Mentor Teachers
Field Experiences
Early Practicum (T&L 401, 402, 405, 590, SPEC_ED 490)
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 field experience and 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.
- T&L 401 – Bilingual/English Language Learners (6 hrs/wk, 90 hrs total)
- T&L 402 – Instructional Strategies, Literacy, Technology, and Assessment (3 hrs/wk, 45 hrs total).
- T&L 405 – Math and Science (3 hrs/wk, 45 hrs total)
- T&L 590 – MIT content experience (6 hrs/wk, 90 hrs total)
- SPEC_ED 490 – Special Education (6 hrs/wk, 90 hrs total)
Early Practicum handbooks and orientation
Practicum activities
- Weekly Calendar Coordination: Teacher Candidates are expected to be at their school site at the designated time for their learning walk observations. During the weeks that the teacher candidate is volunteering in the classroom, the responsibility lies with the teacher candidate to coordinate their calendar with the mentor teacher for those days.
- Teacher Candidate Observations
- Teacher Candidates will observe many different aspects of the classroom during their early practicum. The Mentor Teacher is a primary source of modeling, however, there may be times the mentor arranges observations of peers, intervention specialists, or specialists. Notes should be taken and discussed between the Teacher Candidate and the site Field Supervisor allowing for reflection and processing by the Teacher Candidate.
- Reflections of these observations should be evident in the Teacher Candidates Early Practicum Performance Criteria Journal (EPPCJ).
- Early Practicum Mid-Term Packet
- Investigations: Teacher Candidate will submit investigation journal to field supervisor with log sheet and EPPCJ.
- Mid-term Evaluation: Early Practicum Performance Criteria Journal (EPPCJ) [Video Tutorial] – The Teacher Candidate will complete the narrative for sections 1-6 during the semester.
- One week before the mid-term evaluation meeting, the Teacher Candidate will provide the completed EPPCJ form and the log sheet to their Mentor Teacher and Field Supervisor for review.
- At the mid-term evaluation meeting, the Mentor Teacher and Field Supervisor will review the evaluation with the Teacher Candidate.
- All parties will sign the document acknowledging they were present at the meeting.
- The Teacher Candidate will collect the forms, convert them to PDFs, and submit them to tricities.fieldservices@wsu.edu by the due date.
- Final Packet: Checklist – The Teacher Candidate will complete the narrative for sections 1 through 6 during the semester. One week before the final evaluation meeting, the Teacher Candidate will send updated EPPCJ to the Mentor Teacher and Field Supervisor for review.
- Log Sheet (View Tutorial)
- Exit Survey (will be sent to you via WSU email from Pullman)
- Choice of three investigations
- 1 University Field Supervisor Observation (Field Supervisor)
- 2 Mentor Teacher Observations (Mentor-Teacher)
- Final Evaluation: Early Practicum Performance Criteria Journal (EPPCJ) Final
Pre-Internship/Advanced Practicum (T&L 490, 469, MIT 571)
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.
Handbooks and orientation
- Elementary 490 Handbook (for Pullman students)
- Secondary Pre-Internship 469 Handbook (for Pullman students)
- Tri-Cities Pre-Internship Teacher Candidate Handbook
- Mentor Teacher Handbook
- Orientation Presentation
Pullman students
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 Program
Alternate Route (AR) Program Teacher-Candidates accommodate work schedules and logistical issues of the para-educators with their bachelors education.
Practicum activities
- Weekly Calendar Coordination: Using the log sheet form, Teacher-Candidates are expected to review and have their calendar approved by their Mentor Teacher a minimum of a week in advance. The Mentor Teacher should initial approved absences or alterations to the regular weekly schedule. The Field Supervisor must be informed of any scheduled absences or changes by the Teacher-Candidate. Log sheets must be always current and are subject to review upon demand by the Mentor Teacher or Field Supervisor.
- Seminar Activities and Assignments
- Refer to the associated seminar syllabus or handbook for details about activities and assignments due during the practicum.
- Some activities and assignments require integration with the field experience and time should be allotted for the Teacher Candidate to complete them.
- Ongoing Documentation: Look at the “Final Packet” list below. You will use these documents to record your activities, diverse populations of students that you work with, and progress in the practicum. Schedule time each week to complete this documentation.
- Teaching Activities: Teacher Candidates are expected to design and teach a minimum of four lessons approved by their Mentor Teacher and Field Supervisor. Teacher Candidates are expected to use the College of Education Template. Teacher Candidates must submit their lesson plan and other required documents a minimum of 24 hours in advance of the lesson.
- Observations
- A minimum of four observations from your Field Supervisor. A minimum of two will be written feedback. The Teacher Candidate may receive more than two but only select two for their final packet.
- Four observations from your Mentor-Teacher. A minimum of two will be written feedback. The Teacher candidate may receive more than two but only select two for their final packet.
- Pre-Internship PDEFE (PI-PDEFE) Mid-Term: Teacher Candidates should remind their Mentor-Teacher and Field Supervisor one week before mid-term about your evaluation. Schedule a conference time to go over it before the mid-term due date.
- Mid-Term Packet: The Teacher Candidate is responsible for compiling and submitting the mid-term packet to their Field Supervisor after their mid-term evaluation meeting. The following documents must be attached to a single email to their Field Supervisor.
- PI-PDEFE Final Evaluation: Teacher Candidates should remind their Mentor-Teacher and Field Supervisor two weeks before the end of their practicum and schedule a conference time to go over the final evaluation.
- Final Packet: Checklist – The Teacher Candidate is responsible for compiling and submitting the final packet to their Field Supervisor after their final evaluation meeting. All of the following documents must be attached to a single email to their Field Supervisor.
- Log Sheet (View Tutorial)
- Exit Survey (will be sent to you via WSU email from Pullman)
- 2 University Field Supervisor Observations (provided by the Supervisor)
- 2 Mentor Teacher Observations (provided by the Mentor-Teacher)
- PI-PDEFE (provided by Supervisor and Mentor-Teacher)
Student Teaching Internship (T&L 415, MIT 575)
Student Teaching Internships are capstone courses for the teacher preparation program.
Handbooks and orientation
Alternate Route Program
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.
Term
- 600 hours (7.5 hrs/day x 5 days/wk x 16 wks)
- Begins when the contracted teacher beings and may include time before the WSU semester begins.
- Ends the Friday of finals week every semester.
Practicum activities
This is a summary sketch, please refer to your specific syllabus or handbook (T&L 415, MIT 575).
- Weekly Calendar Coordination: Using the log sheet form, Teacher-Candidates are expected to review and have their calendar approved by their Mentor Teacher a minimum of a week in advance. The Mentor Teacher should initial approved absences or alterations to the regular weekly schedule. The Field Supervisor must be informed of any scheduled absences or changes by the Teacher-Candidate. Log sheets must be always current and are subject to review upon demand by the Mentor Teacher or Field Supervisor.
- Seminar Activities and Assignment
- Refer to the associated seminar syllabus or handbook for details about activities and assignments due during the practicum.
- Some activities and assignments require integration with the field experience and time should be allotted for the Teacher Candidate to complete them.
- Teaching Activities: Teacher candidates are expected to design and teach lessons approved by their Mentor-Teacher and Field Supervisor. Teacher Candidates are expected to use the College of Education Template. WSU Tri-Cities candidates are expected to include the Context for Learning document with their first set of lesson plans. Additional requirements may be expected through the seminar assignments and activities. The Teacher Candidate must submit their lesson plans to the Mentor Teacher and Field Supervisor a minimum of 24 hours before the lesson activity.
- The Teacher Candidate is expected to become semi-autonomous within the first five weeks in designing and delivery lessons for much of the day. From approximately the sixth week, Teacher candidates should plan, teach, and operate the classroom full-day.
- Mentor Teacher Observations
- As the role of the Mentor Teacher shifts from modeling to coaching, feedback will increase and become more frequent. A majority of the feedback will be verbal, however there must be a minimum of four (4) written feedback observations by the Mentor Teacher.
- Mentor Teachers may use their own method of notetaking and are able to use provided forms as well.
- Several observations should be broad and encompass the whole classroom while following observations can be focused on particular aspects of the classroom.
- Field Supervisor Observations
- Field Supervisors document twelve (12) hours of contact time with Teacher Candidates. Some of this time is meeting, reflecting, emails, Zoom, and direct observations. A minimum of four (4) written feedback observations will occur during the semester term.
- PDEFE Mid-Term Evaluation: Teacher Candidates should reminder their Mentor Teacher and Field Supervisor one week before mid-term about your evaluation. Schedule a conference time to go over it before the mid-term due date.
- Mid-Term Packet: The Teacher Candidate is responsible for compiling and submitting the mid-term packet to their Field Supervisor after their mid-term evaluation meeting. The following documents must be attached to a single email to their Field Supervisor.
- PDEFE Final Evaluation: Teacher Candidates should remind their Mentor-Teacher and Field Supervisor two weeks before the end of your practicum and schedule a conference time to go over the final evaluation.
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- Practicum Log Sheet (View Tutorial)
- Exit Survey (will be sent to you via WSU email from Pullman)
- 12-hour documentation (provided by Field Supervisor)
- 2 Written Mentor-Teacher Observations (provided by Mentor-Teacher)
- 2 Written Field Supervisor Observations (provided by Supervisor)Final Packet: Checklists – The Teacher Candidate is responsible for compiling and submitting the final packet to their Field Supervisor after their final evaluation meeting. All the following documents must be attached to a single email to their Field Supervisor. Follow the “Checklist” directions. Incomplete or late submission of paperwork can result in delayed certification or impact graduation.
- Professional Growth Plan (PGP)
- Final Evaluation: PDEFE Final (provided by Field Supervisor and Mentor-Teacher)
Final packet submission and deadlines
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.
Tri-Cities specific information
Field placement requests
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:
- A request for spring placement priority deadline is September 15th.
- A request for fall placement is February 15th.
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:
- Resume – a one or two-page listing of your education, work experience, field experiences, and honors/awards.
- Letter of interest – a one or two-page letter addressed to “To Whom It May Concern,” explaining your background, why you want to teach, and your interests in gaining field experience.
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.
Getting started
What are the various practicums I might supervise?
- The Early Practicums are a topical field experience a Teacher-Candidate has when entering the Teaching and Learning program. These Teacher-Candidates just entered the program with very few or no pedagogy or content courses under their belt. These practicums acquaint Teacher-Candidates with the public school environment and more specifically with content-specific (English language learners, bilingual learner education, math, literacy, science, special education, etc.) curriculum applicable to the classroom. The focus and emphasis for these experiences are content standards, design, instruction, and assessment.
- Advanced Practicums are the penultimate course to Student Teaching and are designed to prepare the Teacher-Candidate for Student Teaching. Teacher-Candidates gain increased time in the field with increased responsibilities to deliver written lesson plans and deliver four lessons.
- Student Teaching is the final and culminating practicum where the Teacher-Candidate shadows an experienced Mentor Teacher full-time. The edTPA application and submission occur during this time with the support of the Mentor Teacher. Generally, the goal is for the Teacher-Candidate to operate the assigned classroom full-time approximately two-thirds of the way through the practicum.
How should I provide feedback to the Teacher-Candidate?
- Model professionalism
- Be encouraging
- Be accurate, clear, and honest
- Be timely
When and how do I evaluate the Teacher-Candidate?
- Observations: Each type of practicum requires a minimum number of written feedback from observations.
- Mid-term Evaluation: Depending on the practicum, the Early Practicum Review or the PDEFE form is completed by the Field Supervisor and sent to the Mentor-Teacher for their additions and comments midway through the semester. The Field Supervisor and Mentor-Teacher meet with the Teacher-Candidate to share their evaluation. All three parties sign the “mid-term” section. The Field Supervisor then submits the mid-term evaluation form to the WSU Tri-Cities Field Services Office.
- Final Evaluation: Depending on the practicum, the Early Practicum Review or the PDEFE form is completed by the Field Supervisor and sent to the Mentor-Teacher for their additions and comments in the last two weeks of the semester. The Field Supervisor and Mentor-Teacher meet with the Teacher-Candidate to share their evaluation. All three parties sign the “final” section. The Field Supervisor provides the document to the Teacher-Candidate to submit in their “Final Packet” of required paperwork.
FERPA
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 information with anyone other than your Principal/Supervisor, the Field Supervisor, the Teacher-Candidate, or the Field Services Director.
At-risk Teacher-Candidate concerns, interventions, and supports
Verbal conference with written follow-up.
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.
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.
Teacher-Candidate plan of improvement.
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 the 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.
Additional consequences for at-risk Teacher-Candidate behavior.
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:
- reassignment to another mentor teacher.
- removal from practicum (“F” for semester grade) and must retake.
- A specialized intervention.
Observation tools
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! Below is a document that can give you some ideas about what to talk about.
- CoEd Field Service Topics for Discussion contains recommended topical conversations with your Teacher-Candidate.
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.
Intern substitute process and form
Substitute Request Form
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:
- Certificated personnel shall be legally responsible for the classroom(s) where the student-teacher is teaching as a substitute teacher.
- Teaching as a substitute should be limited to no more than three consecutive days and cannot exceed 10 days total.
- The student-teacher shall not be penalized in any way, including performance evaluations, for refusing to accept an assignment as a substitute teacher.
- The Intern Substitute Certificate is valid only during the student teaching field experience. Substitute service during the student teaching phase (1) must be in the cooperating teacher’s classroom, (2) must be approved by the university supervisor, (3) cannot exceed a total of 10 days, and (4) is limited to a maximum of three consecutive days per occurrence.
Issuance of this certificate is subject to the following conditions:
- District approval
- Completion of at least 50% of the field experience
- University supervisor and cooperating teacher approval
- Field Services Director approval
- Application and payment of the $44 fee
The Substitute Request Form must be completed and submitted to john.mancinelli@wsu.edu by the Field Supervisor to complete the process.
Some districts do not support the use of pre-service teachers as substitutes. Please check with your cooperating teacher or building administrator before applying.
Mentor-Teacher final checklist
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.
WSU Tri-Cities Field Service team
