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INTERNSHIP POLICIES AND REQUIREMENTS
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The Professional Year Overview
The professional year is a two-semester sequence, which occurs during the senior year. The first semester of the professional year includes EDN 350, EDN 408/409/410/419, and EDN 430 or SED 300 and the related field experience requirements. Whenever possible, students are placed for pre-internship field experiences with the clinical teacher who will supervise their internship during the professional semester. Teacher candidates should attempt to schedule other classes to permit their spending a morning and/or afternoon block of time in the school to which they are assigned. The second semester of the professional year, the professional internship, is devoted entirely to study in professional education and student teaching. No candidate accepted for enrollment in the professional internship is permitted to register for any courses other than those specified as professional education courses as part of the professional internship without permission from the appropriate program coordinator and the Dean of the School of Education.
Applications for enrollment in the professional semester are distributed to prospective interns two semesters prior to the internship semester at a meeting conducted by the Office of University-School Programs. The internship document packet must be filed with the Director of University-School Programs by the deadline announced at the meeting. Applications submitted after the deadline may not be processed. A copy of the Application for Enrollment in the Professional Semester and internship forms are contained in Appendix D-6.
Eligibility
To be eligible for consideration by the Teacher Education Committee and approved for enrollment in the professional semester, each candidate must be formally admitted to the Teacher Education Program one full semester prior to student teaching and
1. be admitted formally to the Teacher Education Program; 2. have completed all required General Education courses; 3. have satisfactorily completed all professional education requirements, excluding those in the professional semester; 4. have no more than six semester hours of program requirements remaining that must be approved by the teacher candidate’s program coordinator and the Dean of the School of Education; 5. have an overall quality point average of 2.5 or better, as well as a 2.5 or better in the teacher candidate’s major field of study; 6. be recommended by his/her advisor, program coordinator, and major department chair (Appendix D-7); 7. secure a health clearance statement from the Student Health Care Services Center (Appendix D-8 – D-8.1); 8. secure and submit a Registrar’s statement and application for a degree; and (Appendix D-9), 9. have satisfactorily completed the program standards midpoint assessment (CARE) (Appendix D-10).
Candidates receive written notification from the Director of University-School Programs that their enrollment application was approved or disapproved by the Teacher Education Committee. A student is not officially enrolled in the professional semester until such notification is made and all University registration procedures are completed.
Program Standards Progression Midpoint Assessment Required for Students Enrolled in EDN 302 Fall 2002 and Forward
At the same time that teacher candidates apply for permission to enroll in the professional semester, progress toward satisfying the Teacher Education Program Standards is evaluated by the program coordinator or program advisor. Teacher candidates must receive a rating of "satisfactory" or better to be approved for enrollment in the professional semester. The signed and completed Program Standards Progression Midpoint Assessment Form is attached to the application to enroll in the professional semester and submitted to the Office of University-School Programs.
Continuation in the Professional Semester
At the end of the pre-internship semester (first semester of the professional year), candidates' original applications for enrollment in the professional semester are reviewed by the candidate's program coordinator, the Director of University-School Programs, and the Dean of the School of Education to assure eligibility status for the professional internship. To be eligible for enrollment in the final internship semester, each candidate must
1. be formally admitted to the Teacher Education Program prior to the first class meeting one semester prior to student teaching (N.C. Program Standards); 2. have completed all required general education courses; 3. have satisfactorily completed all professional education requirements, excluding those in the Professional Internship Semester; 4. have no more than six semester hours of program requirements remaining that must be approved by the teacher candidate’s program coordinator and the Dean of the School of Education; and, 5. have an overall grade point average of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) or better overall and in the candidate's major field of study.
Legal Status of Interns The Public School Laws (115C-309) of North Carolina provide: Student Teacher and The Internship Defined- A “student teacher” is any student enrolled in an institution of higher education approved by the State Board of Education for the preparation of teachers who is jointly assigned by that institution and a local board of education to student teach a) under the direction and supervision of a regularly employed certified teacher.
“Student Teaching” may include those duties granted to a teacher by G.S. 115C-307 and 115C-390 and any other part of the school program for which either the supervising teacher or the principal is responsible.
b) Legal Protection- A student teacher under the supervision of a certified teacher or principal shall have the protection of the laws accorded the certified teacher.
c) Assignment of Duties- It shall be the responsibility of a supervising teacher, in cooperation with the principal and the representative of the teacher preparation institution, to assign to the student teacher responsibilities and duties that will provide adequate preparation for teaching.
School personnel are responsible for the protection of students while they are under their supervision. Therefore, appropriate precautions must be taken to insure the safety and well being of all students. When an accident or injury occurs to a student, the teacher or student intern needs to be aware of her/his responsibility. Student interns should investigate the options available for professional liability insurance. Several professional organizations offer coverage.
Removal from an Internship Placement
Change of Placement/Voluntary Withdrawal/Unprofessional Conduct and/or Extension
When all reasonable attempts to rectify an unsatisfactory situation fail, the following options may be considered:
The option chosen depends on the nature of the concern or infraction. The Dean of the School of Education, in consultation with the vested parties (e.g., a public school representative, the intern’s Program Coordinator, the University Supervisor, the Director of University-School Programs, and the intern him/herself) will determine the consequence. The vested parties may recommend the assignment of “withdrawal” or “fail” or “incomplete” for the internship semester to the professor of record for (a) change of placement (b) failure of internship or involuntary withdrawal, and (c) extension of placement. The University is in no way obligated to support or accommodate an intern whose conduct violates professional ethics or codes of conduct (refer to NC Board of Education Code of Ethics, Teacher Education Program Candidate Standards, and the TE Internship Handbook).
Change of Placement. Occasionally a specific placement is found to be unsuitable for the student intern’s success. It is important to allow sufficient time to determine if this is in fact the case. The procedures for a change of placement are as follows:
Voluntary Withdrawal. Students have the right to withdraw from student internship during the semester until the last withdrawal date stated in the catalog. In the case of voluntary withdrawal, the student intern
Failure of Internship or Involuntary Withdrawal Unprofessional Conduct and/or Unsatisfactory Performance. After consulting with the University Supervisor, the Clinical Teacher, and the Director of University-School Programs, a student intern who does not demonstrate professional conduct and/or satisfactory progress and performance may be subject to the following actions:
Extension of Placement
If it is documented that a student intern needs additional time for a successful teaching experience as determined by the Clinical Teacher, University Supervisor, Program Coordinator, and Director of the University-School Programs, the student will receive a grade of “Incomplete” (I) and one additional semester to satisfactorily complete the goals of the action plan developed by the participants. If the goals are not completed in the following semester, the student will receive a grade of “Fail” (F). Policy for Readmission to the Internship Students removed involuntarily from the internship or those who receive a grade of “F” or “W” will not be allowed to repeat an internship except for unusual circumstances. An application and a cover letter stating the reason for a repeat placement in the student internship course must be submitted to the Teacher Education Appeals Committee. Decisions of the Teacher Education Committee may be appealed to the Dean of the School of Education.
Internship Placements
Student internship placements are cooperatively arranged by the Director of University-School Programs and contact persons in the local school systems with which The University of North Carolina at Pembroke has written agreements. Prior to UNCP's forwarding placement requests to area systems, program coordinators have the opportunity for input as to the grade level(s), school(s), and teacher(s) requested. Student interns may not be placed in a school that he/she attended, in which he/she has been employed, in which a relative is employed, or in which a relative is enrolled.
Supervision of Teacher Candidate Interns
The professional internship is the culminating field experience for all teacher education majors. All programs require a full-semester internship in a variety of formats (refer to the Internship Handbook for respective format specifications). Under the supervision of experienced teachers with appropriate licensure, interns are given increasing responsibility for a classroom and assume full teaching loads for a minimum of five weeks. University supervisors are required to make a minimum of six visits to each intern assigned to them and to complete a record of the visit that is kept on file in the Office of University-School Programs. Any exceptions to the minimum number of visits must be approved by the program coordinator and the Director of University-School Programs.
Prior to the beginning of the internship experience, the Director of University-School Programs conducts an orientation for interns and clinical teachers. During this orientation, expectations and requirements are delineated, formative and summative assessments are reviewed, implementation, policies and procedures are explained. Interns and clinical teachers’ questions are answered and an opportunity is provided for University supervisors to meet with clinical teachers.
Intern Supervision Assignments
University supervisors are assigned to interns by the respective department chairs or the Director of University-School Programs. University supervisors must hold appropriate NC licensure; a copy of the license must be on file in the SOE licensure office. Five interns are the equivalent of three semester hours in calculating faculty course load. Requests for travel reimbursement for visiting interns are processed through the Office of University-School Programs.
Assessment of Intern Progress and Performance
The intern receives a grade of pass or fail for the internship semester. The pass or fail grade is a composite indicator based on multiple measures of multiple performances from multiple points of view. A comprehensive description of the teacher candidate assessment system is presented in the UNCP Teacher Education Program Evaluation Manual.
Teacher education faculty and UNCP public school partners developed the current teacher candidate assessment system. All of the instruments used for formative evaluation were piloted in the spring of 2002. Feedback on those instruments was solicited from the spring 2002 interns, clinical teachers, University supervisors, program coordinators, members of the Teacher Education Committee, the NCATE Steering Committee, and School of Education administrators. The feedback received was used to revise the instruments that were then approved for implementation in the fall 2002 semester by the Teacher Education Committee, the governing body for Teacher Education. Candidate assessments are continuously reviewed and revised by the Teacher Education Committee.
Formative Assessment
Clinical Teacher. Continuous, ongoing feedback is provided to the intern in two ways: 1) clinical teacher feedback, and 2) University supervisor feedback. The clinical teacher's feedback takes many forms. It can be in the form of a planning conference, a focused observation on a lesson, or a reflection conference. Planning conferences are frequently informal--conducted in dialogue, or through a collaborative journal, or even email. The clinical teacher also provides feedback to the intern on the implementation of a lesson. The feedback is usually focused on a specific area or problem and shared with the intern in a reflection conference. The reflection conference is another important aspect of the intern's guided professional development. As with the planning conference, the reflection conference is frequently informal and periodically formal. The clinical teacher uses the key questions guiding the development of a cognitive map for reflection on teaching and learning during both informal and formal reflection dialogues. University Supervisor. The University supervisor also provides formative feedback to the intern during planning conferences, lesson observations, and reflection conferences. The University supervisor's perspective on the intern's growth is not the same as the clinical teacher's day-to-day perspective and, as such, is another valuable lens on the intern's professional development progress. The University supervisor makes on-site observations at spaced intervals during the semester, seeing intern growth through a wide-angle lens. The University supervisor provides written feedback to the intern during or immediately following an observation. Observations are filed in the Office of University-School Programs in the respective intern's file.
Intern Self-Assessment. Interns should make progress toward becoming more self-directed, self-monitoring, and self-correcting. Interns are expected to self-assess throughout the internship either because they need to self-assess or they need to learn to self-assess. Another reason self-assessment is stressed in the UNCP Teacher Education Program is that the program is based on the principles of constructivism: learners make connections between prior experience and knowledge and new experience and knowledge; learners organize new experience and knowledge into meaningful constructs; learners are actively engaged in the learning process or no substantive learning occurs. The only way the intern will acquire a cognitive map for planning, implementing, and reflecting on cycles of teaching and learning is by internalizing the ways of thinking and doing that characterize those cognitively, complex processes.
Intern Midpoint Evaluation (IME). At midpoint in the internship semester, a formal review of the intern’s progress to date is conducted using the Intern Midpoint Evaluation (IME), which is a modified version of the evaluation instrument that will be used for the final, summative evaluation of the intern at the conclusion of the internship semester. The purposes of the midpoint evaluation are to determine whether or not the intern is making satisfactory progress, to identify areas to focus on for improvement during the second half of the semester, and to plan timely interventions in situations where an intern, for whatever reason, is not making satisfactory progress. Different rating categories--making satisfactory progress, focus for future improvement, and area of concern--are used on the modified instrument to reflect the purpose of a midpoint assessment.
The Intern Midpoint Evaluation (IME) is completed by the clinical teacher, the University supervisor, and the intern. The University supervisor distributes copies of the instrument and schedules a three-way conference. A dialogue based on this instrument can be a positive experience as the clinical teacher, the University supervisor, and the intern pause to recognize and acknowledge areas of professional growth. It can also help identify which areas need to be the focus for future improvement. If no items are rated areas of concern by the clinical teacher and the University supervisor, the University supervisor forwards all three completed copies of the IME to the Office of University-School Programs. In situations where a serious problem exists, the problem must be documented and the intern must be informed of the problem in time to self-correct, remediate, or intensify efforts to improve. The rating area of concern is used to indicate such a problemone that the supervisors foresee may result in an unsatisfactory rating for the internship semester if not addressed immediately. If the intern receives the rating area of concern on one or more categories, the clinical teacher and the University supervisor develop an action plan specifying exactly what the intern should do to resolve the problem. The action plan is signed by all three parties, copied to all three parties, and the original attached to the Intern Midpoint Evaluation (IME). The action plan format is presented in Appendix D-11. The University supervisor forwards the Intern Midpoint Evaluation (IME) and attachments to the Director of University-School Programs and the Dean of the School of Education.
In the event that an intern’s midpoint assessment is satisfactory and at some point after midterm becomes unsatisfactory in any regard, the clinical teacher and University supervisor should, as soon as possible, inform the intern that a problem exists, formulate an action plan, review the plan with the intern, secure the intern’s signature, and forward the signed action plan to the Director of University-School Programs and the Dean of the School of Education.
Summative Assessment
The end of the internship semester is also the point of exit from the Teacher Education Program and the point of entry into the profession. Thus, the intern is assessed on several different levels: 1) in meeting the standards prescribed for the internship semester itself as delineated in UNCP Standard VI; 2) in the broader perspective of meeting all Teacher Education program standards I-VI; 3) in meeting Teacher Education Program requirements as they relate to those standards (Teacher Candidate Work Sample), and 4) in readiness for transition into full-time teaching. Multiple assessments provide different lenses on the intern's performance and preparedness. Multiple viewpoints are also solicited as a way of assuring equity and fairness in the assessment process.
The Intern Exit Evaluation (IEE) This is the same instrument used at the midpoint to assess the intern's progress. On the IEE, the exit version, the ratings are changed to accommodate the purposes of summative evaluation. The performance criteria on the IEE reflect UNCP Teacher Education Program Standard VI for the senior internship. The score on the IEE determines, in part, whether or not the intern receives a passing grade for the internship. Each criterion is rated on a Likert-type scale ranging from 0-3 with 3 being the highest. The IEE is organized into eight subsections. The intern must receive a mean score of 2.0 or better on each subsection to earn a passing score on the IEE; an overall mean calculated from the subsection means must also be 2.0 or better to pass the IEE. Receiving a rating of 0 or unsatisfactory on any single IEE criterion, requires an action plan for correcting or remediating the deficiency. Failure to remediate or correct a deficiency will result in the assignment of a grade of "incomplete" or "fail" as determined by internship grading policy.
Evaluation of Teacher Candidate Performance on UNCP Standards I-VI
The UNCP Standards I-VI instrument frames the intern's overall program performance in the Teacher Education Program. This instrument reflects the curriculum content of the teacher candidate's program of study, focusing evaluator attention on the multiple knowledge bases acquired in the program. Given that the intern has completed 120-128 hours or more in formal study of general knowledge, academic discipline knowledge, professional and theoretical knowledge, content pedagogical knowledge, and instructional technology knowledge, evidence that those knowledge bases were acquired to the degree that they can be used to inform decisions about teaching and learning will be apparent to clinical teachers, University supervisors, and the interns themselves.
The UNCP Standards instrument is organized into six sections, one for each of the UNCP program standards. The score on the UNCP Standards determines, in part, whether or not the intern receives a passing grade for the internship. Each criterion is rated on a Likert-type scale ranging from 0-3 with 3 being the highest. The intern must receive a mean score of 2.0 or better on each subsection to earn a passing score on the UNCP Standards; an overall mean calculated from the subsection means must also be 2.0 or better to pass the UNCP Standards. Receiving a rating of 0 or insufficient on any single UNCP Standards criterion, requires an action plan for correcting or remediating the deficiency. Failure to remediate or correct a deficiency will result in the assignment of a grade of "incomplete" or "fail" as determined by internship grading policy.
Summative Assessment Procedures and Internship Grading Policy Near the end of the internship semester or placement, the University supervisor distributes to the clinical teacher and the intern a copy of the two exit assessment instruments: the Intern Exit Evaluation (IEE) and the Evaluation of Teacher Candidate Performance on UNCP Standards I-VI. Both instruments are completed by all three parties. The University supervisor arranges a 3-way exit conference to discuss the assessment instruments and the three perspectives on the intern's performance. When the intern receives a rating of 2.0 or better as specified for each instrument and has received no unsatisfactory or 0 ratings on any item on any instrument, all three copies of all three instruments are signed and dated and delivered by the University supervisor to the Office of University-School Programs.
When the clinical teacher and the University supervisor agree that the intern's rating on any item on any one of the three instruments is 0 or unsatisfactory, their judgment, in most cases, will be the culmination of a documented process that began at midpoint in the internship semester. At this point, the University supervisor schedules a conference with the clinical teacher, the Director of University-School Programs, the intern’s program coordinator (when appropriate), and the Dean of the School of Education. The final recommendation may be remediation in a specified area or may be an extension of the internship period or may be failure of the internship. Ultimately, the Dean of the School of Education determines how the situation will be resolved.
When the clinical teacher and the University supervisor disagree that an intern’s performance is unsatisfactory on any item on any one of the three instruments, the University supervisor writes a letter explaining the situation to the Director of University-School Programs and attaches it to the completed copies of the three instruments. The Director of University-School Programs advises the Dean of the School of Education of the situation. The Dean of the School of Education determines how the situation will be resolved; the Director of University-School Programs administers the decision.
Teacher Candidate Work Sample (TCWS) Grading Policy Successful completion of the Teacher Candidate Work Sample (TCWS) is a requirement for all teacher education majors. Since the primary purpose of the Teacher Candidate Work Sample is for the intern to demonstrate that he or she can affect positive learning gains for all diverse learners, the TCWS is completed during the internship semester. The teacher candidate's program coordinator or designee and a public school teacher or administrator, preferably one of whom did not work with the intern during the internship, evaluates the Teacher Candidate Work Sample The TCWS is evaluated using two rubrics--analytic and holistic. The intern must receive a mean score of 2.0 or better on each subsection of the analytic rubric to earn a passing score; an overall mean calculated from the subsection means must also be 2.0 or better to pass. An overall mean score of 2.0 or better must be received on the holistic rubric. Receiving a rating of 0 or unsatisfactory on any single criterion requires revision and re-evaluation. The intern will have an opportunity to make revisions in the product and resubmit it within the prescribed timeframe for a second evaluation. Failure to correct any deficiency will result in the assignment of a grade of "incomplete" or "fail" for the internship semester as determined by internship grading policy. For a complete description of the Teacher Candidate Work Sample (TCWS), see the UNCP Teacher Candidate Work Sample Manual. The NETS-T technology competencies are evaluated using the Technology Competencies Verification Form. Evidence of meeting the advanced technology competencies is a requirement for licensure as a teacher in North Carolina. This also is a requirement for completion of the UNCP Teacher Education Program. The technology competencies are graded on a met/not met basis. The intern must meet all competencies; any competency not met must be corrected. If a competency needs to be corrected, the intern will have an opportunity to make revisions and re-submit within a limited timeframe for a second evaluation. Dates for submission and re-submission are the same as those for the TCWS. Policy on Early Release from Professional Internship
Teacher candidates may be released from the professional internship not more than two weeks prior to the formal end of the semester and not before completion of the minimum ten-week period of full time student teaching as required by the State of Department of Public Instruction. This policy is applicable only to full-semester internship. To have a request considered the following conditions must be met:
1. The intern has been offered a full-time contract to teach in a public school. The intern considering early release must contact the Office of University-School Programs. 2. The employing LEA requests the student intern’s release to fill the full-time teaching position. 3. The clinical teacher, University supervisor, and program coordinator agree that the student intern has met degree requirements. 4. The intern has a mean score of 2.0 or better on all internship assessments. The process for early release from the professional internship is as follows:
1. The intern requests a copy of the early release form from the Director of University-School Programs (see Appendix D-12). 2. The intern secures the signatures of his/her University supervisor, clinical teacher, and Program Coordinator, as well as the Director of University-School Programs and the Dean of the School of Education. 3. The Director of University-School Programs sends written notice of the decision to the employing LEA that also includes the times of mandatory on-campus seminars that the intern must attend.
SCHOOL COUNSELING INTERNSHIP POLICIES & PROCEDURESInternship Placement The following protocol delineates the steps for securing an appropriate internship placement. All official internship placement requests must be made in writing (see Internship Request Application) the semester prior to beginning internship. An internship placement is considered final and thus binding, when it approved by the Counseling Programs Steering Committee and the Director of University-School Programs. Placement Request Procedure:
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