Preliminary Multiple Subject/Single Subject Program Standards

General Education Multiple Subject/Single Subject (GE) Program Standard 3: Clinical Practice

GE Program Standard 3 is met as follows:

A. Organization of Clinical Practice Experiences 

Student teacher candidates in the Educators for Liberation, Justice, and Joy (ELJJ) teacher education program at Mills College at Northeastern University are provided with a developmental and sequential plan that builds on their respective strengths and address areas of improvement, collaboratively determined with their cooperating teachers and program supervisors, based on the prior experience working with youth within and outside of formal school environments. Thus, the following is a clinical practice guide that may be adjusted based on the experience, background, comfortability, and skills of each student teacher candidate. The first four summer courses (EDUT 6100; 6103; 6106/6109; 6112) will provide students with the theoretical/conceptual grounding along with research-based practices through a critical reflection of their schooling experiences. This will allow students to deeply consider their respective identities, positionality, and social contexts as it relates to teaching and learning. They will also examine how normalized ideologies are reproduced in schools and classrooms, which often lead to inequitable outcomes for minoritized students. This framing allows students to deconstruct the white supremacist, patriarchal, colonizing history of  schooling and how they can work towards a liberatory education for all learners. The two remaining summer courses (EDUT 6115/6118/6121 and 6124/6127) will focus on designing curriculum and pedagogy that is culturally-relevant and sustaining for all learners, especially BIPOC, materially unprivileged, neurodivergent, LBGTQAI2+, newcomer, and multilingual students. During these last two courses, students will be welcomed into their cooperating teachers’ classrooms, before the start of the school year, when possible, to being applying the concepts and ideas from coursework, into classroom community building activities, seating arrangements, systems and structures, physical space, decor, curriculum and pedagogy. 

Credential candidates complete their clinical experience at placements selected that meet specific criteria and that have been vetted accordingly. Within the first two weeks of each placement, a triad meeting will be arranged between the cooperating teacher, the student teacher, and the program supervisor. The main purposes of this meeting are to make acquaintances, define goals for the experience, and negotiate progression of student teaching responsibilities. (See “Levels of Student Teacher Participation” below for ideas.) Means, modes, and times for future communication should be determined at this time. A triad  conference will also occur at the end of each placement for the purpose of discussing the student teaching assignment evaluations. Prior to this meeting, student teachers, cooperating teachers and program supervisors complete the evaluation form. Cooperating teachers, student teachers, and program supervisors are encouraged to complete the evaluation forms electronically. Program Supervisors, and candidates complete evaluations of the development of each candidate’s practical teaching skills in overall (Clinical Experience Assessment Form). Similar forms must be completed by Site Supervisors and Program Supervisors assigned to assess literacy TPE for  Single Subject English and Multiple Subject candidates. 

In EDUT 6124/6127: Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) Lab 1 during their summer term,  student teacher candidates will self-reflect and analyze their areas of strength and improvement based on their past teaching experiences. This will be complemented by the 120 hour of intern preservice preparation throughout the six courses during the summer term. This self-assessment will be used by their program supervisor during the first two observations to confirm, question, and/or deepen their analysis of their strengths as a teacher, according to the Teacher Performance Expectations (TPEs). The coursework in the PCK Lab sequence  will continue to utilize these data to routinely assess their growth and continued areas of strength and improvement throughout the year-long program. These reflective activities in the program’s coursework will enhance intern credential candidates’ abilities to use data (video, program supervisor observations, student work, etc.) to continue their development over the course of the year. This work will culminate in a collaboratively-produced, teacher development plan, to be used for induction, after the intern credential candidate has earned their preliminary credential. 

The faculty will enhance the connection between the course work taken at Mills College at Northeastern and the fieldwork done in schools. One way will be to give students assignments that relate the two. There will be times during the semester that the student teachers need to try certain lessons in their placement classrooms and to engage in other activities that may require the assistance of their cooperating teachers. The course work is designed not only to provide student teachers with basic teaching skills but also to encourage a reflective, inquiry orientation toward the profession. We rely on our cooperating teachers  in the field to help us promote that reflective stance. The coursework’s scope and sequence is sequentially designed to allow for increased interaction with students, from one-on-one support, to small group facilitation, to whole class lessons. Student teacher candidates will also progressively increase their responsibilities for designing individual activities to lessons, then units; assessing learning with a multitude of tools (student work, participation, engagement, discussions, digital tools, video observations, etc.). 

The following outlines the possible levels of Student Teacher Involvement through a progressive increasing level of responsibility framework: 

• Level 1: Observations, analysis of classroom activities, clinical method practice and working with children in one-to-one situations.

• Level 2: Individual tutoring or instruction, including planning of the tutoring or instruction session: small group work with lesson planning done primarily by the cooperating teacher.

• Level 3: Planning and teaching of small group lessons; planning done in consultation with the cooperating teacher; some experience handling transitions.

• Level 4: Small group lesson planning and teaching for an extended period of time; planning done by student teacher with cooperating teacher approval; large group work, lesson planning done primarily by the cooperating teacher.

• Level 5: Large group work planning done by the student teacher, lesson planning done in consultation with the cooperating teacher.

• Level 6: Teach and plan lessons for the whole day, week, two weeks, or whatever is appropriate; planning done in consultation with the cooperating teacher, but it is primarily the student teacher's responsibility.

• Level 7: Solo teaching for a designated period.

Students will be expected to be in school most of the morning both semesters with their cooperating teacher, helping with planning, working with individual and small groups of students, and otherwise taking part in the school routine. Student teaching one class period is a requirement as is student teaching or observing a second period. Observing other classes with the same cooperating teacher or other teachers at the same school or other schools is strongly encouraged.

Multiple Subject candidates must complete three days of solo teaching during the first semester and two-weeks of solo teaching during the second semester. Five days of the latter must be consecutive. At the completion of each solo teaching experience, Program Supervisors will complete and submit an ELJJ Multiple Subject Solo Teaching Experience Form documenting the dates and placement for each solo experience. Specific requirements for the solo teaching experiences can be found in the ELJJ Handbook.

Single Subject Student Teacher Candidate Schedule

Multiple Subject Student Teacher Candidate Schedule

Most students will spend approximately 3.5 - 4 hours per day at their placement x 180 days in the school year, which equates to 630 to 720 hours per school year. Each student teacher candidate’s daily and weekly schedule will vary depending on the placement school’s schedule but student teacher candidates will be at their clinical practice placement at a minimum of 17 hours per week. 

• Clinical Practice experiences are designed to provide developmental and sequential activities integrated with the program's coursework. 

• Minimum of 600 hours of clinical practice, including early field experiences, initial and final student teaching. 

• Dual credential programs must have experiences in general education, inclusive, and special education settings. 

• Private school candidates must complete at least 150 hours of clinical experience in a diverse school setting. 

Program and district-employed supervisors are provided with initial orientation and minimum supervision requirements. 

Private school candidates will work with the program director to ensure a minimum of 150 hours of their clinical practice experience will take place in a diverse school setting where the curriculum aligns with California’s adopted content standards and frameworks and the school reflects the diversity of California’s student population.  

Student teacher candidates will receive a minimum of six formal evaluations per semester by their program supervisor. Additionally, credential candidates and their assigned program supervisor will meet for an orientation before the first formal evaluation to go over roles, responsibilities, expectations, communication preferences, calendaring of observations, and more. In addition to the 12 formal evaluations per school year, credential candidates will submit weekly professional reflections to their assigned program supervisor, who will provide written and/or oral feedback. They will also meet at the end of the first semester for a mid-year evaluation and at the end of the program for a final evaluation; deeply examining their growth and areas of improvement according to the TPEs.  They will collaboratively utilize data from site visits/observations, video capture, synchronous video observation, student work, and weekly professional reflections to come to a consensus on their evaluations. Records for these triad clinical experience assessment meetings will be recorded by completing assessment forms of three types: 

1. Overall Clinical Experience Assessment Form; 

2. Site Supervisors, Program Supervisors, and candidates complete a Clinical Experience Documentation form for internships. In addition, Site Supervisors, Program Supervisors, and candidates complete evaluations of the development of each candidate’s practical teaching skills in overall (Clinical Experience Assessment Form). Similar forms must be completed by Site Supervisors and Program Supervisors assigned to assess literacy TPE for Single Subject English Literacy TPE  Assessment Form and; 

3. Multiple Subject/Educational Specialist Literacy TPE Assessment Form.

B. Criteria for School Placements 

School placements for candidates’ clinical experiences are selected according to the following criteria:

• The school must be accredited by a recognized accrediting agency.

• The school must have a diverse student population that reflects the diversity of California's student population.

• The school must have a qualified cooperating teacher who is willing to provide mentorship and support to the clinical candidate.

• The school must have a curriculum that aligns with California's adopted content standards and frameworks.

• The school must have a safe and supportive learning environment for students and teachers.

In addition, we prioritize school sites with the following characteristics:

• High-need schools

• Schools with at least 25% English learners

• Title I Schools

• Schools with demonstrable support for special needs students

After a preliminary pool of eligible schools for clinical experience sites is assembled, program directors will further narrow selections according to the following criteria:

• Nomination by the district

• Expressed commitment by site leaders and teachers

• Review and approval by Mills College at Northeastern University School of Education faculty

C.  Criteria for the Selection of Program Supervisors 

The Educators for Liberation, Justice, and Joy (ELJJ) teacher education program at Mills College at Northeastern University will recruit and select only highly qualified Program Supervisors, based on the criteria established by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. 

Our Program Supervisors must:

• Have demonstrated subject matter expertise in K-12 curriculum and pedagogy and paired with candidates in a shared content area;

• Recent professional experiences in urban and/or school settings with a majority BIPOC students, those who qualify for free/reduced lunch, identity as newcomer and English language learners (within the last 5 years), including teaching and/or administration;

• Attend ELJJ’s initial orientation and training for Program Supervisors;

• Participate in monthly  and sometimes bi-monthly meetings with the Program Supervisor director focused on the core values of our program, scope and sequence, alignment to TPEs, preparation for the TPA, coaching and other professional development topics for teacher supervisors.

D. Criteria for the Selection of District-Employed Supervisors 

District-employed supervisors are selected in conjunction with the district, charter management organization, school, and intern credential candidate. They must hold a Clear Credential in the content area and have a minimum of three years of K-12 teaching experience. District-employed supervisors will be provided with a minimum of 10 hours of initial orientation to the program's curriculum and effective supervision approaches. 

Continue to Program Standard 4: Monitoring, Supporting, and Assessing Candidate Progress towards Meeting Credential Requirements

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