Clinical Experiences

How many clinical experiences are there?

Elementary (K-8) and Early Childhood (P-3) Candidates:

• Level 1 – EDU 395 (both majors)
  
• Level 2 – EDU 395 (both majors)
• Level 3 – EDU 395 (Elementary) and EDEC 495 (Early Childhood)
• Student Teaching

Secondary (5-12) and K-12 Candidates:

• EDU 202 – Introductory Clinical Experience
• EDU 395 – Clinical Experience completed with methods coursework
• Student Teaching

Special Education Minors:

• EDSP 403 Intro to Early Childhood Special Education
• EDSP 405 Assessment of Students with Exceptionalities
• EDSP 426/526 Transitions and Community Supports
• EDSP 454 Advanced Academic Interventions
• EDSP 456/556 Low Incidence Disabilities
• EDSP 461 Positive Behavior Supports
• EDSP 495 Student Teaching: Special Education

Where will I be placed for my clinical experiences?

The Office of Clinical Experiences locates placements for clinical experiences within a 30-mile radius of Missoula. This includes the communities of Arlee, Bonner, Clinton, Florence, Frenchtown, Lolo, Missoula, Potomac, and Stevensville.

Should I contact teachers and/or school administrators to set up a clinical experience placement?

All clinical experience placements are coordinated and assigned by the Office of Clinical Experiences. Students may not seek their own placements.

When should I expect to hear about the confirmation of my clinical experience placement?

To comply with the memoranda of agreement that the Office of Clinical Experiences (OCE) holds with school districts, a prescribed placement process is followed:

1. OCE sends clinical experience placement requests to schools.
2. School administrators share the requests with their teachers.
3. Interested/qualified teachers meet with the school administrator.
4. The administrator may approve/disapprove of the assignment.
5. School administrators get back to OCE with their replies.

Although it is impossible to provide an exact date to expect assignment confirmation, the OCE strives to have all clinical placements confirmed within the first five to six weeks of the semester. The Office of Clinical Experiences will email a formal announcement to the teacher candidate’s UM email account once the clinical experience site and cooperating teacher are secured. The candidate is to contact the cooperating teacher within three days of the receipt of the placement announcement.

Student Teaching

When should I start preparing for student teaching?

Before you can apply for student teaching, you must attend a mandatory student teaching information seminar two semesters before your student teaching semester. The times and dates of these meetings are posted around the education building, and announced to all education candidates, advisors, and faculty via email. You may also contact the Office of Clinical Experiences directly.

Where may I request to student teach?

Eligible teacher candidates may apply to student teach in a number of locations:

• Locally: includes all communities within a 50-mile radius of Missoula: Alberton, Arlee, Bonner, Clinton, Corvallis, Drummond, Florence, Frenchtown, Hamilton, Lolo, Missoula, Potomac, Ronan, Seeley Lake, St. Ignatius, Stevensville, and Victor. Candidates must have a minimum GPA of 2.75.
• Out-of-Area: beyond a 50-mile radius of Missoula, but within Montana. Candidates must have a minimum GPA of 2.75.
• Out-of-State: Candidates must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 plus two recommendations. See application materials under “Student Teaching” for additional information and recommendation forms.
• International: Candidates must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 plus two recommendations. See application materials under “Student Teaching” for additional information and recommendation forms.

What are the requirements for student teaching?

Requirements for student teaching include coursework, clinical experiences, and satisfactory academic performance. Out-of-state and international student teaching also require two recommendations. For complete information, refer to the “Teacher Education Policy Handbook.”

Do I contact teachers and/or school administrators to set up a student teaching placement?

Candidates may not seek their own placements. Per agreements with partnering school districts, all clinical experience placement requests must come from the Office of Clinical Experiences (OCE). The OCE collaborates with these districts to secure placements with eligible cooperating teachers. Student teaching placements are based on many factors including the availability of qualified schools and teachers with strong mentorship experience. Candidates are not allowed to student teach in a school where a relative is professionally employed or where a family member attends.

When should I apply for student teaching?

Student Teaching Application due dates are as indicated below:

Intended Semester for Student Teaching	Application Due Date*
Autumn Semester	February 10
Spring Semester	September 10
*If the 10th falls on a weekend or UM holiday, applications are due the next UM business day.

Can I still keep my job while I student teach?

Student teaching needs to be the primary focus – for your sake and that of your students. The student teaching placement runs the full school day from bell to bell so outside jobs cannot occur during that time period. Reduction of outside workload is recommended.

Can I take other courses while I’m student teaching?

Student teaching needs to be the primary focus – for your sake and that of your students. Taking an additional course while student teaching is not recommended. If absolutely necessary, undergraduates must complete a petition to submit for consideration by the Teacher Education Program Policy Committee and graduate students must discuss this with their Teaching and Learning advisor. The student teaching placement runs the full school day from bell to bell so coursework cannot occur during that time period.

How long is the student teaching semester?

Candidates complete a full-time student teaching assignment in a structured, supervised setting for one semester – 16 weeks of a full-day teaching practicum. Most elementary, early childhood, and secondary education candidates will spend 15 weeks in their assigned classroom. Finals Week (the 16th week) is set aside purposely for two reasons: 1) for make-up days (if a candidate is absent more than 3 days during the semester), and 2) for observations in other classrooms. If a candidate does not need to make up any days, week 16 will consist of additional classroom observations. Cooperating teachers and university supervisors are very helpful in suggesting teachers with whom candidates can set schedules. Observations during that last week play a crucial role in the candidate’s teaching preparation.

Candidates must make serious decisions about any absences for personal reasons that would interfere with the requirements of the student teaching days. Teacher candidates must follow the public school calendar during their assignments and are expected to be in school every working day from bell to bell. Candidates will also be required to attend planned in-service events. In the case of any situation in which a candidate must be absent from school, the cooperating teacher(s) and the university supervisor should be notified as soon as possible. Extended absences should also be communicated with the Director of Clinical Experiences.

All absences will be documented and must be made up according to a plan that is jointly developed by the candidate, the university supervisor, and the cooperating teacher(s). A full day of missed classes will be made up with a full day of instruction.

How do I register for student teaching?

Teacher candidates will receive an email from the Office of Clinical Experiences indicating courses in which to enroll. Candidates are not to enroll in any other classes conflicting with the responsibilities of the student teaching semester. If absolutely necessary, undergraduates must complete a petition to submit for consideration by the Clinical Experiences Committee, and graduate students must discuss this with their T&L advisor.

When should I expect to hear about the confirmation of my student teaching placement?

To comply with the memoranda of agreement that the Office of Clinical Experiences (OCE) holds with school districts, a prescribed placement process is followed:

1. OCE sends student teaching placement requests to schools.
2. School administrators share the requests with their faculty.
3. Interested/qualified faculty meet with the school administrator.
4. The administrator may approve/disapprove of the assignment.
5. School administrators get back to OCE with their replies.

There are several factors that affect the length of the placement process:

1. The school decides not to accept teacher candidates (due to budget, availability of cooperating teachers, etc.). OCE then begins at Step 1 of the process above.
2. The school asks for more time to consider the placement request (due to school breaks, teaching reassignments, budget, etc.).

With such a fluid placement process, it is impossible to provide an exact date to expect assignment confirmation.

Typically, Autumn Semester teacher candidates receive confirmations from April to August and Spring Semester candidates from November to January.

The Office of Clinical Experiences will email a formal announcement to the teacher candidate’s UM email account once the student teaching site and cooperating teacher are secured. The candidate is to contact the cooperating teacher within three days of receipt of the placement announcement.

What does the cooperating teacher do?

The cooperating teacher provides a vital link in the teacher preparation program. This educator serves as mentor to the teacher candidate by using his/her expertise and experience to guide the development of pedagogically sound and realistically appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes.

Responsibilities of the Cooperating Teacher:

• Meet with the teacher candidate and university supervisor to review guidelines;
• Serve as a role model, observe the standards of professional ethics;
• Maintain consistency in expectations of students and the teacher candidate;
• Become personally acquainted with the teacher candidate to help in the transition from student to teacher;
• Orient the teacher candidate to personnel, class organization, course objectives, discipline, routine school and
  class procedures, information about students with special needs or medical problems, etc.;
• Encourage the teacher candidate to ask questions regarding all aspects of the classroom;
• Support the teacher candidate's work with methods and materials;
• Guide other teacher responsibilities in the lunch room, on school grounds, at assemblies or in committee work;
• Demonstrate or model techniques and methods before expecting the teacher candidate to perform similar
  tasks;
• Provide positive clinical supervision of teacher candidates including effective use of observation to identify
  student strengths and learning needs, constructive criticism to help the teacher candidate improve and grow
  professionally, and clear communication when making recommendations for improving performance;
• Confer regularly with the university supervisor to guide the teacher candidate in improving instructional or
  professional behaviors (to include a mid-term and final assessment of the teacher candidate's progress); and
• In cooperation with the university supervisor, submit the summative assessment of the teacher candidate.

Who will be my cooperating teacher?

The cooperating teacher has: 1) full licensure in his/her area of teaching; 2) a minimum of three years of successful teaching experience; and 3) the inclination to provide a positive and productive learning environment for our future teachers.

The assigned cooperating teacher(s) and teacher candidate will receive a joint email announcing the placement. Upon receipt of the placement announcement, teacher candidates are instructed to contact their cooperating teacher(s) within 3 days.

What does the university supervisor do?

The supervisor is the liaison between the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education, the Office of Clinical Experiences, the Licensure Office, and the participating schools. A supervisor is familiar with the goals, organization, courses of study, and pertinent policies and regulations of UM's Teacher Education Program, especially those connected with student teaching, and assists in interpreting these to the personnel of the partnering schools. The supervisor provides leadership in building harmonious relations with the participating school systems and personnel. The Office of Clinical Experiences assigns university supervisors to work with teacher candidates during the student teaching clinical experience.

Responsibilities of the University Supervisor:

• Meet with the teacher candidate and cooperating teacher to review guidelines;
• Introduce yourself to the building administrator and the office assistants;
• Assist the teacher candidate in developing teaching competency;
• Provide regular and systematic evaluation of the teacher candidate's development;
• Serve as a resource person when assistance is needed;
• Consult regularly with the cooperating teacher, including a mid-term and final assessment of the teacher candidate's progress; and
• In cooperation with the classroom teacher, submit the summative assessment of the teacher candidate.

Who will be my university supervisor?

The Office of Clinical Experiences assigns supervisors to work with teacher candidates during the student teaching experience. The assignments are based on the supervisor’s teaching major and/or experience. If the supervisor has served as a school administrator with experience in mentoring, promoting teacher development, and assessing the teaching effectiveness of classroom teachers, the supervisor may supervise teacher education candidates in more than one subject area.

Qualifications of the University Supervisor:

• A minimum of five years of successful teaching. The supervisor may be currently licensed or recently retired from classroom teaching or school administration. The average experience for the majority of the supervisors is 20 – 25 years of teaching or administrative experience;
• A master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, educational leadership, or subject content is preferred. In some circumstances, an individual who has achieved excellence as a classroom teacher and has a bachelor’s degree with 40 or more additional graduate credits may also be employed to serve as a supervisor. These are individuals who have been successful teachers, have the expertise to help a teacher candidate reflect on teaching strengths, and can offer a variety of possible alternatives for instruction or managing a classroom;
• The ability to establish a positive environment with the school administrator, the cooperating teacher, the teacher candidate, and other school personnel;
• A willingness to serve as a liaison between the University of Montana and become well-versed in the knowledge and skills regarding teacher development; supervision, conferencing, and assessment with the teacher candidate and the cooperating teacher.

University supervisors will meet with their teacher candidates and cooperating teachers at the beginning of the student teaching semester. At this meeting, the university supervisor will outline their expectations for formal observations and assessments. They may also wish to schedule their first (or more) formal observation with the teacher candidate.

When I complete my student teaching, will I automatically be licensed to teach in Montana?

No. In the final student teaching seminar, we will present specific information to you regarding licensure. There are several steps to this process and you will receive information about some of these steps in the information sessions for your clinical experiences prior to student teaching as well.

What should I do if my situation changes and I can’t student teach/intern as planned?

You must notify the Office of Clinical Experiences immediately so the school and cooperating teacher can be notified. Our ability to provide quality placements and mentor teachers depends on maintaining good relationships with our school partners, and we cannot maintain those relationships unless we communicate important information like this in a timely manner.

How do I get my Background Check results to a school for substituting or when applying to a job?

If a candidate would like a copy of his/her background check or would like it disseminated to a school, please contact the OCE for the Background Redissemination Form. The form is required in compliance with the Department of Justice policies on sharing this confidential material.