Graduate Alternate Teacher Education Program
Candidate Handbook

Introduction  |  Coursework  |   Field Experience |  Candidate Assessment

Field experience and Clinical Practice

The Graduate Alternate Certification Program of study includes multiple opportunities for candidates to demonstrate the knowledge and skills associated with effective education in applied settings. Field experience includes all applied work in school and community settings associated with the courses and internships taken prior to student teaching/capstone internship.

Candidates in the Graduate alternate certification program fit one of two categories: those who are employed as full time teachers while they complete the certification program and those who are not employed in a school setting but are pursing teacher certification in order to assume a teaching position. All candidates in the Practitioner option must be employed as full time teachers as a condition of program admission and participation.

Graduate alternate certification candidates are responsible for completing the required number of field experience hours as described below. Candidates who are not employed as teachers can receive assistance in locating sites in which to complete field experiences through the Office of Field Experiences and Clinical Practice. Field experience hours can be completed through assigned activities in coursework or during the internships included throughout the program of study.

Information on field experience requirements of the program is provided below. Information regarding the student teaching experience is found in the Student Teaching Handbook and information regarding the capstone internship is found in the Internship Handbook.

Teacher Education Faculty will provide you with specific information on each field assignment. Many faculty use a format that provides the candidate with the following information:

1. a rationale for completing the field experience,
2. strategies to plan the experience
3. strategies to implement the experience
4. strategies to evaluate the experience
5. artifacts likely to result from the experience that can be added to your portfolio
6. resources and readings to support the field experience
7. the professional standards addressed by completing the field experience.

Non Degree Option Requirements

The Graduate alternate certification program – Non-degree option requires a minimum of 180 field experience hours to be completed prior to entering the Level 3 student teaching or capstone internship experience. All field experience hours must be reported via Live Text. A form for reporting field experience hours may be found in LiveText. At each transition performance review, the number of completed field experience hours and the diversity of the school sites and children associated with the field experience work will be assessed by program faculty. It is critical that candidates adhere to the requirements specified in the chosen program of study.

Most programs of study do not provide 180 hours of directed field work in the required courses. Candidates must complete self-guided field experience to attain the necessary hours of field experience. The Office of Field Experience and Clinical Practice in the college maintains a list of available opportunities each semester for candidates to complete volunteer service learning activities to earn additional field experience hours. It is the candidate’s responsibility to monitor both the number of completed hours and location of field experience across the program of study to ensure that all requirements are met. The table below identifies the requirements regarding minimum number of field experience hours completed and diversity of field experience sites for each transition review period.

Practitioner Program Requirements

The majority of field experience requirements for Practitioner candidates area completed during the summer coursework completed prior to their appointment as teachers. During the first year of teaching, Practitioner candidates complete a year-long internship in their employment setting. Thus, the majority of applied work is completed as clinical practice.

The table below identifies the requirements regarding minimum number of field experience/clinical practice hours completed and diversity of field experience/clinical practice sites for each transition review period.

During their field experiences, teacher candidates will be required to visit school sites. There are a number of issues described below that you should consider before and during these visits. Candidates are required to be aware of these issues. 

Professional Behavior

Candidates are expected to demonstrate professional behavior both in terms of appearance, attitude, and behavior while completing field experience assignments and activities. One component of performance assessment in the program of study focuses on professional dispositions of educators. Dispositions assessment is described in the Candidate Assessment section of the handbook.

Safety Issues

1. Every candidate is responsible for becoming familiar with and following the safety guidelines of assigned schools.
2. If candidates are not familiar with the location of the school, they should arrive early to make sure that they find a safe parking spot.
3. Candidates must remember to secure their vehicles while performing field work. Neither the district nor the university will take responsibility for damage to your property or for items stolen from your vehicle. Anything of value must be left at home. Anything perceived to be of value must be left at home or stored in the vehicle in such a way that it is not visible to passersby.
4. If candidates encounter a situation in which they feel that they, or anyone, is in danger, they are to immediately seek assistance according to the guidelines of the district or the school.

Responsibility Issues

1. Teacher candidates will often be required to utilize technology during their fieldwork and clinical practice. If teacher candidates borrow equipment that is the property of the University of New Orleans or other entity, they are personally responsible for its safe return. Any damage, even if it is caused by another, is the responsibility of the candidate.
2. Every field site has unique rules and regulations. Candidates are responsible for seeking out, learning, and understanding these regulations from the main administrator and/or principal.

Liability Issues

Even though candidates are typically supervised during field work, there are occasions when close personal interaction occurs with PK-12 students. Candidates are required to act with the utmost professionalism; however, there are a number of liability issues that may surface. Teacher candidates are encouraged to purchase professional and/or personal insurance to protect them from these liability issues. These insurance policies are generally reasonably priced. For example, for a nominal annual fee, teacher candidates working with children with disabilities may be eligible to obtain a $1 million policy through the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) that covers: Injuries to students under supervision; improper placement of students; improper methods employed in instruction, counseling, research design, etc.; defamation; failure to educate; failure to promote students or grant credit; violation of student civil rights; and negative consequences in the implementation of the recommendations of research studies.