Field Placement & Outreach

Full and Pre Practicum Applications are now live!

Pre-Practicum

Overview

At the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, your pre-practicum experience will consist of engaging with PK-12 students, teachers and families at least one day per week for the duration of the semester. Teacher candidates are expected to follow their placement school's daily academic calendar (i.e., start/end time, bell schedule, etc.) and school-based mentor's schedule. Placements traditionally begin in the middle of September and continue for 10 weeks. Teacher candidates are directly placed by the Field Placement team in a range of PK-12 school settings - urban, suburban, Catholic, and private schools. This field experience is designed to align with your teacher education coursework and provide you with distinct opportunities to engage PK- 12 students in the work of teaching and learning. Below you will find specific information about the pre-practicum experience as it relates to your specific program and level at the Lynch School.

Course Registration & Practicum Application

All undergraduate and graduate teacher candidates, even if employed, must register for the appropriate pre-practicum course and complete an online teacher education application. Please follow the process below:

Register through Eagle Apps for the appropriate pre-practicum course and the co-requisite Inquiry Seminar.
- Undergraduate students: EDUC2151, EDUC3152 or EDUC3153
- Graduate students: EDUC7429
Apply for the pre-practicum experience through this Pre-Practicum Application Form. You will be required to provide the following information:
- Two days, not including Friday, that you are able to complete a full-day field experience aligned with a PK-12 school schedule.
- Your MEPID (Massachusetts Education Personal ID) is assigned to you by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education. The number is accessible from ELAR.

Note: Employed graduate teacher candidates may fill out this Employment Form to indicate that a pre-practicum experience will be completed at their place of employment.

Please note that the application must be completed by April 15 for a fall placement and by October 23 for a spring placement.

Placement Overview

The Office of Field Placement & Outreach team manages the placement process and actively works with PK-12 school partners who are committed to mentoring, coaching and supporting teacher education candidates through the licensure pathway. Teacher candidates are placed in range of grades/levels in alignment with their licensure area. The field and grades levels in Massachusetts are outlined below:

Early Childhood Education: Grades PreK-2
Elementary Education: Grades 1-6
Secondary Education:
- English: Grades 5-12
- Foreign Language: Grades 5-12
- History: Grades 5-12
- Mathematics: Grades 8-12
- Biology: Grades 8-12
- Chemistry: Grades 8-12
- Physics: Grades 8-12
- Teacher of Students with Moderate Disabilities: PreK-8 and 5-12
- Teacher of Students with Severe Disabilities: All Grades

Please note that in Massachusetts, secondary licenses span both middle and high school levels. Teacher candidates will be guided by a qualified school-based mentor (Supervising Practitioner) and a university-based mentor (Program Supervisor).

Undergraduate Students

As an undergraduate teacher education candidate, you will complete two distinct pre-practicum field experiences in a range of grades aligned with your area of licensure. As outlined above, you will spend one day per week collaborating with a school-based mentor (Supervising Practitioner) over the course of ten weeks. You will be presented with opportunities to observe classroom routines and practices, develop an understanding of the school's culture and expectations for learning, engage with the academic curriculum, and facilitate lessons in partnership with your school-based mentor. You will also participate in quality conversations with your Boston College-based mentor (Program Supervisor). As part of the seminar portion of the course, you will attend bi-weekly community of learner conversations with your Boston College-based mentor (Program Supervisor).

Graduate Students

As a graduate teacher education candidate, you will complete one pre-practicum field experience in a grade aligned with your area of licensure. As outlined above, you will spend one day per week collaborating with a school-based mentor (Supervising Practitioner) over the course of ten weeks. You will be presented with opportunities to observe classroom routines and practices, develop an understanding of the school's culture and expectations for learning, engage with the academic curriculum, and facilitate lessons in partnership with your school-based mentor. You will also participate in quality conversations with your Boston College-based mentor (Program Supervisor).

Fall/Spring Pre-Practicum Placement Timeline

August/January

Teacher candidates return to campus and finalize their course schedules. Pre-practicum Launch sessions (orientations) are held and teacher candidates begin the background check process.

September/February

Placement details are announced to partner schools and teacher candidates the week prior to placement start period and backgrouare completed. Pre-Practicum experiences begin and Program Supervisors (Boston College-based mentors) are assigned.

October/March through December/May

Teacher candidates continue to attend the placement once a week on the assigned day throughout the semester providing direct support to PK-12 teachers, students, and the larger school community. Donovan Scholars attend two days per week in the Fall and employed teacher candidates attend per employment requirements (typically 5 days per week for full-time positions). Pre-Practicum placements formally conclude before BC breaks.

Observations & Assessment

Supervision & Classroom Observations

Over the course of the semester, you will engage with an on-site mentor (Supervising Practitioner) and a Boston College mentor (Program Supervisor). Your Supervising Practitioner is a full-time teacher of record in a PK-12 school who actively partners with Boston College and is willing to mentor a future educator. Your Program Supervisor is hired by the Lynch School of Education to shepherd you through your field experience and to formally observe your practice in the PK-12 classroom. Program Supervisors are experienced professionals with a range of experience as classroom teachers, building administrators, district professionals and educational specialists. They are well versed in the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Professional Standards for Teachers and the Candidate Assessment of Performance (CAP). Overall, the goal of the pre-practicum experience is to ensure that you are knowledgeable of the state requirements for endorsement and licensure and prepared to successfully progress to the full practicum experience.

DESE Gateway Assessment

As of 2020, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) released new guidance and required that teacher candidates successfully complete a Gateway Assessment during the pre-practicum experience. Please see the pre-practicum syllabus for additional guidance on this requirement and how candidates will be assessed during the early field experience and how it is aligned with the state-required Candidate Assessment of Performance (CAP). Candidates who are not able to successfully demonstrate practice in the field on the Gateway Assessment may not be recommended for advancement in the designated teacher education licensure program and/or recommended for the full practicum experience.

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