18-Week Timeline
The extended, 18-week timeline is for students completing one field endorsement along with an additional subject endorsement. Examples include:
- Elementary Education and Special Education K-6
- Early Childhood Inclusive Field Endorsement (Birth-Grade 3), Elementary Education Field Endorsement (K-8), or any Secondary Education Field Endorsement paired with any subject endorsement
- Two subject endorsements in different content areas at different levels (Middle Level Math and SPD 7-12).
The timeline must be considered both flexible and tentative. The cooperating teacher and/or college supervisor, through discussion with the Academic Coordinator, may modify the timeline if such modification is deemed necessary and in the best interest of the teacher candidate and the overall Clinical Practice experience.
Weeks 1-2: Orientation for First Placement
Teacher Candidate
- Reads through the Clinical Practice Handbook, all materials in Canvas, and completes all required tasks as directed by the Clinical Practice course instructor.
- Becomes familiar with rules, regulations, and procedures of classroom and the building; develops skill in communicating rules to students.
- Becomes familiar with physical features of the building and where things are located.
- Learns names and becomes acquainted with students; becomes aware of friendships and sub-groups; becomes acquainted with unique needs of individual students.
- Observes instruction and becomes familiar with lesson/unit plans and routines established by cooperating teacher. Makes note of ideas in weekly journal; asks questions.
- Participates in classroom routine (taking roll, recording grades, handing out/collecting materials, daily calendar, etc.), and learns daily schedule.
- By end of week 2 should be assisting in daily activities (administering tests, tutoring, conducting short, informal segments of the lesson or conducting mini-lessons).
- Participates in related activities within the school (staff meetings, athletic events, etc.).
- Constructs teaching aids and contributes materials for an attractive learning environment.
- Becomes familiar with curriculum expectations and content to be taught later in the semester.
- Assumes greater teaching role and responsibilities as soon as competency is displayed.
Note: For students completing an Elementary Education and then a Special Education degree program, usually the Elementary Education experience is completed first. During the time that the student is becoming familiar with the school environment in general, s/he should also be communicating with the special education teacher to prepare for the second half of the placement.
Cooperating Teacher
- Maintains responsibility for planning and conducting class but involves teacher candidate in planning; shares long-range plans for semester; provides teacher candidate a work area.
- Involves teacher candidate in observation, routine procedures, preparation of materials, and interaction with students; works to make teacher candidate feel comfortable.
- Sets aside time to discuss the rationale behind what the teacher candidate is observing.
- Establishes standard and expectation for excellence in teacher candidate’s lesson planning.
- Increases responsibilities for teaching as competency is displayed by the teacher candidate.
- Conducts weekly formal conferences with the teacher candidate to discuss on-going progress.
College Supervisor
- Schedules introductory meeting (first week) with cooperating teacher and teacher candidate.
- Reads the weekly journal entries and provides feedback to the teacher candidate regarding their progress each week.
Weeks 3-4: Increasing Responsibility Phase
Teacher Candidate
- Increases efforts to identify any special class characteristics and to relate instruction to individual students (meets with individual students having problems, determines utilization of special student talents).
- Manages all daily and /or routine tasks for the classroom (i.e. lunch count, calendar, etc.)
- Assumes full instructional responsibility for part of the school day. Gradually assumes a larger responsibility for instruction by accumulating teaching responsibilities - adding one subject, period, or preparation, etc. - every one to two weeks as teaching proficiency increases.
- Continues to develop instructional materials to support lessons.
- Continues to work on and completes Educator Growth Portfolio along with any other WSC assignments.
- Continues to participate in staff meetings, parent-teacher conferences, PTA meetings, etc.
- Continues to make at least weekly entries in reflection journal.
- Asks cooperating teacher, college supervisor for specific feedback on instructional performance
Cooperating Teacher
- Plans cooperatively with the teacher candidate to deliver instruction, starting the teacher candidate with small tasks such as: directing cooperative learning groups, jointly developing evaluation instruments, re-teaching concepts to small groups, providing enrichment activities.
- Continuously assesses and provides feedback on the teacher candidate’s level of competency in instruction and classroom management so that the teacher candidate can gain confidence before assuming additional responsibilities.
- Conducts weekly conferences (Weekly Conference Form is found in Appendix B) to discuss progress and areas where growth is needed.
- Models a variety of instructional techniques so that the teacher candidate develops a comfort level for a broad spectrum of teaching activities.
College Supervisor
- Conducts at least 1-2 observations of teacher candidate using Observation Form (Formative Assessment)
- Conferences with teacher candidate and cooperating teacher about mid-term evaluations.
- Is readily available (via phone, email, or in person) for advice, ideas, suggestions, support.
- Continues to read weekly journal entries and provide feedback.
Weeks 5-8: Full Responsibility Phase
Teacher Candidate
- Assumes primary responsibility for all planning, preparation of materials and delivering instruction, monitoring student progress and evaluation.
- Implements the discipline plan effectively, including contacting parents if necessary.
- Recommends student grades to cooperating teacher.
- Works on refinement of specific instructional techniques.
- Produces evidence (Reflection of Instructional Choices, Educator Growth Portfolio) of the ability to provide instruction that recognizes and provides for the abilities and interests of the individual students.
- Continues to maintain reflection journal.
- Asks the school principal and/or assistant principal to observe a lesson and provide feedback.
Cooperating Teacher
- Examines, critiques and provides necessary approval of teacher candidate’s plans for instruction and evaluation.
- Continues to observe and assess the teacher candidate’s lessons and provide appropriate evaluation and feedback.
- Contributes to the class instruction in ways that are complementary to the general class presentation under the direction of the teacher candidate.
- Reviews experience with teacher candidate and college supervisor during final observation and evaluation.
- Completes the midterm Evaluation Rubric (Summative Evaluation) on-line; discusses with teacher candidate.
College Supervisor
- Conducts one observation of teacher candidate (total of 3 at this point).
- Conferences with teacher candidate and cooperating teacher about final evaluation.
- Is readily available (via email, phone, or in person) for advice, ideas, suggestions, and support.
- Completes final Evaluation Rubric (Summative Evaluation) online.
- Continues to read weekly journal entries and provide feedback.
- Completes the midterm Evaluation Rubric (Summative Evaluation) online.
Week 9: Phase-Out for First Placement (should not occur until the last week)
Teacher Candidate
- Return all primary teaching to the cooperating teacher. Teacher candidate can still provide assistance and co-teaching of lessons is still encouraged. However, the goal for the final week is to help the students to transition back to having the cooperating teacher be the primary instructor after the week ends.
- Return all materials, resources, and school property that was borrowed.
- Observe other grade levels and specialist as interested.
- Complete their journal entries to the college supervisor.
Cooperating Teacher
- If cooperating teacher is comfortable doing so, writes a letter of recommendation for teacher candidate’s file. This is completely up to the discretion of the cooperating teacher.
- Takes over the responsibility for planning and teaching.
- Helps to have an appropriate “send-off” for the teacher candidate for the students to say, “Thank you” and for cooperating teacher to explain what the teacher candidate will be doing next.
College Supervisor
- Summarizes first half of experience with teacher candidate and discusses key skills and concepts to focus on in second experience.
Weeks 10-11 Orientation Phase for Second Placement
Teacher Candidate
- Meets with 2nd teacher and focuses on any specific rule, regulations and procedures that are different compared to first placement. For those completing a degree in Special Education, this would entail learning the necessary policies and practices for this placement.
- Becomes familiar with physical features of the new classroom (or building if 2nd placement is in a different building) and where things are located.
- Learns names and becomes acquainted with students; becomes aware of friendships and sub-groups; becomes acquainted with unique needs of individual students.
- Observes instruction and becomes familiar with lesson/unit plans and routines established by cooperating teacher. Makes note of ideas in weekly journal; asks questions.
- Participates in classroom routine (taking roll, recording grades, handing out/collecting materials, daily calendar, etc.), and learns daily schedule.
- By end of week 11 (2nd week in this placement) should be assisting in daily activities (administering tests, tutoring, conducting short, informal segments of the lesson or conducting mini-lessons).
- Participates in related activities within the school (staff meetings, athletic events, etc.).
- Constructs teaching aids and contributes materials for an attractive learning environment.
- Becomes familiar with curriculum expectations and content to be taught later in the semester.
- Assumes greater teaching role and responsibilities as soon as competency is displayed.
(New) Cooperating Teacher
- Maintains responsibility for planning and conducting class but involves teacher candidate in planning; shares long-range plans for semester; provides teacher candidate a work area.
- Involves teacher candidate in observation, routine procedures, preparation of materials, and interaction with students; works to make teacher candidate feel comfortable.
- Sets aside time to discuss the rationale behind what the teacher candidate is observing.
- Establishes standard and expectation for excellence in teacher candidate’s lesson planning.
- Increases responsibilities for teaching as competency is displayed by the teacher candidate.
- Conducts weekly formal conferences with the teacher candidate to discuss on-going progress.
College Supervisor
- Has introductory (Zoom is fine) meeting with new cooperating teacher and teacher candidate. This meeting can be conducted during the first initial meeting if appropriate. Thus, college supervisor could meet with all teachers working with student at the beginning of the year or meet separately.
- Conducts fourth observation and conducts post-observation conference with teacher candidate.
- Continues to read the weekly journal entries and provides feedback to the teacher candidate regarding their progress each week.
Weeks 12-13: Increasing Responsibility Phase
Teacher Candidate
- Increases efforts to identify any special class characteristics and to relate instruction to individual students (meets with individual students having problems, determines utilization of special student talents).
- Manages all daily and /or routine tasks for the classroom (i.e. lunch count, calendar, etc.)
- Assumes full instructional responsibility for part of the school day. Gradually assumes a larger responsibility for instruction by accumulating teaching responsibilities - adding one subject, period, or preparation, etc. - every one to two weeks as teaching proficiency increases.
- Continues to develop instructional materials to support lessons.
- Continues to work on and completes Educator Growth Portfolio along with any other WSC assignments.
- Continues to participate in staff meetings, parent-teacher conferences, PTA meetings, etc.
- Continues to make at least weekly entries in reflection journal.
- Asks cooperating teacher, college supervisor for specific feedback on instructional performance
Cooperating Teacher
- Plans cooperatively with the teacher candidate to deliver instruction, starting the teacher candidate with small tasks such as: directing cooperative learning groups, jointly developing evaluation instruments, re-teaching concepts to small groups, providing enrichment activities.
- Continuously assesses and provides feedback on the teacher candidate’s level of competency in instruction and classroom management so that the teacher candidate can gain confidence before assuming additional responsibilities.
- Conducts weekly conferences (Weekly Conference Form is found in Appendix B) to discuss progress and areas where growth is needed.
- Models a variety of instructional techniques so that the teacher candidate develops a comfort level for a broad spectrum of teaching activities.
College Supervisor
- Is readily available (via phone, email, or in person) for advice, ideas, suggestions, support.
- Continues to read weekly journal entries and provide feedback.
Weeks 14-17: Increasing Responsibility Phase
Teacher Candidate
- Assumes primary responsibility for all planning, preparation of materials and delivering instruction, monitoring student progress and evaluation.
- Implements the discipline plan effectively, including contacting parents if necessary.
- Recommends student grades to cooperating teacher.
- Works on refinement of specific instructional techniques.
- Produces evidence (Reflection of Instructional Choices, Educator Growth Portfolio) of the ability to provide instruction that recognizes and provides for the abilities and interests of the individual students.
- Continues to maintain reflection journal.
- Asks the school principal and/or assistant principal to observe a lesson and provide feedback.
Cooperating Teacher
- Examines, critiques and provides necessary approval of teacher candidate’s plans for instruction and evaluation.
- Continues to observe and assess the teacher candidate’s lessons and provide appropriate evaluation and feedback.
- Contributes to the class instruction in ways that are complementary to the general class presentation under the direction of the teacher candidate.
- Reviews experience with teacher candidate and college supervisor during final observation and evaluation.
- Completes final Evaluation Rubric (Summative Evaluation) online. If applicable, can conference with first cooperating teacher to discuss progress for entire clinical practice experience.
College Supervisor
- Conducts final observation of teacher candidate.
- Conferences with teacher candidate and cooperating teacher about final evaluation.
- Is readily available (via email, phone, or in person) for advice, ideas, suggestions, and support.
- Completes final Evaluation Rubric (Summative Evaluation) online.
- Continues to read weekly journal entries and provide feedback.
Week 18: Phase-Out for Second Placement (should not occur until the last week)
Teacher Candidate
- Return all resources to the cooperating teacher. Teacher candidate can still provide assistance and co-teaching of lessons is still encouraged. However, the goal for the final week is to help the students to transition back to having the cooperating teacher be the primary instructor after the week ends.
- Return all materials, resources, and school property that was borrowed.
- Observe other grade levels and specialist as interested.
- Complete their journal entries to the college supervisor.
Cooperating Teacher
- If cooperating teacher is comfortable doing so, writes a letter of recommendation for teacher candidate’s file. This is completely up to the discretion of the cooperating teacher.
- Takes over the responsibility for planning and teaching.
- Helps to have an appropriate “send-off” for the teacher candidate for the students to say, “Thank you” and “Good Bye.”
College Supervisor
- If college supervisor is comfortable doing so, writes a letter of recommendation for teacher candidate’s file. This is completely up to the discretion of the college supervisor.