cooperating-teacher-handbook-for-practica

University of West Georgia College of Education COOPERATING TEACHER Handbook for Practica 2017-2018 Teacher Education Programs University of West Georgia College of Education Office of Field Experiences Education Center Suite 207 Carrollton, GA 30118 678-839-5162 Dear Cooperating Teacher: Thank you for serving as a model and mentor for our teacher candidates during the field experience portion of their program As educators, we know that real world experience is an important component to professional growth and development Our goal is to provide positive experiences for our teacher candidates that will enable them to grow and develop into teachers and educational leaders who positively impact learning in the school community The UWG student assigned to you is a teacher education candidate completing an undergraduate practicum The teacher candidates are assigned a specific number of lessons to teach in their field placement These lessons are assigned within the courses they are taking along with the Practicum In addition, the teacher candidate may ask you about your curriculum, instruction, and classroom management design Participation may also include teaching additional lessons, working with students individually or in small groups, and other duties that teachers typically perform Please note that it is critical that you supervise any activity that involves our teacher candidates; he or she should not be left alone during any activity The Field Experience packet attached to this letter includes descriptions of additional activities and requirements; responsibilities of the teacher candidate, supervising teacher, and university supervisor You will be asked to complete observations and CAPS (Candidate Assessment on Performance Standards) on TK20, the COE’s electronic platform The University Supervisor will provide you with all of the information We ask that you address all concerns, comments, and questions with the University Supervisor assigned to your school We want each of the teacher candidates to be successful and to develop the necessary skills to be an effective teacher Please feel free to contact either me with comments or concerns with your candidate or the program Have a great semester! Sincerely, Wanda Calhoun, M.Ed Director Field Experiences Office: 678-839-6083 Introduction At the beginning of the semester it is important that the cooperating teacher and the teacher candidate review and discuss this information packet and the College of Education Field Experience website Plans need to be made for the teacher candidate to work with individual students, small groups of students, and the whole class Tentative dates should be selected for the teacher candidate to teach the required lessons The candidate can also teach other lessons and participate in other classroom activities as agreed upon by the supervising teacher and teacher candidate, but be aware that the teacher candidates are also involved with attending classes during this field experience and have many other responsibilities The Lessons/Activities The teacher candidate needs to plan for and teach the required number of lessons listed on the document titled “Supervision-Observation Requirements” (Resource 7) The teacher candidates are required to complete a Context for Learning form that has information about the school, students, texts used in the class, and students identified with specific learning needs This includes students with IEPs, 504 plans, ESOL, Gifted, RTI, and struggling learners These learning needs must be addressed in lesson plans with modifications and/or accommodations The UWG lesson plan format used is designed to promote critical thinking when designing a lesson that will meet the needs of ALL learners Each teacher/school has a unique process for developing lessons that may be shared with the candidates However, we ask for your support as our candidates use the detailed format prescribed by the university Responsibilities of the Teacher candidate Punctual and Regular Attendance – Sign in and out upon arriving and leaving the school Absences and/or tardiness will not be considered excused during the field experience However, in case of serious illness or emergencies, the teacher candidate is responsible for notifying their cooperating teacher, the school office, and the university supervisor of his/her absence or tardiness Absences will be made up according to arrangements agreed upon by the university supervisor, the cooperating teacher, and the teacher candidate It is best that the teacher candidate and their cooperating teacher discuss preferred procedures during the first week of the field placement Appropriate Dress – Teacher candidates are required to adhere to the dress code of the school to which they are assigned Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct – Teacher candidates must act in accordance to the Georgia Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct for Educators and within the goals and purposes of the Curriculum and Instruction Department and the College of Education of the University of West Georgia Teacher Candidate Involvement – teacher candidates may not be left unsupervised with classroom students at any time during the field experience Teacher candidates will be actively involved in all types of educational experiences The following are some suggested activities:  Assist, but not assume full responsibility for such teaching activities as:  Conducting recess activities  Supervising and planning playground activities  Working with individuals, small groups, and the large group  Participating in art and music activities  Developing bulletin boards, learning centers, and hands-on instructional materials, etc  Assisting with evaluation procedures  Assisting with field trips and special events  Developing appropriate classroom management techniques  Evaluating and interacting with students in their use of technology  Assist with clerical or routine activities such as:  Recording grades or scores  Checking student work  Preparing materials  Participate in professional activities such as (when appropriate or feasible):  Attending faculty meetings  Attending grade level planning meetings  Observing and/or participating in conferences with parents  Attending school-community activities  Discussing specific professional concerns with cooperating teachers  Attending conferences concerning student placement  Maintain their portfolio Teaching of Lessons  Teacher candidates must plan, type, and teach/implement the required lessons or activities The lesson plan format provided by University of West Georgia will be followed  Teacher candidates must provide lesson plans to supervising teacher prior to the day the lesson is to be taught in order to receive feedback and make adjustments regarding the plan Submitting the lesson plan to the supervising teacher at least one week prior to the lesson being taught is preferred Responsibilities of the Cooperating Teacher  Serve as a positive role model  Maintain open communication necessary for productive teamwork  Complete a planning and teaching schedule with the teacher candidate early in the experience  Review lesson plans and provide feedback prior to the teaching of lessons  Observe and evaluate various lessons taught by the teacher candidate The form is housed on TK20  Complete a midterm and final CAPS on TK20  Assist the teacher candidate in:  Understanding the comprehensive duties of a teacher  Becoming acquainted with the diversity of the learners in the classroom and planning instruction to meet their needs  Learning about the school facilities  Becoming involved in curricular and professional activities  Developing an individual teaching style  Making short and long range plans  Developing lessons and activities      Enhancing their creativity and originality Communicate at the conclusion of each field experience day with the teacher candidate Communicate with the university supervisor on a regular basis Communicate with the university supervisor immediately if questions or concerns arise Please note that teacher candidates may not be left unsupervised with students Responsibilities of the University Supervisor  Serve as a resource person for the teacher candidate, school faculty, and principal  Represent the entire university  Model and interpret Georgia’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct for Educators  Observe and evaluate various lessons taught by the teacher candidate  Provide suggestions for classroom management, lesson planning, and instructional strategies  Establish and maintain professional and ethical working relationships with the cooperating schools  Remain in communication with the cooperating teacher and principal where teacher candidates are assigned to ensure satisfactory coordination of the program  Provide adequate individual conference time to assist the teacher candidate  Emphasize and model the importance of handling certain problems and school situations with discretion and strictest confidence  Keep adequate records on each teacher candidate  Conference with the cooperating teacher and teacher candidate concerning the mid-term and final evaluation Sign the mid-term and final evaluations  Observe and follow the protocol and/or regulations regarding public school visitors – sign in and out, wear appropriate name badge, etc Evaluations of Teacher Candidates: All teacher candidates from University of West Georgia are evaluated throughout field experiences with evaluative instruments provided by the College of Education The evaluations are aligned with instruments used by the Georgia Department of Education to evaluate practicing teachers The evaluation instruments can be located on TK20 (electronic platform for the COE) You will receive an email from the Office of Field Experiences that will have detailed instructions regarding access to these documents University of West Georgia’s College of Education has adopted the statewide evaluation for candidates in Teacher Prep programs – CAPS (http://www.westga.edu/assetsDept/coe/InternKeys.pdf ) This evaluation is aligned with TAPS, which you are all very familiar with This will need to be completed at the end of the semester by you (the cooperating teacher) In this handbook, you will find a document titled “Professional Concerns Form” (Resource 2) This document can be used at any time throughout the semester to document professional behaviors If needed, we encourage you to print and complete the document and submit it to the university supervisor We also ask that you confer with your teacher candidate regarding the behaviors noted on the document Lesson Observation forms (Resource 5) are made available to you on TK20 as well We encourage you to utilize these as you observe your candidate teaching The data collected from your feedback is critical to the success of our programs Finally, you will find an evaluation document in TK20 for you to complete regarding the university supervisor that is assigned to your teacher candidate Again, this data is very important as we want to insure that we are providing the best support available to our candidates in the field Teacher candidates will receive a grade of “S” (Satisfactory) or “U” (Unsatisfactory) for the field experience, at the end of the semester The university supervisor is responsible for assigning the grade Supervision Resources Teacher Candidate Emergency Form…………………………………… Resource Professionalism Concerns Form…………………………………………… Resource Roles & Responsibilities in Student Remediation………………………… Resource Documentation of Student Conference…………………………………… Resource Sample - Observation Instrument……………………………………… Resource FERPA…………………………………………………………………… Resource OFE website…………………………….………………………………… Resource Office of Field Experiences Contact Info………………………………… Resource Resource University of West Georgia College of Education Teacher Candidate Emergency Form NAME: _ ADDRESS: HOME TELEPHONE: _ CELL: EMAIL ADDRESS: COOPERATING TEACHER – SITE MENTOR: Schedule: (Circle one)   Full time Internship (follows schedule of Cooperating Teacher) Part-time Practicum (Please list approximate days and times of attendance) Days Times Emergency Contacts Emergency Contact #1: Name: Phone: Relationship to teacher candidate: _ Emergency Contact #2: Name: Phone: Relationship to teacher candidate: _ Resource Professionalism Concerns Professional behaviors should be exhibited by teacher candidates/interns at all times Concerns need to be identified early and problems need to be resolved as soon as possible All teacher candidates will be evaluated on the following indicators*, but only those candidates who have engaged in behaviors that suggest a negative disposition should be reported Indicators: Collaboration Issues: The ability to work together, especially in a joint intellectual effort Honesty/Integrity: The ability to demonstrate truthfulness to oneself and to others; demonstrate moral excellence and trustworthiness Respect: The ability to honor, value, and demonstrate consideration and regard for oneself and others Preparation and Punctuality: Respect and seriousness of intent to be prepared and punctual Emotional Maturity: The ability to adjust one’s emotional state to a suitable level of intensity in order to remain engaged with one’s surroundings Reflection: The ability to review, analyze, and evaluate the success of past decisions in an effort to make better decisions in the future Flexibility: The willingness to accept and adapt to change Responsibility: The ability to act independently, demonstrating accountability, reliability and sound judgment Verbal and Written Communication: The ability to communicate with various audiences through clear and organized verbal and written communication Student’s Name (please print) UWG ID# Major Explanation of Concern(s): This concern has been discussed with the teacher candidate My signature verifies that I am aware of the contents and existence of the document Faculty/Staff Signature Student Signature Faculty/Staff Name (please print) Send a copy of this report to: Department Date The Office of Field Experiences University of West Georgia ED Center, Suite 207 Carrollton, GA 30118 (This form is also located in TK20) Adapted from materials created and used by the Special Education Department, Illinois State Resource Roles/Responsibilities in Student Remediation STEP Student Conference (documented) STEP Development of Professional Growth Plan STEP Follow up Conference Professional Any time a concern is noted by any professional person who is involved in the education of UWG teacher candidates the first action is always a discussion of the concern between the student and the professional who noted the behavior(s) (usually the cooperating teacher, university supervisor or university faculty) The discussion is documented on the “Student Conference” form in Tk20 Follow-up on the concern is carried out by the professional who initiated the form within the time frame (2 weeks or less) noted on the Student Conference form Actions that may be taken upon follow up include: Resolved, no further action needed Improving, continue monitoring or worsening/no improvement, initiate professional growth plan Notice of the action is documented in Tk20 and the appropriate program coordinator and COE OFBP are notified The development of the professional growth plan is the primary responsibility of the faculty who assigns the student grade Collaboration with other appropriate professional staff including the cooperating teacher, university supervisor or university faculty is encouraged The professional who develops the professional growth plan schedules a A with follow upstudent conference is scheduled to monitor conference the within days developing theprogress plan and on the plan Actions that may be taken include invites those individuals who will be involved in implementation of the Resolved, no further action needed Improving, plan to attend the conference The plan is discussed with the student continue monitoring, Worsening/no improvement, and contains clear to description of the questionable proceed next appropriate step outlined in the plan behaviors/dispositions; expected time frames for improvement; Notes and outcomes of changes; the conference are noted in Tk20 and consequences of failure to comply which may range from and sent to the appropriate program coordinator and the The following offenses negate the need for the process and can lead to immediate removal from a field placement and/or program:    A felony offense Violation of the Code of Ethics Behavior that is deemed to be offensive, egregious or dangerous to students and/or faculty that the cooperating school system deems that the candidate is not allowed to return The Director of the OFE should be contacted immediately upon removal from a field placement and/or program Resource UWG College of Education Professional Conference Form Student: _ Date: Participants: Concerns: Plan: (Please note if student has a PGP in place) Follow up meeting date _ Notes: Student Signature _ Date Faculty Signature _ Date (A copy of this document should be uploaded to tk20 – “Notes” under the Advisement tab.) Resource SAMPLE - Observation Instrument Candidate Information 12 | P a g e University of West Georgia College of Education Teacher Candidate: Date: Choose date School: Grade: Observer: Indicators LESSON DESIGN Unacceptable Developing Proficient Exemplary Not Observed Standards are posted and clearly articulated to students Learning goals are clearly stated and measurable Lesson plan is organized and logically sequenced Notes: Rich Text Formatting ◢ INSTRUCTIONAL DELIVERY Unacceptable Developing Proficient Exemplary Lesson opening engages students and clearly communicates expectations Presentation of material is clear, organized, and error-free Lesson has balance of instructional time with student participation Uses a variety of strategies to present material: Direct instruction Guided 13 | P a g e Not Observed Instruction - Inquiry - Student Directed - Technology - Visual Aids Manipulatives Asks open-ended, higher-order-thinking questions: Remembering Understanding - Applying - Analyzing Evaluating - Creating Differentiates instruction: Remediation Modification - Accommodation Enrichment - Problem-solving Provides adequate “wait time” before calling on/ responding to students Gives reinforcement and feedback that encourages student engagement Lesson has guided practice and independent practice Effective transitions between activities Lesson closing encourages students to explain key points of lesson and its relevance Notes: Rich Text Formatting ◢ ASSESSMENTS Unacceptable Developing Proficient Exemplary Not Observed Informal/Formative (ex: questioning during instruction, teacher observation) Formal/Summative (ex: quizzes, homework assignments, journals, projects) Diagnostic (ex: reading inventory, running records) used for determining student level Notes: Rich Text Formatting ◢ CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT/PROFESSIONALISM Unacceptable Developing Proficient Exemplary 14 | P a g e Not Observed Attends to all areas of the classroom Redirects off-task behavior in a consistent and timely manner Challenges students to their best during activity and throughout lesson Uses correct syntax, spelling and grammar throughout lesson and materials Models appropriate vocabulary and sentence structure Uses appropriate tone and voice levels Maintains a professional appearance Notes: Rich Text Formatting ◢ Other Information Professional Growth Plan: Yes No Comments: Rich Text Formatting ◢ Observer: Date: Cancel without Saving 15 | P a g e Choose date Resource The Family and Educational Rights Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) WHAT IS FERPA? FERPA, the Family and Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, is a federal law that sets forth requirements regarding the privacy of student records It allows students to view and request correction to their education records FERPA also limits what information can be disclosed about a student’s record WHAT ARE EDUCATION RECORDS? Under FERPA, education records are any records, files, documents, or other material which contains information directly related to a student and is maintained by the institution, or a person acting on behalf of the institution The following items are not considered education records – medical records, law enforcement records, employment records (unless employment is conditional upon individual being a student, i.e Teaching/Graduate Assistants), alumni records and sole possession documents An example of a sole possession document would be a private note maintained by a staff member who is the maker of the note and kept in his/her sole possession and not accessible to others It is designed to aid the memory of the maker If the note is shared with another person, it is probably no longer considered sole possession Once shared, the note could be considered part of the student education record Sole possession documents not include items such as grades, grade books or student evaluations WHAT IS DIRECTORY INFORMATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WEST GEORGIA? Directory information at the University of West Georgia includes the following: student’s name, address (local & home), telephone listing (local & home), electronic email address, date and place of birth, major field of study, dates of attendance, grade level, enrollment status (e.g undergraduate or graduate, full-time or part-time), participation in officially recognized activities or sports, weight or height of members of athletic teams, target graduation date, degrees, honors and awards received, and the most recent educational agency or institution attended Unless a student has placed a request on file to withhold directory information with the Office of the University Registrar then, at its discretion, the University of West Georgia may provide directory information in accordance with the provisions of FERPA WHAT IS NON-DIRECTORY INFORMATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WEST GEORGIA? All information that does not fall under directory information that is directly related to a particular student is considered non-directory information; including but not limited to: University Identification Number, Social Security Number, grades, GPA (semester and cumulative), class schedule, number of hours enrolled and/or earned and class rank WHAT SHOULD I SAY ABOUT A STUDENT THAT HAS RESTRICTED THEIR INFORMATION TO SOMEONE OUTSIDE THE INSTITUTION? If a student has restricted the directory information on their record and a faculty or staff member is asked about the student by an outside entity, they should respond as they normally would if the individual in question never attended the University, ‘I have no information on that individual.’ WHEN CAN FACULTY OR STAFF SPEAK TO PARENTS ABOUT A STUDENT RECORD? 1 Faculty and staff should not speak to parents without the student first signing a FERPA Waiver Explain that federal law (FERPA) requires the institution to hold education records as confidential unless the student signs this release CAN FACULTY AND STAFF SHARE PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS REGARDING THE STUDENT? It is important to first check if the student’s record is restricted As long as the student’s record is not restricted, observations regarding the student can be shared so long as they not contain non-directory information For example, you cannot report that Reggie Redbird has received an A in your class However, you can offer the personal observation that Reggie Redbird is a hard worker WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT FERPA? You can find out more information regarding FERPA by visiting the following website: US Department of Education: http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html Resource http://www.westga.edu/ofe/ Resource The Office of Field Experiences Staff Directory Director: Phone Number Email Wanda W Calhoun 678-839-6083 wcalhoun@westga.edu 678-839-6102 678-839-5162 hchamber@westga.edu bmosley@westga.edu Placement: Helen Chambers Brittany Mosley