WSU Tri-Cities prepares teacher-candidates for work in public or private school settings. Integral to this preparation is hands-on learning experiences through our field-study aligned to both traditional and alternative routes to certification.
WSU Tri-Cities prepares teacher-candidates for work in public or private school settings. Integral to this preparation is hands-on learning experiences through our field-study aligned to both traditional and alternative routes to certification.
Priority Deadlines: Having enough lead time to work with school districts on finding volunteer mentor teachers and supervising principals is essential. Application deadlines allow the Field Services office enough time to maximize placement success. Please submit your placement requests by the following deadlines:
Requests placed after the above-listed deadlines are welcomed; however, understand that placement in the desired term (semester) is more difficult.
Teacher candidates (WSU Students) are expected to submit a “practicum request survey” for each field practicum they wish to take. Student Teacher candidates will also need to have your content assessment information. Before starting your survey, prepare the following:
You will upload the documents during the survey.
Complete this survey if you are requesting one of the following: T&L 401, 402, 405, 415, 469, 490, 590, SPEC_ED 490, MIT 571, 575.
Early Practicums occur throughout a Teacher-Candidate’s program and are focused on specific topics. Early Practicums are face-to-face experiences and require an approved clearance by the school district separate from the WSU COVID-19 clearances. Early Practicums have two parts to their experience: a) a field experience; and, b) a seminar. The purpose is to expose and explore content, pedagogy, instruction, assessment, and educational issues in the field and process the experience through various activities during the seminar class.
Practicum Activities
Pre-Internships or Advanced Practicums are face-to-face experiences and require an approved clearance by the school district separate from the WSU COVID-19 clearances.
Courses
Program Handbooks
Students going through the Pullman programs are placed in their practicums for the first five to six weeks of each semester on a full-time basis instead of fewer hours each week for the full semester. This allows for a more affordable experience for students living in Pullman and traveling or remotely living during their practicum.
Alternate Route (AR) Program teacher candidates follow a condensed schedule arranged between the school district and WSU Tri-Cities to accommodate work schedules and logistical issues of the para-educators. AR term is usually eight (8) weeks in length rather than the traditional 16 weeks. All activities mentioned below are the same, they just happen faster and are completed sooner.
This is a summary sketch, Teacher Candidates please refer to your specific syllabus or handbook (T&L490, MIT 571, T&L 469, T&L 590).
Student Teaching Internships are capstone courses for the teacher preparation program.
Alternate Route (AR) Program teacher candidates follow a condensed schedule arranged between the school district and WSU Tri-Cities to accommodate the para-educators work schedules and logistical issues. AR term is usually eight (8) weeks in length rather than the traditional 16 weeks. All activities mentioned below are the same, they just happen faster and are completed sooner.
Student Teaching Orientation Presentation
This is a summary sketch, please refer to your specific syllabus or handbook (T&L 415, MIT 575).
To receive credit for any practicum or internship, all WSU Teacher-Candidates are expected to submit a final packet via email. View the specific contents of the final pack in the descriptions above.
The students you work within the K-12 system are protected by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). You must adhere to FERPA in all aspects of your practicum experiences.
April 21, 2021
Licensed professions often have a code of conduct that all practitioners in their field are expected to follow. The educator profession is no exception. In Washington, the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB), composed primarily of practicing educators, sets standards and establishes a code of conduct for teachers, administrators, and educational staff associates (ESAs). The educator code of conduct safeguards our students, strengthens the culture of our schools, and increases public confidence in the integrity of our education system. It also clarifies what is expected of educators and how they will be held accountable.
Educator discipline is administered at two levels. Employment discipline is handled at the local level, and certificate discipline is handled at the state level. The OSPI Office of Professional Practice (OPP) is responsible for investigating individual educators for possible violations of the professional code of conduct at the state level.
In 2020, a stakeholder workgroup met to review the educator discipline system in Washington. At the March 2021 board meeting, PESB approved updates to the code of conduct and educator discipline system related to workgroup recommendations.
Additions to the code of conduct:
The Board added a new type of OPP action: the letter of concern. A letter of concern is a low-level intervention that is preventive and informative in nature. It is also non-disciplinary, meaning that no action is taken on the educator’s certificate. A letter of concern is not issued for serious types of misconduct.
The Board also approved guidelines for the composition of a disciplinary appeals committee to better reflect the diversity of the students in our state.
You must adhere to the Code of Conduct standards in all aspects of your practicum experiences.
Washington State requires that all prospective teachers show proficiency in their respective content areas. View the college resource page for details.
Teacher-Candidates are responsible to follow and complete the school district’s clearance processes.
All Teacher-Candidates must complete a background check by completing fingerprinting and purchasing liability insurance. See WSU’s Field Page for more information.
We recommend the completion of fingerprinting through your regional Educational Service District (ESD) rather than the sheriff’s office or other option because of their direct access to OSPI approval. Using an ESD for fingerprinting significantly reduces the amount of processing time. View the college resource page for details.
Liability Insurance is required of all Teacher-Candidates (WSU Students). Renewal deadlines and completion are the teacher candidate’s responsibility. Insurance expiration without renewal will cause your practicum to halt. View the college resource page for details.
Visit the “Practicum Clearances” tab to access the direct link to policy information. To help ensure that there is no gap in your insurance during your practicum, pay attention to WHEN you purchase the policy. Online purchase only allows for either January through December or July through June. You can also take a printed form to the cashier’s office to get a 365-day policy.
We encourage you to plan your insurance to cover both the Advanced Practicum and Student Teaching. You may need to wait to purchase fall to spring coverage until late summer. If purchased too early or too late, you may be stuck paying for two years of coverage. Please read the policy coverage details carefully and plan accordingly.
Finally, once you purchase your liability insurance, please send a copy of the receipt or confirmation email to tricities.fieldservices@wsu.edu.
Please send your insurance payment receipt to tricities.fieldservices@wsu.edu.
The Intern Substitute Certification is a limited teacher certificate that allows intern/student teachers to work and earn pay as a substitute while simultaneously doing their student teaching.
The demand for teachers has resulted in a shortage of substitute teachers. Washington State University (WSU) understands that the growing need for substitutes places school districts in a difficult position. However, student teaching is the most valuable pre-service experience and is designed to assure that prospective teachers enter the profession successfully. Therefore, WSU discourages the use of student teachers as substitutes.
Similarly, WSU discourages the use of cooperating teachers as substitutes in other classrooms. This practice limits the cooperating teacher’s availability to mentor pre-service students and, in effect, violates the school district’s contracted responsibility to provide a student teacher with a cooperating teacher on an ongoing basis.
WSU will use the following policy for (a) awarding an Intern Substitute Teacher Certificate, and (b) allowing substitute teaching by student teachers who possess an Emergency Substitute Teacher Certificate:
Determination of readiness for an Intern Substitute Teacher Certificate, or for substitute teaching by student teachers who possess an Emergency Substitute Teacher Certificate, will be made after formal observations by the university supervisor, and with input from the student teacher and the cooperating teacher.
The student-teacher must have progressed in their assignment to the point where they demonstrated the ability to effectively teach and learn from teaching solo, and no sooner than the mid-point of the student teaching experience.
The student-teacher shall notify, in writing, the student teaching supervisor of each substitute teaching assignment. The notification shall occur at the first meeting with the student teaching supervisor subsequent to the substitute teaching assignment.
In addition to the above policy, WSU encourages school districts to adhere to the following practices:
Issuance of this certificate is subject to the following conditions:
Substitute Request Form must be completed and submitted to john.mancinelli@wsu.edu by the Field Supervisor to complete the process.
Please Note: Some districts do not support the use of pre-service teachers as substitutes. Please check with your cooperating teacher or building administrator before applying.
We are pleased you elected to work with a WSU Teacher-Candidate this semester! Thanks to your guidance, encouragement, support, and critical feedback of Teach-Candidates WSU regularly graduates high-quality teachers that enter the profession each year. Please bookmark and regularly rely on this webpage for guidance and resources to help mentor your Teacher-Candidate.
The mentor teacher is considered to be an outstanding educator who is willing to share students, classroom responsibilities, and professional expertise with a Teacher-Candidate. The mentor is responsible to help the teacher-candidate develop a sense of confidence and security and the skills necessary to successfully begin a teaching career.
What are the various practicums I might supervise?
What should I provide feedback to the Teacher-Candidate and how should I provide it?
When and how do I evaluate the Teacher-Candidate?
Orientation PowerPoint and Video
You are familiar with how FERPA applies to your students in K-12. These same statutes also apply to university students. Because Teacher Candidates are over 18, their academic information (including practicum progress) is protected and only available to the student. Any other persons requesting information must be directed to the Field Services Director (john.mancinelli@wsu.edu). DO NOT SHARE ANY INFORMATION WITH ANYONE OTHER THAN your principal/supervisor, the field supervisor, the teacher candidate, or the Field Services Director.
The first step when a teacher candidate demonstrates concerns is a direct conversation with them. Be explicit about the concern and provide a timeline in which the teacher candidate is expected to demonstrate improvement. *NOTE* if the concern violates ethical, moral, or legal expectations notify the Field Services Director (john.mancinelli@wsu.edu) immediately. Send a “summary of meeting” email as a follow-up to the meeting outlining what was discussed. Keep this email for your records.
There are cases where a Teacher-Candidate significantly struggles or demonstrates deficits during their field experiences. The Field Supervisor will work in conjunction with the mentor-teacher and Teacher-Candidate to develop a Plan of Improvement. The Field Supervisor may use CoEd Student Improvement Plan to outline a clear track for improvement by the Teacher-Candidate. The Plan of Improvement must be submitted to the Office of Field Services: Lindsay Lightner (llightner@wsu.edu) for all Alternate Route Teacher-Candidates and Dr. John Mancinelli (john.mancinelli@wsu.edu) for all other Teacher-Candidates.
In the event the Teacher Candidate does not make adequate improvement or lack improvement, the Field Director will hold a meeting with the Mentor Teacher, Principal, and Field Supervisor to clarify issues and interview the team. The Field Services Director will meet with the Teacher Candidate to discuss the issue. Once interviews are complete, the Field Services Director will determine appropriate next steps including:
There are multiple ways to document and communicate observations to Teacher Candidates. The following are some tools for your consideration:
Holding rich conversations with your teacher candidate about various topics is valuable! Here is a document that can give you some ideas about what to talk about.
Use of Instructional Frameworks.
There are many instructional frameworks that can help in the feedback you provide about planning, instruction, assessment, and classroom management. Washington State uses the Danielson, Marzano, and CEL5D+ frameworks for teacher evaluation based on the school districts’ negotiated agreement.
The Intern Substitute Certification is a limited teacher certificate that allows intern/student teachers to work and earn pay as a substitute while simultaneously doing their student teaching.
The demand for teachers has resulted in a shortage of substitute teachers. Washington State University (WSU) understands that the growing need for substitutes places school districts in a difficult position. However, student teaching is the most valuable pre-service experience and is designed to assure that prospective teachers enter the profession successfully. Therefore, WSU discourages the use of student teachers as substitutes.
Similarly, WSU discourages the use of cooperating teachers as substitutes in other classrooms. This practice limits the cooperating teacher’s availability to mentor pre-service students and, in effect, violates the school district’s contracted responsibility to provide a student teacher with a cooperating teacher on an ongoing basis.
WSU will use the following policy for (a) awarding an Intern Substitute Teacher Certificate, and (b) allowing substitute teaching by student teachers who possess an Emergency Substitute Teacher Certificate:
Determination of readiness for an Intern Substitute Teacher Certificate, or for substitute teaching by student teachers who possess an Emergency Substitute Teacher Certificate, will be made after formal observations by the university supervisor, and with input from the student teacher and the cooperating teacher.
The student-teacher must have progressed in their assignment to the point where they demonstrated the ability to effectively teach and learn from teaching solo, and no sooner than the mid-point of the student teaching experience.
The student-teacher shall notify, in writing, the student teaching supervisor of each substitute teaching assignment. The notification shall occur at the first meeting with the student teaching supervisor subsequent to the substitute teaching assignment.
In addition to the above policy, WSU encourages school districts to adhere to the following practices:
Issuance of this certificate is subject to the following conditions:
Substitute Request Form must be completed and submitted to john.mancinelli@wsu.edu by the Field Supervisor to complete the process.
Please Note: Some districts do not support the use of pre-service teachers as substitutes. Please check with your cooperating teacher or building administrator before applying.
Towards the conclusion of the semester, you may receive an email from the Office of Field Services requesting feedback.
Additionally, if you are a mentor to a Student Teacher (TCH_LRN 415 or MIT 575) you will receive an email with details on how to receive 20 clock hours. If you don’t see an email or need assistance, please contact Staci Bickelhaupt (sbickel@wsu.edu).
If you are a mentor to an Advanced Practicum (TCH_LRN 490, 569 or MIT 571) student, you will receive an email with details on how to receive 10 clock hours. If you don’t see an email or need assistance, please contact Staci Bickelhaupt (sbickel@wsu.edu).
No other mentor types receive clock hours for supervision at this time.
Beginning Fall 2021, a new appointment process will begin. Each Supervisor will receive an appointment letter based on their assignment. All required paperwork and clearances must be completed before payroll can be processed:
WSU Tri-Cities Human Resource page
You are familiar with how FERPA applies to students in K-12. These same statutes also apply to university students. Because Teacher Candidates are over 18, their academic information (including practicum progress) is protected and only available to the student. Any other persons requesting information must be directed to the Field Services Director (john.mancinelli@wsu.edu). DO NOT SHARE ANY INFORMATION WITH ANYONE OTHER THAN the principal/supervisor, the mentor teacher, the teacher candidate, or the Field Services Director.
The first step when a teacher candidate demonstrates concerns is a direct conversation with them. Be explicit about the concern and provide a timeline in which the teacher candidate is expected to demonstrate improvement. *NOTE* if the concern violates ethical, moral, or legal expectations notify the Field Services Director (john.mancinelli@wsu.edu) immediately. Send a “summary of meeting” email as a follow-up to the meeting outlining what was discussed. Keep this email for your records.
There are cases where a Teacher-Candidate significantly struggles or demonstrates deficits during their field experiences. The Field Supervisor will work in conjunction with the mentor-teacher and Teacher-Candidate to develop a Plan of Improvement. The Field Supervisor may use CoEd Student Improvement Plan to outline a clear track for improvement by the Teacher-Candidate. The Plan of Improvement must be submitted to the Office of Field Services: Lindsay Lightner (llightner@wsu.edu) for all Alternate Route Teacher-Candidates and Dr. John Mancinelli (john.mancinelli@wsu.edu) for all other Teacher-Candidates.
In the event the Teacher Candidate does not make adequate improvement or lack improvement, the Field Director will hold a meeting with the Mentor Teacher, Principal, and Field Supervisor to clarify issues and interview the team. The Field Services Director will meet with the Teacher Candidate to discuss the issue. Once interviews are complete, the Field Services Director will determine appropriate next steps including:
There are multiple ways to document and communicate observations to Teacher Candidates. The following are some tools for your consideration:
Topics for Discussion with Teacher Candidates
Use of Instructional Frameworks.
There are many instructional frameworks that can help in the feedback you provide about planning, instruction, assessment, and classroom management. Washington State uses the Danielson, Marzano, and CEL5D+ frameworks for teacher evaluation based on the school districts’ negotiated agreement.
The Intern Substitute Certification is a limited teacher certificate that allows intern/student teachers to work and earn pay as a substitute while simultaneously doing their student teaching.
The demand for teachers has resulted in a shortage of substitute teachers. Washington State University (WSU) understands that the growing need for substitutes places school districts in a difficult position. However, student teaching is the most valuable pre-service experience and is designed to assure that prospective teachers enter the profession successfully. Therefore, WSU discourages the use of student teachers as substitutes.
Similarly, WSU discourages the use of cooperating teachers as substitutes in other classrooms. This practice limits the cooperating teacher’s availability to mentor pre-service students and, in effect, violates the school district’s contracted responsibility to provide a student teacher with a cooperating teacher on an ongoing basis.
WSU will use the following policy for (a) awarding an Intern Substitute Teacher Certificate, and (b) allowing substitute teaching by student teachers who possess an Emergency Substitute Teacher Certificate:
Determination of readiness for an Intern Substitute Teacher Certificate, or for substitute teaching by student teachers who possess an Emergency Substitute Teacher Certificate, will be made after formal observations by the university supervisor, and with input from the student teacher and the cooperating teacher.
The student-teacher must have progressed in their assignment to the point where they demonstrated the ability to effectively teach and learn from teaching solo, and no sooner than the mid-point of the student teaching experience.
The student-teacher shall notify, in writing, the student teaching supervisor of each substitute teaching assignment. The notification shall occur at the first meeting with the student teaching supervisor subsequent to the substitute teaching assignment.
In addition to the above policy, WSU encourages school districts to adhere to the following practices:
Issuance of this certificate is subject to the following conditions:
Substitute Request Form must be completed and submitted to john.mancinelli@wsu.edu by the Field Supervisor to complete the process.
Please Note: Some districts do not support the use of pre-service teachers as substitutes. Please check with your cooperating teacher or building administrator before applying.
CASHMERE S.D. NO. 222
COLLEGE PLACE S.D. NO. 250
COLUMBIA S.D. NO. 400
DAYTON S.D. NO. 2
DIXIE S.D. NO. 101
EAST VALLEY S.D. NO. 90
EASTMONT S.D. NO. 200
ENTIAT S.D. NO. 127
EPHRATA S.D. NO. 165
FINLEY S.D. NO. 53
GRANDVIEW S.D. NO. 116-200
KENNEWICK S.D. NO. 17
KIONA-BENTON S.D. NO. 52
MABTON S.D. NO. 120
MOSES LAKE S.D. NO. 161
NACHES VALLEY S.D. NO. JT3
NORTH FRANKLIN S.D. NO. J51-162
OTHELLO S.D. NO. 147-163-55
PASCO S.D. NO. 1
POMEROY S.D. NO. 110
PROSSER S.D. NO. 116
QUINCY S.D. NO. 144-101
RICHLAND SD. NO. 400
RITZVILLE S.D. NO. 160-67
SELAH S.D. NO. 119
SUNNYSIDE S.D. NO. 201
TOPPENISH S.D. NO. 202
TOUCHET S.D. NO. 300
WALLA WALLA S.D. NO. 140
WENATCHEE S.D. NO. 246
WEST VALLEY S.D. NO. 208
YAKIMA S.D. NO. 7
ZILLAH S.D. NO. 205
College of Education, Partner Contract Coordinator:
Heidi Ritter, PROGRAM SPECIALIST FIELD SERVICES
Pullman Campus
Cleveland Hall 252 And 321
Pullman, WA 99164
509-335-0925
hritter@wsu.edu
The Intern Substitute Certification is a limited teacher certificate that allows intern/student teachers to work and earn pay as a substitute while simultaneously doing their student teaching.
The demand for teachers has resulted in a shortage of substitute teachers. Washington State University (WSU) understands that the growing need for substitutes places school districts in a difficult position. However, student teaching is the most valuable pre-service experience and is designed to assure that prospective teachers enter the profession successfully. Therefore, WSU discourages the use of student teachers as substitutes.
Similarly, WSU discourages the use of cooperating teachers as substitutes in other classrooms. This practice limits the cooperating teacher’s availability to mentor pre-service students and, in effect, violates the school district’s contracted responsibility to provide a student teacher with a cooperating teacher on an ongoing basis.
WSU will use the following policy for (a) awarding an Intern Substitute Teacher Certificate, and (b) allowing substitute teaching by student teachers who possess an Emergency Substitute Teacher Certificate:
Determination of readiness for an Intern Substitute Teacher Certificate, or for substitute teaching by student teachers who possess an Emergency Substitute Teacher Certificate, will be made after formal observations by the university supervisor, and with input from the student teacher and the cooperating teacher.
The student-teacher must have progressed in their assignment to the point where they demonstrated the ability to effectively teach and learn from teaching solo, and no sooner than the mid-point of the student teaching experience.
The student-teacher shall notify, in writing, the student teaching supervisor of each substitute teaching assignment. The notification shall occur at the first meeting with the student teaching supervisor subsequent to the substitute teaching assignment.
In addition to the above policy, WSU encourages school districts to adhere to the following practices:
Issuance of this certificate is subject to the following conditions:
Substitute Request Form must be completed and submitted to john.mancinelli@wsu.edu by the Field Supervisor to complete the process.
Please Note: Some districts do not support the use of pre-service teachers as substitutes. Please check with your cooperating teacher or building administrator before applying.