3a.1. Who are the unit's partners in the design, delivery, and evaluation of the unit's field and clinical experiences?

In the initial undergraduate program, the unit’s partners consist of regional P-12 school districts. Another unit partner is the PK-16+ Advisory Council which is comprised of unit faculty, school partner personnel and community partners, as well as College of Arts & Sciences Faculty. Within the MAT and M.Ed programs, the unit’s partners are superintendents and principals from school districts in which candidates are fulfilling internship requirements.

The Unit has developed partnerships with regional P-12 school systems and individual schools at various levels of involvement and commitment. Professional Development School (PDS) partnerships are the highest level of involvement and commitment between Unit and school partners. At these sites, cohorts of candidates are involved in a full range of field and clinical experiences such as observation, mini lessons, professional classes taught on site, and student teaching. Partnerships at other school sites are less interactive than the PDS partners but provide resources for candidates’ field experiences and benefit from candidates’ interactions and instruction of their P-12 students, professional development by the unit. The relationships are characterized by the presence of Unit faculty at the sites engaged in supervision of candidates in field and clinical experiences. Agreements with P-12 schools, signed by superintendents and principals, are kept on file and periodically updated to reflect current needs and mutual benefits.

The PK-16+ Advisory Council created in 2001 with education, community, and political members, provides continuous feedback on the success of field experience implementation. In the LEC program, the site supervisor for the LEC student’s internship serves an important role in the delivery and evaluation of the internship/field experience. Unit partners for the Ed Leadership program consist of P-12 school districts, PK-16+ Advisory Council, and multiple sites within the service area and agencies outside the school setting.

The School Psychology and School Counseling programs have partnerships with school systems and facilities providing school related services to school-aged students. The unit’s partners consist of school psychologists, other school personnel and parents, hospital personnel, mental health facilities, and juvenile facilities. Mentors/supervisors in these programs are personnel in school settings, clinics, colleges, or other agencies engaged in professional counseling or therapy services. (Exhibit 3a1.1 Unit Partners)

3a.2. In what ways have the unit's partners contributed to the design, delivery, and evaluation of the unit's field and clinical experiences?

Survey data from partners in the initial undergraduate program is used to inform the design, delivery and evaluation of field and clinical experiences. Agreements with P-12 schools are updated to reflect current needs and mutual benefits. A faculty member works directly with the PDS to coordinate activities and resource sharing. The Best Practices Partners are involved in observations, mini lessons and student teaching. The Cooperating Partners involve the on-site presence of unit faculty. The PK-16+ Advisory Council meets twice a year to discuss current practices, new initiatives and proposed changes based on the needs of the partners and to annually review undergraduate exit survey data. Arts and Sciences faculty assess Secondary Ed candidates teaching of content knowledge by conducting one content specific evaluation.

At the MAT level, the unit and school partners are involved in evaluating candidates and share expertise and resources that support candidate learning. In the M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction & Educational Diagnostician programs ULM faculty and school system representatives participated in the initial design of field experiences. They confirmed the importance of expanding candidate in-school opportunities to begin earlier in the program and include more hours in each course. Some of the original redesign participants have become members of the PK-16+ Advisory Council that provides continuous input on the success of candidate preparation.

A committee of site supervisors in the LEC program participated in the development of the rubrics used for evaluation. Unit partners within our Ed Leadership program participate in bi-monthly meetings with Region VIII Superintendents which provide an opportunity to receive feedback and direction in developing collaborative agreements that provide candidates with problem-based experiences mentored by effective leaders. Collaboration with the Louisiana Department of Education for the Louisiana Principal Induction Program provides input used to revise and update program content. Committee members provided direction during implementation and continue to provide input for sustained development.

In School Psychology, partners establish the Memo of Agreement with the unit, assign site supervisors, and provide periodic evaluations of the program based on candidates placed with them. Site supervisors develop an individual plan of activities for each candidate, provide regular supervision and guidance and provide evaluations of candidates’ performance in the field setting. In School Counseling, site supervisors evaluate candidates in internship at the end of each semester. Also, partners are invited to an annual meeting where formal input from the field is solicited. Formal evaluations of employers are completed every two years.

Exhibit 3a2.1 Unit’s Partners Contribution to Design, Delivery, and Evaluation of Field and Clinical Experiences

3a.3. What are the roles of the unit and its school partners in determining how and where candidates are placed for field experiences, student teaching, and internships?

Within the initial undergraduate level, placements are determined collaboratively by the Coordinator of Field Experience and Teacher Candidacy, unit faculty and principals. Placements are made based on the diverse population of school sites, classroom supervisor and grade level, prior field experience placements and hardship circumstances. Agreements with surrounding schools and school systems provide a framework for placement of candidates. The process begins with a completed Application for Student Teaching via TaskStream, which offers candidates an opportunity to request special consideration due to hardship situations. A list of partner schools and classroom supervisors is used to assign candidates in their respective content areas after each candidate’s record of previous placements is considered to ensure the most diverse experiences. School principals and classroom supervisors are contacted to confirm their availability and willingness to participate for the targeted semester.

The MAT program works with partner school districts to establish employment for MAT candidates for internship. These candidates are employed by the school districts and complete internships within their school setting with a mentor teacher and university supervisor. For the M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Diagnostician, the majority of its candidates are full-time teachers already assigned to a specific school.

In our LEC program, the candidates and major professor mutually decide on the internship site and the person who the student will shadow. Within the Ed Leadership program, assignment of internship sites is the responsibility of the partner school district in consultation with the faculty of the Department of Educational Leadership and Counceling. The unit allows districts to place interns in a variety of settings, including the central office. District officials are best able to determine sites and mentors that will be appropriate for candidates, and assignments are made that will be of maximum benefit to the candidate, assigned schools sites and the district.

For School Psychology, the Memo of Agreement and the individual plan of activities for each candidate are developed collaboratively by partner, site supervisor and unit faculty. In School Counseling, candidates are screened by the Internship Coordinator and interview with school partners for a placement.

With the Educational Diagnostician program, most candidates are placed with Pupil Appraisal in the Ouachita Parish School System for their practicum. This long-standing collaborative relationship has provided our candidates with comprehensive field experiences at the conclusion of their program.

Exhibit 3a3.1 Roles of Unit/Partners for Field and Clinical Placements

3a.4. How do the unit and its school partners share expertise and resources to support candidates' learning in field experiences and clinical practice?

At the initial undergraduate program, supervisors at the school sites work with unit supervisors to observe, evaluate and assist during field experiences and clinical practice. A variety of communication modes are used in this process. Handbooks clearly describe the roles and responsibilities of candidates, school-based supervisors and unit supervisors. Unit faculty also teach candidates on site at Professional Development Schools allowing candidates to immediately reflect and elaborate on field and clinical experiences. Required seminars are scheduled throughout the semester. The Coordinator of Field Experiences and Teacher Candidacy, unit supervisors, and classroom supervisors meet each semester to provide opportunities for sharing past experiences and to improve current and future practice for the candidates.

The MAT, M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Diagnostician candidates are supported by mentors/university supervisors who work together to observe, evaluate and assist during the internship experience. Communication through emails, face-to-face meetings, and feedback on observations, telephone calls and Moodle serves an important part of this support. Monthly seminars offer additional training and an opportunity for the interns to share experiences. The digital media lab is available as well as tutorials on Moodle to provide support for all candidates.

LEC program candidates are supported by their site supervisor who observes, evaluates and assists during field experience. The candidates have access to the doctoral lab as well as Moodle. Within the Educational Leadership program, three planned professional development activities each year identify roles and responsibilities of candidates and supervisors.

In the School Psychology, responsibilities for sharing are covered in the Memo of Agreement and Plan. School Counseling candidates meet with site supervisors one hour per week and also meet with the unit supervisor 1.5 hours per week. Collaborative supervision occurs as needs arise. The sharing of materials and expertise is ongoing.

For our Educational Diagnostician candidates, technology (email, Moodle documents and communication, and videotaped lessons, critiques and reflections) is crucial in the support provided for them. Supervisory personnel are given access to both TaskStream and Moodle.

Exhibit 3a4.1 Unit and School Partners Sharing Expertise and Resources to Support Field and Clinical Experiences

3a.5. (Optional Upload for Online IR) Tables, figures, and a list of links to key exhibits related to collaboration between unit and school partners may be attached here. [Because BOE members should be able to access many exhibits electronically, a limited number of attachments (0-5) should be uploaded.]