etc. The faculty wants candidates to pretend that he or she are ethnographic researchers who wish to study and eventually become part of a culture that is not the same as their own. Like any other culture, this school culture is made up of people who follow specific rules and procedures; who display specific behaviors that are acceptable or not acceptable for this culture; whose members think, create, learn and teach in culturally appropriate ways. At first the candidates will be outsiders who enter this new environment quite humbly unassumingly, and open-mindedly. As student teachers, their first objective is to attempt to understand the complexities of this culture. Therefore, student teachers need to become astute observers. Therefore, student teachers need to take detailed notes on their observations to assist them with their Effective Impact on Student Learning Project. Through detailed observations, student teachers will be able to discover recurring patterns of behavior, learning needs, relationships, and actions.
During the first week in the school, the student teacher’s main job is to observe. Likewise, during the final week, the student teacher will have several periods each day to continue his or her observations. It is during these times that we ask student teachers to become ethnographic researchers.

Participation

From the beginning of the experience, the candidate should be ready to participate. This may take the form of working with individuals, small groups, or whole classes. It may also mean that teacher candidates will assist in grading papers, designing lesson plans, creating bulletin boards, overseeing recess or other non-teaching duties, and a host of other experiences.

Planning

As the teacher candidate’s assignment proceeds, he/she should be assuming some responsibility for planning lessons. Usually, the teacher candidate will be responsible for a small group or class period within one subject area, adding more responsibilities as time passes and progress dictates. He/she should develop all plans in detailed format at this point, not only for reference by the cooperating teacher and College supervisor but also so that the teacher candidate can gauge how well his/her planning works. Weekly plans and long-range unit plans should also be developed. The cooperating teacher and the teacher candidate should closely coordinate these long-term plans. The unit plan must be for a minimum of five (5) days and must include five (5) complete daily plans. The format chosen for submission of plans is at the discretion of the cooperating teacher and depends on individual school requirements. However, the official School of Education and Sciences lesson plan format and unit plan format must be used for the pieces submitted for the portfolio.

Part-Time Responsibility

The teacher candidate will gradually assume responsibility for an entire learning environment. By the midpoint of the placement (third week of each 7-week placement), teacher candidates should be teaching at least half-time. Increased demands upon the teacher candidate’s time will affect how well he/she can prepare for lessons, especially those for which he/she might want to make learning materials. Advance preparation can help the teacher candidate avoid hitting a wall of fatigue and frustration.
At this point, the cooperating teacher, candidate, and College supervisor should adjust their expectations accordingly. Units that are thoroughly researched and planned still need back-up alternatives, since students and learning environments can vary widely on short notice.
The candidate should feel free to experiment, but do so knowing that his/her lessons will be evaluated on the basis of their success in promoting students’ learning as well as his/her own learning. Such methods as cooperative learning, full inclusion strategies, whole-language instruction, or inquiry-based instruction must be painstakingly tested. Observations by the cooperating teacher can help the teacher candidate analyze his/her teaching at this point and prepare materials and methods for full-time teaching.

Full-Time Responsibility

During the second part of each placement (weeks 3-7), an extended period (at least four full weeks) of full-time teaching responsibility is required. The teacher candidate will be leading lessons independently of the cooperating teacher, although the teacher candidate will remain under that cooperating teacher’s immediate responsibility. Some collaborative teaching may be possible during this time at the teacher candidate’s initiative. The most crucial evaluations of the teacher candidate’s professional competence will focus on his/her full-time teaching. At this stage, he/she should have fully prepared plans, materials, procedures and techniques. It is important that the teacher candidate show his/her personal style in taking full command over the teaching of subjects and student’s learning. Also during this time, the teacher candidate should conduct a short (at least one-week) action research project in which the teacher candidate conducts original research on his/her own practice.

Final Week

As each assignment draws to a close, the candidate should gradually disengage from teaching/training responsibilities and resume the role of observer. These last days are often difficult, and the candidate needs to prepare for the moment of departure. It’s a good time for the candidate to make professional visits, follow up on some questions about where these students will be going in their future, and evaluate his/her own progress. Moreover, it is a good time for the teacher candidate to gather K-12 work samples and work on his/her Student Teaching Portfolio and Effective Impact on Student Learning Project.

TEACHING RESPONSIBILITY AND TIMELINE

The candidate, cooperating teacher, and College supervisor should discuss and agree on the appropriate timeline for the candidate to assume responsibility for the class and students. The placement may be longer than due to school vacations and holidays.

Timeline for teacher candidates in each 7-week placement and for interns during their 7-week school placement

Week 1: Observe cooperating teacher’s classes and assist the cooperating teacher/ when appropriate.

Week 2: Take on non-teaching duties (e.g., homeroom, recess, etc.).

Gradually take full responsibility for planning, teaching, and evaluating classes or subjects one at a time as the teacher candidate and cooperating teacher feel that he/she is ready. Continue observing and assisting the cooperating teacher with planning, grading, tutoring, and team teaching. Review referenencs for Effective Impact on Student Learning Project.

Weeks 3-6: Gradually take full responsibility for planning, teaching, and evaluating the entire teaching load; conduct Effective Impact on Student Learning Project.

Week 7: Gradually reduce the number of classes or subjects taught and return teaching responsibility to the cooperating teacher; conduct observations with other teachers in the building; complete Effective Impact on Student Learning Project.

Each week, the candidate will participate in a professional development course/seminar by meeting on campus after school.