MAT Field Experiences
General Field Experience and Placement Information
Every course in the MAT program has at its core several field experiences. The documents linked on this page provide an overview of what types of experiences the teacher candidate should expect throughout the MAT program and guidelines for setting up in-class observations. It is the candidate’s responsibility to be prepared to engage in the field experiences. In many school systems, this will often entail having to complete specific forms and paperwork in a timely manner, having background checks, and even being fingerprinted. Each school system is different. Candidates are responsible for following the requirements and processes in the districts they'd like to observe.
The "Overview of MAT Field Experiences" provides an overview of the field experiences required throughout the MAT program.
Please note that the field experience documents are living documents, subject to change. Detailed information and descriptions for a particular course's field experiences will always be posted in your online classroom in LEO.
The "Field Experience Placement Guidelines" provides information on getting started with setting up field experiences, including information on the steps and requirements in frequently observed Maryland school districts. Please make sure to take the time to review this document each semester before you begin coordinating field experiences. It is important to begin the process immediately to ensure there is enough time to complete the necessary steps to request and secure placements.
The "Letter of Introduction" is a template letter from the Education Department that you may email and/or bring to schools in which you'd like to observe. It may be used throughout the program and verifies your affiliation with UMGC and the MAT and explains what you will need for your observations. (It includes a maximum number of hours to observe in any semester. Each particular course, and field experience, of course, will vary.)
MAT Supplemental Clinical Experiences
In addition to the structured field experiences required in each course, MAT candidates also complete two days of supplemental experiences before the end of EDTP 645, as noted in the 'Overview of MAT Field Experiences.' Candidates may choose when and what types of experiences to complete for their supplemental experiences (i.e. subbing, additional in-class observations, volunteering in school, etc.). These are flexible experiences that may be conducted at any point while an MAT student prior to the end of EDTP 645. For each supplemental experience, you will complete the "MAT Supplemental Experience Log and Reflection" and have the "MAT Supplemental Experience Verification Form" signed.
Tk20 and Field Experience Demographics/Verification
Please make sure that you purchase Tk20 (https://umgc.tk20.com) before you begin your first class. You will use Tk20 in every course throughout the program, to submit key assessments and course projects, verify field experience observations, and to submit documents in the student teaching internship.
Each semester, you will enter into the Tk20 Field Experience Placement Location Form the details about the schools where you complete each of your required school-based field experiences.
In addition to completing a Field Experience Placement Location Form for each school-based experience, for each in-classroom observation, you will bring a copy of the "MAT Field Experience Observation Verification Form" with you and have the teacher you observe sign off verifying your in-class observation time. You will then attach the signed verification form to the Field Experience Placement Location Form in Tk20 for the particular experience, along with entering the school's demographics.
MAT Diversity Policy and Tracking
Candidates in the MAT program are required to observe in diverse school settings. Candidates are expected to have field placements in at least two different schools and to satisfy the four diversity categories. Candidates must have experiences in settings which are diverse in terms of race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, exceptionalities, and English Language Learners (ELL).
Candidates will enter the demographics for each school in which they observe into the Tk20 Field Experience Placement Location Form associated with each school-based experience. Criteria for a diverse school setting include:
Race / Ethnicity (schools ≥25% non-white and with two or more of the following race/ethnicity groups: Black/African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, Native American or Alaska Native, White)
Socioeconomic Status / Free and Reduced Meals (schools with ≥25% FARM students)
Students with Exceptionalities (schools with ≥10 students with special needs)
English Language Learner (ELL) Students (schools ≥10 English Language Learners)
As mentioned, for every school you visit for an observation, you will be looking up and entering the school's demographic information in the Tk20 Field Experience Placement Location Form. You will also be asked to select on the Placement Location Form any of the four diversity criteria the particular school meets.
For schools in Maryland, the best source for demographic data is the Maryland School Report Card, which has all demographics for all Maryland schools. Almost all other states also have School Report Cards that provide demographics for state schools. (A quick Google search for "[Name of State] School Report Cards" can quickly help you identify the database. For Department of Defense (DoDEA) schools, view the DoDEA School Report Card site.
You will notice that while school report cards provide demographic data, they do not provide the "locale setting" and "locate setting size" needed for the Tk20 Placement Location Form demographics table. For these two items, you will need to look up the schools through the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The local lookup map allows you to look up schools and see the locale and the locale setting size. NCES also has demographics for schools nationwide through their school search site. While NCES does provide other demographic data, it does not provide ELL or exceptionality data, so candidates do still need to use other resources, like school report cards, to obtain complete demographics. Also, NCES data is usually 2-3 years old, so it is preferable to use the state's School Report Card for demographic numbers and just use NCES's locale lookup map for "locale setting" and "locate setting size."
A tip on satisfying hard-to-meet diversity criteria:
A good way to ensure that you meet the diversity criteria is to use the non-classroom school field experiences (EDTP 600 extracurricular activities), as these you can self-select and so can choose schools that meet any particular diversity criteria.
Because these are public events, you can go through the Maryland School Report Card and view the demographics of the schools of interest to find ones that meet any diversity settings you still need. You can then view those schools’ calendars and choose activities. This way, no matter where a district places you for in-class observations, you’ll definitely ensure that you’re satisfy the diversity requirements of the program. For example, if you know a particular school meets the criteria for ELL and FARMs diversity, you can attend an athletic event, club meeting, or other extracurricular activity for one of the extracurricular activities and will know you have those two categories met.
Should you have any questions about setting up field experiences, please contact Kristin Kubik, Director of MAT Student Support, kristin.kubik@umgc.edu.