- Department of Curriculum and Instruction - Learning to Teach - A Guidebook to Practica and Pre-service Teaching
- Department of Curriculum & Instruction - Special Education, General Curriculum
- Department of Educational Leadership Field Handbook
- Department of Counselor Education - School Counseling Practicum and Internship Handbook
- Department of Counselor Education - Clinical Mental Health Counseling Practicum and Internship Handbook
- Ethical, Legal and Accreditation Standards, and Protocols
Clinical Experiences, Placements and Partnerships
Welcome to Clinical Experiences, Placements and Partnerships!
We are excited about the process of developing new educators and hope that you find our page informational and helpful. Our planned programs of study in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction are Special Education, K-5 Elementary Education, Post-Baccalaureate K-5; MAT Science, and MAT Mathematics Our Educational Leadership programs, are Higher Education and P-12 Educational Leadership, both Tier I & II We also provide programs of study in our Department of Counselor Education which encompass K-12 Guidance Counseling and Clinical Mental Health.
Our goal is to cultivate mutually beneficial partnerships with learning educational agencies which will support the professional growth of our future teachers, school counselors, school leaders and mental health professionals. Together, we provide clinical preparation, continuous support and use evaluative assessments to ensure that our candidates are progressing in their academic understanding and their ability to apply knowledge and theories in worthwhile practicum and internship experiences.
Through our partnership agreements, we ensure that both the School of Education faculty and staff, and our valued partners participate fully in the clinical preparation of our educator candidates and the development of fulfilling and appropriate clinical experiences.
ClarkPlease note that information regarding compliance with the School of Education's governing authorities, including accreditation standards, professional and ethical standards, licensure and certification requirements, and university rules are provided to all students during orientation, in introductory and seminar courses, in workshops and throughout their clinical field courses.
The Ethical, Legal and Accreditation Standards, and Protocols form is reviewed with student each semester during the advisement period and as deemed necessary.
The School of Education's faculty and staff collaboratively design field experiences and clinical practice (practicums/student teaching/internship) in all required grade bands in settings that provide our candidates with opportunities to observe, practice, and demonstrate the knowledge, skills and dispositions delineated in institutional, state, and national standards. As stakeholders in the clinical preparation of our candidates, we are tasked with the following duties and responsibilities:
The Field Placement Director shall:
- Adhere to all national, state and local expectations with respect to field/clinical/ internships/practicums/SPAs
- Maintain partnerships with all districts and agencies and Clark Atlanta University; School of Education
- Maintain a database of all pertinent contact information related to districts and agencies
- Ensure there are Ethics Training gathering every semester in accordance with GaPSC
- Requisition appropriate clinical experiences for all eligible students
- Conduct Standard II meetings every semester (Site Supervisor and Partnership meetings)
- Respond to concerns issued by the candidate, university supervisor and/or field contact
- Request appropriate grade bands*, as well as, Elementary, Middle and High, and experiences
- For P-5 (Practicum I is dedicated to K and 1 OBSERVATION, Practicum II is dedicated to 2 and 3 INSTRUCTION, Practicum III is focused on 4 and 5 and ASSESSMENT
The Curriculum and Instruction (Post-Baccalaureate, P-5, MAT) University Professor shall:
- Communicate with the Field Director by April 1 for all fall needs and October 1 for all spring needs
- Distribute the course syllabus with all expectations included
- Conduct an orientation for all cooperating teachers and/or use the School's training modules
- Triangulate all experiences with professor, student and supervising perceptions of knowledge, skills and dispositions
- Provide a final roster of all field classes, supervisors’ names, certificate numbers, beginning dates, ending dates, and hours acquired
- Notify the front office with every school visit
- Conduct observations
- Gather data from the student, the supervisor, and oneself
- Report said data
- Analyze data and make instructional adjustments as needed for groups and individuals
The Educational Leadership and Counselor Education University Professor shall:
- Communicate with the Field Director by April 1 for all fall needs and October 1 for all spring needs
- Distribute the course syllabus with all expectations included
- Conduct an orientation for all site supervisors
- Triangulate all experiences with professor, student and supervising perceptions of knowledge, skills and dispositions
- Provide a final roster of all field classes, supervisors’ names, certificate numbers, beginning dates, ending dates, and hours acquired
- Conduct observations
- Gather data from the student, the supervisor, and oneself
- Report said data to the assessment director and field director
The Cooperating Teacher shall:
- Attend orientation meetings, related to the supervision of field-based student assigned to his/her class
- Work with the university supervisor in guiding the progress of the student teacher throughout field experiences
- Evaluate the progress of each student teacher on a continuing basis, gathering and recording information
- Provide documentation in writing, at least once per week, for the supervisor (one copy to be given to the student teacher) to use in recommending continuation in the program or licensure.
- Be candid with the supervisor about the progress of each student teacher
- Notify the supervisor of any unreported student teacher absence
- Confer with the supervisor about the appropriateness of school-related activities that the student teacher is asked to attend or is given permission to miss.
- Work with the members of the Professional Team to write a Professional Growth Plan for students who need assistance in order to successfully complete program expectations. All members of the Professional Team must be consulted and provide signatures when a Professional Growth Plan is initiated.
- Complete the University Checklist
- Complete Intern Keys for student teachers
The Student Teacher and Practicum Students shall:
- Acquire a pre-service certificate
- Pass GACE II (program content assessment)
- Request a specific placement (school, cooperating teacher, etc.) understanding that these requests are not guaranteed
- Complete local and national background checks as requested by school districts
- Complete a confidentiality agreement, if requested by a school district
- Submit to additional screening processes, required by school districts
- Understand that in some school districts, employees may not work during the student teaching/practicum assignment period
- Read and adhere to school and university policies, procedures, programs, AND
- Adhere to operating standards (hours of operation, reporting absences/tardies, fulfilling reporting requirements, etc.)
- Follow all reasonable and lawful directions given by school officials
- Act professionally, while maintaining confidentiality
- Understand that financial remuneration is not provided - travel to and from the assigned school is the sole responsibility of the student teacher and/or practicum student
- Complete all documentation/reports required by the university and the assigned school
- Prepare and participate in regular evaluation conferences and seminars, as required by the university and/or assigned school
- Review the Georgia Code of Ethics for Educators prior to the onset of student teaching, by attending Ethics training, which is offered every semester.
- Complete 560 hours for Student Teachers
- Complete all requirements of submission of edTPA to TaskStream-Pearson for Curriculum & Instruction students
- Clear any barriers with respect to the GaPSC
Supporting Documents and Forms
- Teaching fields are for classroom teachers. Most fields include a subject area (such as Math or Spanish) and grade levels (such as P-5, 6-12 or P-12). These fields are indicated on certificates with the code letter “T.” Click here for more information about teaching fields.
- Service fields are for individuals who provide support services to students, school personnel, and school operations. A few examples of Service fields are Media Specialist, School Counseling, and Speech & Language Pathology. These fields are indicated on certificates with the code letter “S.” Click here for more information about service fields.
- Leadership fields are for educators who administer or supervise a Georgia local unit of administration (LUA), school, or school program. Leadership fields are indicated on certificates with the code letter “L.” Currently, Georgia has a two-tiered certification structure for Educational Leadership. Click here for more information about leadership fields.
There are many pathways which lead to state certification status for Georgia educators. The governing authority for the state and our planned programs of study, which lead to certification is the Georgia Professional Standards Commission(GaPSC). This state agency oversees the certification process and is our partner in supporting our students from the pre-service certificate to standard professional certificates, among many others. Their web site hosts a wealth of information about the certification pathway, including the steps to becoming a certified educator, which can be found here.
The School of Education supports the clinical experiences, placements and partnerships through the office of the professional development and credentialing coordinator. The coordinator is tasked with assisting in the creating of your MyPSC account; completing and submitting forms and documents to the GaPSC; completing and notarizing certification applications and documents; and coordinating meaningful clinical placements with engaged partners. Our support is not limited to our undergraduate students, we also support graduate students with obtaining initial certifications, renewing and upgrading certificates. Please visit our departmental web pages for more information on our programs and
If you have questions about the process or the School of Education programs which lead to certification, please contact the department chairperson for your chosen program or contact the professional development and credentialing coordinator via email at SOE-CEPP@trexler.thisweekonlot.com .
Certification Application Forms and Guidance Documents
The School of Education partners with high-quality, engaged learning education agencies to develop and implement clinical experiences for our future educators. We provide informational sessions, bi-annually, to ensure that all stakeholders are knowledgeable about the purpose and the expected outcomes of the placements for practicum, student teaching, school counselors and school leader candidates. Our meetings focus on providing orientation for new partners and cooperating/mentor teachers, discussing the disposition assessments, and allowing our partners to give us feedback on the experience from their perspective and to advise us on how we can be a better partner for them.
Together, we carefully place the students in educational environments which will support the professional growth, learning and performance of our students. The professional development and credentialing coordinator receives the field placement request forms from the students and submits the site requests on their behalf. The partnering learning educational agency responds with the availability for an appropriate placement and the final assignments are shared with the university's instructional faculty and the students. Students may not submit placement requests individually. All requests shall be made by the professional development and credentialing coordinator.
Our clinical experiences are designed to capture diversity, comprehension and the appropriate band-width that allow our candidates to demonstrate effectiveness and to have a positive impact on the classrooms where they are assigned. Our student candidates are continuously supported and evaluated throughout their clinical experiences and may also participate in workforce pipeline initiatives, which may result in employment after a successful student teaching experience.
Partner schools and organizations participate fully in the placements of students and are tasked with assessing the clinical experience. The feedback received from our partners is used to evaluate our field placement program and to inform us on any modifications necessary for instruction and clinical preparation.
The School of Education cultivates mutually beneficial partnerships with diverse learning educational agencies. Our students are placed in local public school districts, charter schools, non-profit educational organizations, early childhood education centers and mental health facilities. We also support student development and placement in our School of Education programs, Horizons Atlanta - Clark Atlanta University and Jumpstart for Children.
We seek to partner with those who are enthusiastic about the development of dynamic educators and who are engaged in the process of co-creating high quality clinical experiences to include the use of technology and the exposure to diversity. A positive impact on the student candidates must be demonstrated and our communication is ongoing, throughout the placement, as we evaluate the process for continuous improvement opportunities.
Learn more about some of our valued partners below: