STANDARD 3:  FIELD EXPERIENCES AND CLINICAL PRACTICE

3a1. Who are the unit’s partners in the design, delivery, and evaluation of the unit’s field and clinical experiences?

The education unit and its school partners have longstanding collaborative partnerships with school systems that support the design, delivery, and evaluation of field experiences and clinical practice. The partnerships exist for the shared purpose of preparing teacher candidates in the early childhood program, ESOL endorsement program, and secondary programs to be a part of the solution in public education.

The unit has collaborative partnerships with approximately 50 schools in nine school systems in the service area.  These school systems include Dalton Public Schools, Whitfield County Schools, Murray County Schools, Walker County Schools, Calhoun City Schools, Catoosa County Schools, Dade County Schools, Gilmer County Schools, and Gordon County Schools.  Formal agreements between Dalton State College and the school systems are signed annually.  The dean of the School of Education is scheduled to meet annually each fall with superintendents of the partnering school systems to provide updates and receive feedback from these partnerships.

3a2. In what ways have the unit’s partners contributed to the design, delivery, and evaluation of the unit’s field and clinical experiences?

In fall 2006, a Focus Group, consisting of supervising teachers representing the partnership systems, met to review the design, delivery, and evaluation of the field placement experience.  Participants in this group also reviewed teacher candidates’ assessment instruments and offered recommendations for changes and improvements.  In Fall 2008, partnership schools were contacted electronically to gather input from administrators and site teachers regarding the new conceptual framework for the education unit. 

To meet the ESOL field experience requirements, education unit faculty representatives met in Fall 2006 with ESOL coordinators in middle and secondary schools to design field experiences for teacher candidates enrolled in the two required ESOL endorsement courses.  Field experiences in middle and secondary ESOL or sheltered instruction classrooms were developed to allow candidates opportunities to work with second language learners.  Each fall semester the director of field placement visits with the ESOL coordinators at all middle and high schools where teacher candidates are placed for ESOL experiences.  The purpose of this meeting is to determine how best to serve the needs of the teacher candidates as well as the host schools.

The unit shares program information (number of candidates in professional programs, pass rates on GACE Content Exam, changes in state requirements, and curricula changes) with representatives from public school administrators at a biannual meeting of the Teacher Education Council, formerly known as the Partners in Professional Education (PIPE) Committee. The Teacher Education Council consists of education faculty, liberal arts and sciences and mathematics faculty, and public school administrators and teachers.

Teacher orientations are conducted by the director of field placements at each school site before student placements begin.  This is an opportunity for teachers to learn about their programs and its requirements as well as to discuss concerns and to ask questions. Teachers are briefed on requirements of the college, are taught how to administer a mid-term and final Assessment of Professional Dispositions and Behaviors (APBD), and are given instruction on how to evaluate lessons using the Verification of Lessons Taught.   Portions of the School of Education Handbook are discussed.  Relationships with the college supervisor, the director of field placements, and the teacher candidate are discussed.  Questions and concerns are also addressed.

The field experiences and clinical practice for secondary programs (English, history, math, chemistry, and biology) will not begin until fall 2010. Field experiences and clinical practice hours have been established. Plans for meeting with secondary teachers from middle and high schools are in progress and will be held during the 2010 spring semester. The director of field placement and dean of the School of Education have met with area Human Resource Directors in preparation for secondary field experiences and clinical practice requirements.

3a3. What are the roles of the unit and its school partners in determining how and where candidates are placed for field experiences, student teaching, and internships.

The director of field placement works collaboratively with school and system-level administrators in partner schools to make field placement decisions about early childhood education, ESOL and secondary placements. The field experience process begins when the director of field placements submits grade placement requests and names of teacher candidates to school and system-level administrators. The school and system administrators then choose the supervising teachers for field experiences and clinical practices. Communication between school and system-level administrators and the Director of field placement is open and collaborative during the assignment of field placements. Beginning fall 2009, the director of field placement and DSC School of Education dean invited all system-level administrators involved in the field placements for a lunch meeting to review the field placements process, share Georgia’s Professional Standards Commission field work requirements, and prepare for secondary placements. This meeting will occur once a semester.

Another important aspect of the unit and partner school relationship is providing feedback to the school and system-level administrators on site-supervising teachers. Teacher candidates complete site-supervising teacher evaluations that are submitted electronically through LiveText, where reports are written and stored in Excel. The Director of Field Placement reviews site-supervising teacher evaluations. When a site-supervising teacher evaluation is low, the director of field placement meets with the school and/or system-level administrator to resolve these concerns.

Georgia Professional Standards Commission requires a minimum of 900 hours of field placements. Field placements are categorized by two distinct terms. First, ECE and ESOL endorsement field experiences include area F and Blocks I, II, and III. Clinical practice (Block IV) is the student teaching semester.

The unit meets ECE and ECE with ESOL endorsement field experiences and diversity requirements through these placements:

• Pre-K or K; 1, 2, or 3; and 4 or 5  
• A city system and a county system
• A Title I school and a school in a more affluent community
• A culturally diverse school and a majority Caucasian school 

In Block IV (clinical practice), the director of field placement works with the unit faculty and teacher candidates to choose a setting that will be best suited for the candidates’ professional goals and interests. 

Teacher Candidates placed in early childhood school sites interact with students of various cultural, ethnic, and economic diversities.  The education unit’s database contains demographics of schools and a list of all candidates’ placements. To fulfill requirements for the ESOL endorsement, the unit maintains a database of grade placements to ensure candidates receive opportunities to work with second language learners in multiple classrooms. Teacher candidates for the ESOL endorsement have a 30 hour field placement in middle school and a 30-hour field placement in high school during Block I of their junior year.  In Block III of their senior year, all early childhood candidates are placed in a classroom with an ESOL-certified teacher or in a classroom that is served by an ESOL teacher.

The Unit will meet secondary field experiences and diversity requirements through these placements:

• Middle school and high school
• A city system and a county system
• A Title I school and a school in a more affluent community
• A culturally diverse school and a majority Caucasian school 

In Professional Education Semester IV (clinical practice), the director of field placement works with the unit faculty and teacher candidates to choose a setting that will be best suited for the students’ professional goals and interests. Teacher Candidates placed in middle and high school sites will interact with students of various cultural, ethnic, and economic diversities.  The education unit’s database will contain demographics of middle and high schools and a list of all candidates’ placements. 

3a.4  How do the unit and its school partners share expertise and resources to support candidates’ learning in field experiences and clinical practice?

Orientations for site teachers are conducted by the director of field placement in each school system hosting teacher candidates that semester.  The orientation sessions for fall semesters are held during the first two weeks of August.  Orientation sessions for spring semesters are conducted in November and December. During the orientation sessions, information regarding the requirements of the college is shared as well as suggestions and questions from the site teachers.  Training on administering the Assessment of Professional Dispositions and Behaviors and the Verification of Lessons Taught is conducted. Due to the increasing large geographical service area, the director of field placement is creating electronic orientation sessions to better accommodate site-supervising teachers participation in orientation sessions.

College supervisors also attend orientation sessions each semester to discuss the mission and conceptual framework of the college and to discuss questions and concerns from the previous semester.  New supervisors are given instruction on administering the Teacher Candidate Observation Instrument, how to prepare a travel report, how to schedule visits and how to communicate effectively with the teacher candidate and the site teacher, as well as a copy of the teacher handbook.

Schools often allow the units teacher candidates to attend staff development training with their site teachers.  Likewise, professors may engage in action research or conduct staff development in the field to help schools assess programs, student progress, and other issues as requested by the schools.

Secondary orientations for site teachers will be conducted though online training videos. Currently, the Director of Field Placement is working with the DSC technology specialist to develop the videos.

3b1.  What are the entry and exit requirements for clinical practice?

Entry Requirements:

After completion of Blocks I, II, Summer, and III, candidates complete an application for admission to Block IV clinical practice.  Candidates must meet the following requirements for admission to Block IV clinical practice:

•  Formal application submitted
•  Minimum cumulative GPA 2.7
•  Grade of  “C” or above in all professional education courses
•  Satisfactory completion of field experiences
•  Background check
•  Professional liability insurance
•  Satisfactory completion of Professional Growth Plan, if applicable

After the candidate makes application for admission to clinical practice, the unit reviews candidate’s transcript, all assessment instruments, and the Professional Growth Plan (if applicable) to ensure the candidate has met the admission requirements. 

Exit Requirements:

Candidates in clinical practice (Block IV) are required to successfully complete clinical experiences for 15 weeks at one school site and are assessed by the DSC supervisor and site supervising teacher as follows:

• DSC supervisor completes a minimum of a midterm and a final Teacher Candidate Observation Instrument on which the candidate must receive an average score of 3.0 on both midterm and final assessments.
• Site supervising teacher completes a midterm and final Assessment of Professional Behaviors and Dispositions with a required score of 3 or above on each indicator.
• If a candidate does not meet the requirements for the Teacher Candidate Observation Instrument or the Assessment of Professional Behaviors and Dispositions, the candidate must successfully complete the conditions stated on the Professional Growth Plan in order to successfully exit clinical practice.
• The final grade for the teacher candidate is officially determined by the DSC Supervisor, but is a result of the collaboration between the DSC Supervisor and Site Supervising Teacher.  The final grade is based on the teacher candidate’s performance during the entire semester.  Teacher candidates must earn a grade of “Satisfactory” in order to successfully exit clinical practice. 

Recommended Secondary Entry Requirements

1. Completion of all core requirements for Areas A, B, C, D, E and 9 hours of Area F.
2. GPA of 2.7 or above in cumulative academic work. The admittance GPA is calculated using all  
    grades and accompanying hours for courses taken once and the highest grade and accompanying
    hours for courses taken more than once. 
3. Completion of Area A courses with a grade of C or above in each course.
4. Completion of 9 hours of Area F courses with a grade of C or above in each course.
5. Completion of Communications course COMM 1110 with a grade of C or above.
6. Satisfactory completion of the Regents’ Exam (indicated on student’s transcript).
7. Completed Application for Admission to Teacher Education Secondary Certification Program.
8. Successful completion of GACE Basic Skills Assessment or evidence of exemption.
9. Completion of EDUC 2110, EDUC 2120, and EDUC 2130 with grades of C or above.
10. Current Criminal Background Check Report.
11. Signed Criminal Background Release Statement form for field placement. 
12. Two letters of reference.
13. Satisfactory completion of Georgia History/Constitution requirements.        

Recommended Secondary Exit Requirements

• Complete specific bachelor’s degree content course work and initial certification program requirements as applicable.  
• Complete specific program requirements as defined on the program sheet.
• Meet the special education requirement of Georgia House Bill No. 671.
• Complete the Computer Skill Competency requirement as outlined in the A+ Education Reform Act  (House Bill 1187) to be met by successful completion of IN-TECH training.
• Earn a grade of C or above in all professional education courses and supporting    courses.
• Maintain a 2.7 cumulative GPA in all academic content courses.
• Maintain an S (Satisfactory) in Professional Education Seminars by meeting the state requirements for field experiences and Clinical Practice, including exhibiting professional behaviors at the field sites and in interactions with peers, faculty, and students and by adhering to the Georgia Code of Ethics.

3b2. What field experiences are required for each program or categories of programs (e.g., secondary) at both the initial teacher preparation and advanced preparation levels, including graduate programs for licensed teachers and other school professionals?  What clinical practice is required for each program or categories of programs in initial teacher preparation programs and programs for the preparation of other school professionals?  Please complete Table 7 or upload your own table at Prompt 3b.9 below.

Field experiences refer to all field work completed during Area F and Blocks I, II, and III. Clinical practice refers the student teaching semester.

Table 7

Field Experiences and Clinical Practice by Program

3b3. How does the unit systemically ensure that candidates develop proficiencies outlined in the unit’s conceptual framework, state standards, and professional standards through field and clinical experiences in initial and advanced preparation programs?

The unit ensures that candidates meet state standards for field and clinical experiences by requiring placements under the supervision of qualified professionals in a variety of settings; working effectively with students of diverse ages, abilities, cultures, and languages; demonstrating ability to work with students of three age groups (PK-K, 1-3, and 4-5) for ECE candidates, and two age groups for secondary students (6-8) and (9-12); and ESOL teacher candidates for PK-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. At times, a teacher candidate’s placement meets field requirement for both ECE and ESOL programs. Regardless oftype of field placements teacher, candidates are expected to analyze, evaluate, and reflect upon field experience and clinical practice.

Pre-professional education majors enrolled in EDUC 2110, 2120, and 2130 are required to complete 10 observation hours at three different sites (a total of 30 hours) to give education majors an opportunity to observe professional educators in action and to understand the commitment required to be a teacher.

Candidates in Block I, Block II, and Block III  are placed in at least three grade levels for field placements  as required by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission:  Pre-K or K; 1, 2, or 3; and 4 or 5.   Professional Education Semesters I, II, and III will include placements in two different grade levels: 6-8 and 9-12. All teacher candidates are placed in a city system and a county system, a Title I school and a school in a more affluent community, and a culturally diverse school and a majority Caucasian school.  In Block IV and Professional Education Seminar IV (clinical practice) teacher candidates work with the director of field placement to choose a setting that will be best suited for the teacher candidates’ professional goals and interests.  Block III early childhood education candidates are placed in a classroom with an ESOL-certified teacher or in a classroom that is served by an ESOL teacher.

In each semester of the junior and senior year (Blocks I through IV and Professional Education semesters I-IV), candidates must demonstrate acceptable performance as assessed on two key assessment instruments:  The Assessment of Professional Behaviors and Dispositions (APBD) and the Teacher Candidate Observation Instrument (TCOI). APBD results are collected in LiveText, but reports are stored in EXCEL. TCOI results are collected and stored in LiveText. For the last two years, data notebooks store hard copies of summary assessment reports.

A mid-term and final APBD is administered by the site teacher.  The results are discussed in a conference with the teacher candidate and the college supervisor.  A growth plan is created for any student who receives a rating lower than a three on the APBD. The college supervisor, an assigned faculty mentor, and the director of field placement work with the candidate and the site teacher to provide remediation and feedback to help the candidate overcome difficulties with behaviors and dispositions.  Candidates who are not successful in this remediation are exited from the program. 

The TCOI is used to evaluate lesson planning and delivery at least twice in Blocks II and III, at least twice in Professional Education Semesters II and III, and at least four times in Block IV and Professional Education Semester IV. Candidates experiencing difficulty in the planning and delivery of instruction are observed more frequently. If needed, faculty mentors may also assist the candidates by providing remedial support for specific areas on the TCOI

Site teachers use the less formal Verification of Lessons Taught to give candidates feedback on lessons they observe.  At least one Verification of Lessons Taught is given to the college supervisor as part of his/her documentation of the candidate’s progress. 

Field experiences and clinical practice provide numerous opportunities for all teacher candidates to demonstrate that they meet the unit’s professional outcomes by being competent, caring, collaborative, and reflective.

3b.4. How does the unit systematically ensure that candidates use technology as an instructional tool during field experiences and clinical practice?

Teacher candidates are required to attend classes offered through the Educational Technology Center (ETC) division at Dalton State College.  The objectives that must be met by teacher candidates are those of the International Society for Technology in Education and are evaluated through performance-based assessments.  Teacher candidates receive 50 hours of INTECH training during their professional program. Teacher candidates’ use of technology is evaluated by the TCOI instrument in Blocks II, III  and IV. Secondary teacher candidates will receive 50 hours of INTECH training in Professional Education Semesters (PES I-IV). One TCOI item, V-F Resources and Technology assesses the teacher candidates' use of technology as an instructional tool. Results show that over the three blocks that all teacher candidates make steady improvement in their use of technology as an instructional tool. The employer survey and graduate survey both support the TCOI findings. Graduates and employers surveys found that DSC graduates are strong in their use of technology as an instructional tool.

3b.5. What criteria are used in the selection of school-based clinical faculty?  How are the criteria implemented?  What evidence suggests that school-based clinical faculty members are accomplished school professionals?

Site supervising teachers are selected in a process that involves Dalton State College, school system administrators, and partner school administrators.  The following serves as guidelines for the selection of the site supervising teacher.

Site supervising teachers for ECE, ESOL, and secondary programs (English, history, math, biology, and chemistry):

• express interest and desire to collaborate with the Teacher Candidate and DSC faculty.
• express commitment to the development of future teachers.
• possess a valid, clear, and renewable professional certificate in the field in which the candidate is preparing to teach.
• have at least three years successful teaching experiences in the area of the professional certificate.
• are recognized for excellence in teaching and the ability to work with others.
• are recommended by the school principal.
• possess effective mentoring, communication and supervisory skills.
• maintain an instructional load that is realistic and reflects an appropriate cross section of the student population.
• exhibit best research-based practices in instruction.
• express reflective behaviors in their own practice.
• have a master’s degree as(preferably)

3b.6. What preparation do school-based faculty members receive for their roles as clinical supervisors?

Block IV site supervising teachers receive an orientation at the beginning of the semester in which they supervise as teacher candidate.  The roles and responsibilities of the site-supervising teacher, the DSC supervisor, and teacher candidate are reviewed during the orientation.  An overview of the conceptual framework and the assessment instruments are also shared at this meeting.

Professional Education Semester site supervising teachers will be given an opportunity to attend an orientation prior to hosting a Teacher Candidate for clinical practice (student teaching).  The roles and responsibilities of the site supervising teacher, the DSC supervisor, and Teacher Candidate are reviewed during the orientation.  An overview of conceptual framework and the assessment instruments are also shared at this meeting.

Currently, all site-supervising teacher orientations are being created to be accessed online.

3b.7. What evidence demonstrates that clinical faculty members provide regular and continuous support for student teachers, licensed teachers completing graduate programs, and other school professionals?

For all DSC initial teacher preparation programs, clinical faculty members serve as DSC supervisors for student teachers during clinical practice.  As major influences in the clinical practice experience, DSC supervisors observe and assess teacher candidates’ planning and delivery of instruction for four formal assessments and two informal observations; provide prompt feedback to teacher candidates following observations; serve as a coach to teacher candidates throughout the clinical practice experience; serve as liaison between site supervising teacher, Teacher Candidate, and director of field experience; and assist in the development and follow-up of Professional Growth Plans, if appropriate.  Clinical faculty members input evaluation data in LiveText where it is stored as part of the assessment system.

3b.8. What structured activities involving the analysis of data and current research are required in programs for other school professionals?

Not applicable for Dalton State College

3c.1. On average, how many candidates are eligible for clinical practice each semester or year?  What percent, on average, complete clinical practice successfully?

Enrollment in the professional courses has increased significantly since spring of 2006. During the past three years, there has been an average of 78 teacher candidates eligible for clinical practice.  With the exception of one student in the past three years, all teacher candidates entering clinical practice successfully completed it.  Several factors contributed to this high rate of success.

• frequent evaluations regarding teacher candidates’ planning and delivery of instruction (TCOI) as well as professional behaviors and dispositions
• immediate feedback from DSC supervisor and site supervisor
• professional growth plans developed to reduce individual weaknesses
• 940  hours in field placement and in clinical practice
• full-time education faculty regularly serving as field placement and clinical practice supervisors

Increase of Student Teachers from Spring 2006 to Spring 2009

Expected Number of Secondary Teacher Candidates for Fall 2010

3c.2. What are the roles of candidates, university supervisors, and school-based faculty in assessing candidate performance and reviewing the results during clinical practice?

The following procedure will be used for DSC initial teacher preparation programs. Candidates are required to critique their own teaching and classroom performance during clinical practice as indicated in one domain of the Teacher Candidate Observation Instrument (TCOI) and in one element of the Assessment of Professional Behaviors/Dispositions (APBD). 

Candidates are evaluated a minimum of six times (four formal and two informal) by the college supervisors using the Teacher Candidate Observation Instrument during clinical practice.  More observations are scheduled if the supervisor deems it necessary.  Supervisors provide immediate feedback following each observation.  The mid-term and final evaluations are filed in the LiveText database. 

School-based faculty members provide informal verbal evaluation for teacher candidates on a daily and weekly basis during clinical practice.  Candidates also receive a formal mid-term and final Assessment of Professional Behaviors/Dispositions evaluation from the school-based faculty.  School-based faculty members are asked to provide the teacher candidates a copy of the mid-term and final evaluations and discuss the overall evaluations with their teacher candidates.   School-based faculty also evaluate one lesson taught by the teacher candidate using the Lesson Verification Form listing strengths and weaknesses of that particular lesson.  This evaluation is discussed with the candidate immediately following the lesson.

3c.3. How is time for reflection and feedback from peers and clinical faculty incorporated into field experience and clinical practice?

The unit prepares all teacher candidates in all initial teacher preparation programs to become reflective practitioners.  Candidates are required to reflect upon and critique their classroom performance throughout their field placements and clinical practice as indicated on the Teacher Candidate Observation Instrument and the Assessment of Professional Behaviors/Dispositions.  Field experiences provide numerous opportunities for candidates to observe site teachers who model reflective practices and to incorporate these practices in their own teaching.  Candidates share experiences from field placements and clinical practices in course work and seminars through class discussions and small group activities and receive feedback from peers through these discussions and activities throughout the professional program.

College supervisors guide candidates in the reflection process after each lesson the candidates prepare and deliver in field placements.  Site supervisors assist candidates in reflecting upon instruction and classroom performance during clinical practice.  College supervisors and site supervisors evaluate candidates’ reflections regarding preparation and delivery of lesson and classroom performance as indicated in Domain VI of the Teacher Candidate Observation Instrument (TCOI) and item #17 on the Assessment of Professional Behaviors and Dispositions (APBD).  Feedback regarding candidates’ reflection is provided by site supervising teachers and college supervisors.  After each observation, the DSC supervisor provides prompt and relevant feedback regarding progress toward meeting the required behaviors and professional competencies linked to the Professional Outcomes in the Conceptual Framework on the APBD and TCOI.  Site supervisors provide informal verbal feedback daily to candidates concerning their classroom performance.  Block IV site supervising teachers are encouraged to share weekly written feedback with teacher candidates as a means of sharing candidates’ strengths and weaknesses.  As part of the formal evaluative process, site supervising teachers assess the candidates’ professional behaviors and dispositions twice during clinical practice.  Site supervising teachers are instructed to share their evaluations of the candidates using the APBD with the teacher candidate.

3c.4. What data from multiple assessments provide evidence that candidates demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions for helping all students learn in field experiences and clinical practice?

Data indicating the candidates demonstrate knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions for helping all students learn are collected numerous times from a variety of assessments throughout field experiences and clinical practice.  Assessments providing these data include the Assessment of Professional Behaviors and Dispositions and the Teacher Candidate Observation Instrument. This data collection is for all candidates in all initial teacher preparation programs. The APBD is administered twice during each block (I, II, III, and IV) of the early childhood education professional program. The APBD will be administered twice during each Professional Education Semester (I, II, III, and IV) of the secondary education professional programs. Additionally, the employer survey provides valuable feedback regarding Dalton State College School of Education graduates’ demonstration of their knowledge, skills, and dispositions for helping all students learn. This data will be collected for secondary programs (English, history, math, biology, and chemistry).

3c.5. What process is used to ensure that candidates collect and analyze data on student learning, reflect on those data, and improve student learning during clinical practice?

Teacher candidates in all initial certification programs are required to develop a two-week teaching unit during clinical practice that includes a pre- and post-test for the instructional unit.  Candidates record test results on the unit template designed for this purpose.  Candidates’ analysis of the pre- and post tests results, as well as their reflection upon students’ learning and improvement, is also required and recorded on the unit template.

3c.6. How does the unit ensure that all candidates have field experiences or clinical practice that includes students with exceptionalities and students from diverse ethnic/racial, linguistic, gender, and socioeconomic groups?

The unit ensures that extensive field experiences and clinical practice in diverse setting have been integrated in the candidates’ professional program. Candidates are placed in multiple settings with diverse student populations in exceptionalities/disabilities, ethnicities, English Language Learners, and socioeconomic settings.  Records are maintained in the unit’s database to document the teacher candidates’ placements with diverse student populations. During the professional program, candidates in the early childhood program complete 940 hours in field experiences and clinical practice.  Early childhood education candidates who choose to obtain an ESOL Endorsement must also complete 30 hours of field experience in a middle school ESOL placement and 30 hours of field experience in a high school ESOL placement.  Candidates in all secondary education programs will complete 940 hours of field experiences and clinical practice in diverse placements.  The school demographic data are pulled from the State Department of Education website and report cards. The majority of our partner schools use the inclusion model for students with exceptionalities and our teacher candidates are regularly placed in these classrooms. The director of field placement checks all previous placements to ensure that candidates are meeting all requirements regarding diverse placements for field experiences.

Plans are being made to collect data for all secondary initial teacher preparation programs.