Part III: Evidence for Meeting Each Standard
Standard Three: Field Experiences and Clinical Practice
Element One: Collaborations Between Unit and School Partners
The College of Education and partner school districts share and integrate resources and expertise to support candidates’ learning in their field experiences. Both the COE and school-based faculty are involved in designing, implementing, and evaluating the unit’s conceptual framework and the field experiences; they collaborate routinely on professional development opportunities. The COE and its school district partners jointly determine the specific placements of student teachers and interns for other professional roles.
Collaboration Between School Districts and the College Of Education
Field experiences and clinical practice have been collaboratively designed and implemented by the Unit and school partners to support candidate learning of the knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Several examples of this shared responsibility for candidate learning include:
- Candidates are placed in schools through cooperation with personnel directors, principals and teachers. On each campus, the Assistant Dean oversees the field placement process and works with school partners to arrange all course-based field placements (practica) and student teaching placements. Between 2006 and 2007, 512 placements were made for Pacific University candidates in the P-12 schools. COE policy allows candidates an opportunity to repeat student teaching (with no additional tuition charge) when the university supervisor and school district mentor determine that the candidate continues to have potential to meet the licensure standards if given more time. Only in very rare cases is a student unsuccessful (averaging one or two per year).
UG/MAT |
Forest Grove Placements |
Eugene Placements |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | FLEX 06Dec | 23 |
FLEX 06Dec | 86 |
| UG 06Dec | 8 |
5th 06Dec | 122 |
|
| 2007 | FLEX 07Jun | 29 |
UG 07Jun | 17 |
| UG 07Jun | 11 |
5th 07Dec | 119 |
|
| 5th 07Jun | 110 |
FLEX 07Dec | 97 |
|
| Total Forest Grove | 181 |
Total Eugene | 431 |
|
SpEd |
Forest Grove Placements |
Eugene Placements |
||
| 2006 | SPED 06Aug FG | 35 |
SPED 06Aug EU | 22 |
| 2007 | SPED 07Aug FG | 39 |
SPED 07Aug EU | 24 |
| Total Forest Grove | 74 |
Total Eugene | 46 |
|
- The Consortium provides feedback on field placements and reviews our annual evaluations of programs, including those from principals, mentor teachers, alumni, and candidates.
- Mentor meetings are held periodically throughout the school year to provide mentors with a clearer understanding of our programs and our expectations. The attendance rate is high (85%+). Feedback from these meetings assists us in tailoring them carefully to the audience.
- Meetings are held throughout the year for university supervisors to review scoring of work samples and otherwise improve communication. The rate of attendance of new and part-time supervisors is very high. (90%)
- Mentor teachers participate in a three-way conference midway through the candidate’s student teaching placement; they provide valuable feedback to the candidate and the University Supervisor and assist with goal setting for the remainder of the candidate’s placement.
- Mentor teachers collaborate with the University Supervisor in scoring the Summary Evaluation of Student Teaching; both must agree that all competencies have been met in order to recommend the candidate for licensure.
- Many University faculty members have participated with districts and personnel in community-based projects and grants; these come about because of the close ties the faculty develops in the districts during supervision. (See Table 5.1.5)
- As a result of advice from school-based personnel, many resources have been placed on the College of Education website (Midplacement and Summary Evaluations, classroom observation instruments, etc.).
Pacific University holds signed placement contracts with 32 districts in the Forest Grove area, 31 districts in the Eugene area, and a separate contract for Special Education placements with 51 districts. The exact procedure for matching a candidate with a placement varies from district to district. Here are two examples of large district where we place a significant number of candidates:
Beaverton School District
Contacts are first made by the COE Field Placement Coordinator with the Human Resources Office for the district. The packet of materials is sent electronically, and contains the candidate’s application and résumé. The documents are then distributed to principals, who recommend individual teachers for the assignment.Eugene 4J District
The application and résumé are sent electronically to the building contact – one is designated for each school in the district. The building administrator then contacts teachers they feel would be best suited to mentor the candidate and the decision to accept the placement is made jointly.