Standard 3: Moving to Target - Plans/Timelines

St. Cloud State University continues to move toward target performance in Standard 3c. The recommendation coming from the working group focused on preparation of our candidates includes a common educational foundation core, in which candidates would have more varied and integrated field experiences throughout their program of study. This proposal will be phased in over several semesters, beginning in Spring 2015.

• In the first semester, the field experience would bring together candidates from a variety of disciplines, being placed in cohorts of 3-6. This initial field experience would consist of one morning or afternoon per week, for a total of 10 weeks, with five weeks in elementary and five at the middle school/high school level. This clinical experience would support candidates in early exposure to students different from themselves (e.g., linguistic differences, special needs), opportunities to reflect, exposure to different age levels and a beginning understanding of the various roles of a teacher.
• The second semester would include a 20 hour field experience in which cohorts of 3-6 candidates would work as a team. This experience would be community based and would facilitate candidates’ understanding of differences in learners and learning strategies and would include a focus on communication skills.
• The third semester would include another 20 hour field experience focusing on assessment practices in P-12 classrooms. Again, students will be placed in cohorts and begin to understand accountability, assessment, using data to inform decision-making and integration of technology in the classroom.
• Candidates would complete an additional discipline-specific experience prior to student teaching, in which they would focus on the scope and sequence of curricular design.

This proposed educational foundation core will help keep our momentum moving toward target in Field Experiences. Not only will these enhanced field experiences provide our candidates with well-designed opportunities that are integrated into our programs, it will also provide candidates with additional opportunities to engage as members of instructional teams with both peers and mentor teachers. Candidates working together will have opportunities to critique and reflect on each other’s practice and their effects on student learning.