How does the unit work with the school partners to deliver field experiences and clinical practice to enable candidates to develop the knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions to help all students learn?

3.a. Collaboration between unit and school partners
Connecticut public school teachers, administrators, and school counselors are the essential partners in the unit’s design, delivery, and evaluation of field and clinical experiences. All programs have advisory boards whose memberships consist of the unit’s faculty, community members, and practitioners from public schools. Boards have input into the design, delivery, and evaluation of programs.

At the initial educator program level, field experiences begin with observations in public school classrooms as part of the pre-professional program. Once admitted into the program, initial field experiences provide opportunities for candidates to become involved in classrooms while noting elements of exemplary practice.  Candidates spend ten days in public school classrooms during their Professional Development Semester (PDS) where they observe, assist, and teach in conjunction with their pedagogical methods coursework.  The culminating clinical experience for initial candidates involves full participation in the classroom as a student teacher. During this time, the candidate completes the Teacher Work Sample (TWS) under the guidance of the cooperating teacher.

Personnel from the Danbury Public Schools are the primary partners in the Professional Development Semester (3.4.a.4) experience for elementary candidates. The Coordinator of Elementary Education meets with principals and mentor teachers in PDS schools each semester, and the unit’s Elementary Education faculty observes candidates. Personnel from Bethel Middle and High Schools are the school partners for the Health, Music and Secondary PDS. Candidates spend one week in a middle school placement and one week in a high school placement in Bethel. During PDS, these coordinators as well as the unit’s faculty members observe candidates.
The primary school partners involved in student teaching are the cooperating teachers. “Cooperating teachers who are Connecticut public school teachers shall be selected by local and regional boards of education” [CT SS, Ch 170, Sec 10-220a(d)]. The student teaching “triad” (student teacher, university supervisor, cooperating teacher) meet each semester with the Coordinator of Student Teaching for training in the use of the Student Teaching Evaluation Instrument  (1.4.d.3a, p. 27-75). District facilitators, administrators, and cooperating teachers collaborate with the Coordinator of Student Teaching to provide appropriate student teaching placements for candidates. The unit provides training sessions conducted by CSDE facilitators for university supervisors and cooperating teachers to ensure that student teachers receive consistent feedback for their clinical experiences.
Candidates in the advanced programs are educators working in local school districts. Those in the EdD  Leadership and Intermediate Administration and Supervision Certificate Programs   collaborate with on-site building and district-level administrators and teachers to complete three field experiences: a) school/district crisis assignments (I.5.b.i – ED 800); b) higher order thinking skills assignment in which candidates assist a classroom teacher with improving the use of higher order thinking skills (I.5.b.i – ED 804); and c) program evaluation assignment where candidates conduct an authentic evaluation tool (I.5.b.i – ED 805). School Counseling candidates begin field experiences in EPY 604: Individual Counseling in the Schools. They work as mentors to children in an urban setting in conjunction with their coursework. After completion of core courses, candidates complete a 100 hour practicum in a public school. After the practicum, candidates who are not certified teachers with three years of teaching experience complete a full year internship. Candidates who are certified teachers with three years of teaching experience complete a 600-hour internship, as per CACREP standards.

3.b. Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Field Experiences and Clinical Practices

Field experiences, practicum, clinical experiences, and capstones provide the opportunity for candidates to apply knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Field experiences follow a developmental sequence with assignments and assessments becoming more complex as candidates progress through the programs.

Field experiences for candidates in initial certification programs are implemented a) as part of classroom assignments; b) as part of the professional experience semester; and c) as student teaching. Partners’ contributions to design, implementation, and evaluation of the these  experiences are ongoing because of the close contact maintained by university-based and school-based clinical faculty during the two week field PDS experience, and student teaching. Elementary Education PDS partners in Danbury Public Schools have been involved in all aspects of the design, implementation, and evaluation of the PDS. The Bethel Public Schools are the active partner with the PDS two week field experience for the unit’s secondary education students. Faculty and school personnel update the PDS procedures and the evaluation instrument as needed.

Candidates in advanced programs complete assessments at their own schools where they are employed. The first two field experiences in the EdD program occur in initial courses. In the examination of classroom questioning skills, candidates work with their course professor and classmates to use a new observation tool, collect data, develop an instructional improvement plan, and analyze results from pre- and post-observations. The program evaluation project requires collaboration with school personnel to target and implement an evaluation scheme. After all courses are completed, candidates who pass their comprehensive exam begin the dissertation research process, which is the culminating field experience.

Partners involved in School Counseling field experiences meet on a regular basis, and university clinical faculty visit the schools each semester to meet with candidates and supervisors. The school counseling program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and adheres to all of its standards related to clinical experiences. The Intermediate Administration and Supervision Certificate Program (092) program’s clinical experiences were developed in collaboration with public school district personnel. Candidates collaborate with on-site building-based mentors and a university supervisor with administrative experience to complete an extensive clinical practice consisting of 432-576 hours.

3.c. Candidates ’ Development and Demonstration of Knowledge, Skills, and Professional Dispositions to Help All Students Learn

Field and clinical experiences are carefully designed to ensure that all candidates are prepared to work with diverse student populations that include students from myriad ethnic and racial backgrounds, students from various socio-economic backgrounds, students with exceptionalities, and English language learners. Candidates in initial certification programs demonstrate mastery of content areas and pedagogical and professional knowledge before admission to, and during clinical practice. First, the unit phased in a higher GPA requirement for admission and retention in the program, from a 2.8 to a 3.0, beginning Fall 2012.  Once admitted, candidates must receive satisfactory evaluations from their mentor teachers in their field experience placements before embarking on student teaching. The university supervisor and cooperating teacher provide formative and summative evaluations of the candidates’ knowledge, skills and dispositions during student teaching. Finally, all candidates must pass PRAXIS II in their respective disciplines before being recommended for certification.

Elementary Education candidates present a PDS Capstone project (3.4.f.6) to demonstrate their ability to plan, implement and reflect on effective lessons. Secondary Education students attend after school seminars with district teachers and submit reflective tasks in their methods courses to demonstrate their professional growth. During student teaching, candidates are required to take the Assessment of Student Teaching course (I.5.b.i –  ED 340) where they conduct action research within a Teacher Work Sample task (1.4.d.4a); this  task examines their direct impact on student learning and their ability to differentiate instruction. MAT pre-service teachers experience field work in several of their courses and are assigned a cooperating teacher and a university supervisor who submit eight formal observations. The CCCT competencies (I.5.a.6) that form the basis of the lesson plan format also ensure that student teachers focus on issues related to diversity by requiring candidates to indicate how they would differentiate instruction for diverse students.

Candidates in the EdD in Instructional Leadership and Intermediate Administration and Supervision Certificate Program (092) programs complete three field experiences. They monitor the number and types of questioning skills used in a class and work with a teacher to implement an improvement plan (ED 804). Candidates design, implement, and report results of an evaluation of a school program (ED 805). Finally, as a culminating project, they complete their dissertation research in one or more schools under the supervision of an advisor.
School Counseling candidates complete a rigorous course of study following CACREP standards and are recommended for certification only after demonstrating that they have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions required for the successful practice of school counseling. They must complete all coursework, practicum, and the internship with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better. Candidates must receive satisfactory written evaluations from their site supervisor and University Supervisors after each semester of practicum and internship.