Securing a Placement

Our Coordinators of Field Experience are responsible for making clinical practice placements for all MATTC (Master of Arts + Teaching Credential) credential candidates. Candidates are not permitted to arrange their own placements.

Each local school district has different practices and expectations regarding the placement of student teachers in their schools. Certain districts require all prospective student teachers to interview with school principals or department heads; others allow principals to determine whether or not they want to interview prospective student teachers before placing them; some principals choose to interview student teachers seeking placement in one content area (mathematics, for example) but not in other content areas. Other district principals do not interview prospective student teachers. MATTC's policy is to abide by the procedures established in each placement district and to respect the wishes of the district and site administrators.

At times, unexpected circumstances arise that make it necessary for changes to be made to credential candidates' field placements. When this occurs, changes are made at the discretion of the Coordinators of Field Experience with input from the candidate's field supervisor and the administrators at the placement school site. All Field Experience Coordinator decisions are final.

Placement Considerations

Our ability to make choices regarding clinical practice field placements are dependent on many factors.

First, reflective clinical practice field experiences are governed by policies set by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC). The CTC requires each credential candidate to observe and participate in two or more classrooms during their clinical placement, to work with English Learners and students with identified special needs, and to have experiences in hard-to-staff and/or underperforming schools. All multiple subject credential candidates are required to student teach in at least two different grade levels; single subject candidates are expected to student teach at least two different course preparations within their content area-such as geography and US History, or algebra and geometry. CTC's policies are non-negotiable and must be followed as placements are made.

Second, the availability of field placements is affected by SCU's obligations to local public-school districts and by local school districts' commitments to teacher preparation programs at other universities. We have Memorandum of Understandings with particular school districts that we work with to secure field placements.

Third, SCU has its own policies that regulate field experience opportunities. These policies are designed to protect credential candidates from ethical complications and/or unnecessary professional difficulties. For example, we do not allow single subject credential candidates to student teach in Advanced Placement {AP) classes. We also do not place credential candidates at a school in which any member of their family is currently enrolled or employed. Further, a candidate who has a family member employed as a district-level administrator will not be eligible for placement in that school district.

Finally, our most important priority in making clinical practice placements is always to ensure our credential candidates are placed with outstanding cooperating teachers who are invested in their student teacher's professional growth and development. The final decisions about all matters related to clinical practice field placements rests with the Coordinators of Field Experience.