School of Education Student Teaching Handbook
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SCHOOL OF EDUCATION STUDENT TEACHING HANDBOOK REVISED SPRING 2018 Table of Contents Introduction 3 Bluefield State College Mission 3 PEU Mission and Goals 3 Relationship to the Institutional Mission 4 Bluefield State College CAEP Accreditation 4 Student Teaching Block Courses 5 Roles and Responsibilities of Clinical Development Team 5 The Student Teaching Candidate 5 The Role and Responsibilities of the Cooperating Teacher 10 The Role and Responsibilities of the Principal 11 The Role and Responsibilities of the College Supervisor 12 Procedures for Withdrawal from Student Teaching 12 Certification 13 Test Requirements 14 West Virginia Professional Teaching Standards 15 Agreement to Expectations for Student Teaching 19 2 Introduction Welcome to the student teaching portion of your program at Bluefield State College. Clinical and field-based experiences are embedded throughout your academic program with student teaching being the capstone clinical experience. The effectiveness of the experience depends on collaboration between public schools and cooperating teachers; Bluefield State College supervisors, faculty and administration; and teacher candidates. All form a team, with the purpose to produce excellent, reflective teachers. The student teaching experience provides an opportunity to put theory and skills into practice. During this experience, you will be mastering professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions. You will be learning to work cooperatively within a school system, adjust to schedule changes (sometimes on an hourly basis), maintain accurate records, and relate in a positive and cooperative way with co-workers, students, parents, and administrators. This experience will also provide the opportunity to build confidence as an educator, defining the shift from student to professional, and give prospect to become an integral part of a school district. Student teaching candidates will be evaluated using a set of teacher candidate dispositions, the West Virginia Professional Teaching Standards and nationally recognized content standards. Bluefield State College faculty and supervisors are always ready to assist you in any way possible. If there is anything we can do to support you, please do not hesitate to contact the education office at 304-327-4173. Bluefield State College Mission Statement The mission of Bluefield State College is to provide students an affordable, accessible opportunity for public higher education. A historically black institution, Bluefield State College prepares students for diverse professions, graduate study, informed citizenship, community involvement, and public service in an ever-changing global society. The College demonstrates its commitment to the student’s intellectual, personal, ethical, and cultural development by providing a dedicated faculty and staff, quality educational programs, and strong student support services in a nurturing environment. Professional Education Unit Mission and Goals The mission of the Professional Education Unit (PEU) is to prepare beginning teachers with a strong commitment to professional growth and the development of critical thinking and reflective practice. Expectations of the PEU are that candidates who complete the program will be able to: • Impact P-12 student learning in culturally diverse settings (P-12 Learning) • Be reflective practitioners (Reflective Practice) • Demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement and growth (Continuous Improvement) 3 • Be experts in content knowledge and pedagogical skills (Content Knowledge/ Pedagogical Skills) • Effectively utilize technology to enhance and monitor P-12 student learning (Technology Use) • Create effective learning environments (Learning Environments) • Be collaborative, cooperative practitioners (Collaborative/ Cooperative) Relationship to the Institutional Mission The unit mission and goals are consistent with the mission of the institution: a commitment to prepare graduates for public service in a changing global society, a commitment to value and appreciate diversity of sociological, economic, and cultural backgrounds in faculty, staff, and peers, and to provide quality educational programs and affordable educational opportunities to the people of southern West Virginia. The mission of Bluefield State includes an emphasis on professional education programs which is consistent with the historical foundation of the college as a teacher training institution. The College’s strong commitment to providing educational opportunities to the people of West Virginia is supported by a highly qualified full-time faculty complemented by expert adjunct faculty from other higher education institutions and public school systems. Faculty and administration in the PEU are dedicated to preparing graduates who will be professional educators, life-long learners, and problem solvers. Bluefield State College CAEP Accreditation Bluefield State College has had professional teacher training since 1909. The college has been fully accredited since 1947. The College of Education has held national accreditation since 1991 from the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) now the Council for Accreditation of Education Preparation (CAEP). The U.S. Department of Education recognizes CAEP as an accrediting body for colleges and universities that prepares teachers and other professional personnel for work in elementary and secondary schools. Through its voluntary, peer review process, CAEP ensures that accredited institutions produce competent, caring, and qualified teacher and other professional school personnel who can help all students learn. Accountability and improvement in preparation for teachers and other school personnel are central to CAEP’s mission. The CAEP accreditation process determines whether schools, colleges, and departments of education meet demanding standards for the preparation of school personnel. Through this process, CAEP provides assurance to the public that the graduates of accredited institutions have acquired the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to help all students learn. 4 Student Teaching Block Course Descriptions The Bluefield State College Student Teaching Block consists of the following courses: EDUC 475 Student Teaching (10 hours): is the student teaching field experience. Student teachers have a minimum of two seven-week classroom placements. The final grade for student teaching, EDUC 475, is a composite of the evaluations from the candidate’s cooperating teachers and college supervisors for both placements. EDUC 474 Student Teaching Seminar (2 hours): provides student teachers an opportunity to discuss classroom instructional and behavioral issues and complete materials for their final teaching portfolio. Student teachers also complete their Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA) as part of their student teaching experience. The research may involve observing specific students, collecting work samples, videotaping, photographing or audio taping students or groups of students. Student teachers must secure permission from the school and from students’ parents or guardians in order to videotape, photograph or audiotape students. During the course of the semester students will present the TPA in an oral presentation. The final grade for EDUC 474 is composed of the final teaching portfolio, TPA, and oral presentation. Roles and Responsibilities of the Clinical Development Team The success of this program is dependent on the collaborative efforts and relationships developed among students, college supervisors, cooperating teachers and other school personnel in the field-based settings. Each of these individuals plays an important role in providing opportunities for the development of the student teaching candidate. The following describes the roles and responsibilities of the clinical development team. The Student Teaching Candidate The student teaching candidate is engaged in a full day internship in the public school under the supervision of the cooperating teacher and college supervisor. Student teaching serves as the culminating activity in the teacher education program. Candidates are expected to conduct themselves as a practicing professional educator, subject to the same ethical and professional responsibilities of a full-time teacher. Bluefield State College student teaching candidates are expected to demonstrate professionalism in several ways: prompt and daily attendance, appearance, thoughtfulness in planning lessons, and demonstration of initiative in assisting with classroom procedures and routines. Teacher in Residence The prospective teachers-in-residence shall: 1) have completed the content preparation courses with a minimum 3.0 GPA; 2) shall have meet the proficiency score(s) on the state competency exam(s) in preprofessional skills or qualify for an exemption as described in Section 6.2c of WVBE Policy 5100; and 3) shall have meet the proficiency score(s) on the state competency 5 exam(s) in content or qualify for an exemption as describe in Police 5202 in the area for which s/he is seeking certification. The prospective teachers-in-residence shall only be eligible to serve in a teaching position in the county which has been posted and for which no other fully certified teacher has been employed. The agreement between the institution of higher education and the county board shall include the specifics regarding the program of instruction and the responsibilities for supervision and mentoring by the institution of higher education,