Pre-Student Teaching Handbook

In 1999, the New York State Board of Regents adopted new standards for teacher certification, published in “Teaching to Higher Standards: New York’s Commitment.” One of the new requirements for all candidates in a teacher education program is completion of 100 hours of field work prior to the student teaching experience. This mandate is found in 52.21(b) of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education.

 In 2001, the Chancellor of the SUNY System reaffirmed the commitment of all SUNY teacher preparation programs to require 100 hours of field work prior to the student teaching experience. This is published in the Chancellor’s Action Agenda, “A New Vision in Teacher Education.”

 The purpose of the 100-hour requirement is to prepare every teacher candidate to teach all students in New York State. By providing early field/observation and participation in classrooms in a variety of school environments, teacher candidates are able to confirm early in their program their desire to teach. The variety of teaching settings required by NYSED provides early exposure to teaching students from diverse populations and different socioeconomic backgrounds. These hands-on experiences better prepare candidates to teach all students and enrich the pre-student teaching experience. At the same time the field work provides a solid foundation for the capstone student teaching experience.

 Beginning fall 2011, teacher education programs must include a minimum of 15 of the 100 clock hours of field experience to focus on the needs of students with disabilities. This regulatory change strengthens the requirement as it relates to students with disabilities to ensure that there is a direct attention, with objectives and purposes carefully selected and planned by program faculty, toward meeting the needs of students with disabilities in a range of settings -- not required to be in a separate setting. 

 Please note that some programs require more than the minimum of 100 hours.

As stated by NYSED in 52.21(b) of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education, the field experiences must provide candidates with:

• •  experiences in a variety of communities and across the range of student developmental levels of the certificate
  • an opportunity for practicing skills and interacting with parents or caregivers
  • an opportunity to work in high-needs schools, and
  • an opportunity to work with each of the following student populations: socioeconomically disadvantaged students, students who are English language learners, and students with disabilities

According to the NYSED mandate, all field work must be attached to coursework.  The minimum 100 hours are divided into up to four components attached to separate courses. Assignments for the fieldwork may include keeping a journal of the experiences, performance-based activities, and other activities as assigned by each course instructor. The experiences are usually sequential in nature, beginning with such activities as one-to-one tutoring, progressing to small group work and later assisting the classroom teacher with other activities. Some teachers permit the candidate to teach micro-lessons.  The assignments for the 100 hours of field work reflect the 13 Learning Outcomes of the SUNY Cortland Conceptual Framework.

 Teacher candidates will document their early field hours in the Watermark System. The Mentor teachers will approve the hours using a link provided to them once the first log entry is made in Watermark by the teacher candidate. Throughout the semester, course instructors will review the log entries to ensure the teacher candidate is attending their placement and hours are documented.

 Grades for coursework with the attached field work component are assigned by the course instructor.  Failure to complete the field work component results in failure of the course. In that case, the teacher candidate will be required to retake the course.

 A Teacher Candidate Data Sheet (TCDS) is required for all courses with a field component. The TCDS must be completed, electronically, and submitted to the Field Experience and School Partnerships Office by the designated deadline to ensure a placement (one week after registration).

 For early field placements made during winter/summer break, a TCDS for Winter/Summer placements will be completed.

To ensure that all NYSED regulations concerning field work have been met, all placements are coordinated through the Field Experience and School Partnerships Office. Teacher candidates may make suggestions for placement locations, although they cannot be guaranteed. Under no circumstances should teacher candidates make any contact with school personnel without approval from the Field Experience and School Partnerships Office.

In addition to demonstrating good moral character and ethical behavior, teacher candidates are expected to conduct themselves as professionals in every respect. This topic is extensively addressed at the informational meeting and/or introductory class meeting prior to the beginning of the observation period. If there are any questions about what constitutes professional conduct, teacher candidates are urged to consult their course instructors, mentor teachers and/or the Field Experience and School Partnerships Office. Teacher candidates are reminded that they are subject to the University’s Code of Student Conduct.

 Note: Conduct unbecoming to a professional will result in removal from the field experience.

 Professional conduct includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• •  dressing in appropriate professional attire consistent with host school personnel policy
  • demonstrating professionalism through the use of appropriate language
  • arriving on time each day
  • asking questions, getting help or eliciting more information to avoid confusion or miscommunication
  • assisting the mentor teacher whenever possible
  • participating in daily activities
  • avoiding excessive class time conversations with other teacher candidates during placement
  • avoiding personal usage of technology (internet, cell phone, iPad, etc.)

Teacher candidates are expected to report to their assignments each day that school is in session during any given observation period. If teacher candidates become ill, they are responsible for notifying their course instructors and mentor teachers as soon as possible prior to scheduled arrival time, method to be determined after first day’s visit. The teacher candidate’s attendance will be recorded and monitored by both the course instructor and mentor teacher. It will be necessary to make up the missed day/class period to fulfill the requirements for the placement of the course.

Teacher candidates must:

• • contact mentor teacher
  • schedule initial start date
  • discuss procedures for initial school visit, identification, sign-in, and parking

On the first day of each field experience, the candidate must:

• • arrive promptly as scheduled
  • report immediately to the office of the building principal
  • learn the daily schedule of the mentor teacher
  • become familiar with the building and its emergency procedures
  • learn the general policies by which the school and faculty operate
  • In the event of a medical emergency, all teacher candidates must complete an Emergency contact Form and bring a copy of the form to the school on their first day.

It is recommended that mentor teachers meet with teacher candidates during their first few days in the school to discuss both immediate and long-range plans.

 Items to be discussed include the following: 

• •  School regulations and policies (handbooks, emergency procedures, school calendar, classroom visitors’ policy)
  • Classroom materials (textbooks, state and local curricula, library books)
  • Resource contacts (assistant principals, librarian, counselors)
  • Policies regarding responsibility for materials/equipment (teaching aids) 

Special Note: Teacher candidates are reminded that it is their personal and professional responsibility to return all borrowed materials before leaving their early field experiences.

University courses and departmental policies vary. Teacher candidates are to share course syllabus and/or course expectations with the mentor teacher. 

 The experience could include, at the discretion of the mentor teacher:

• • taking charge of certain routines
  • becoming familiar with classroom materials
  • engaging with students at the discretion of the mentor teacher
  • creating bulletin boards and displays
  • assisting with supervision and/or enrichment
  • reading stories/literary selections to the class
  • observe students’ behavior
  • observe and assist in classrooms, library, halls, cafeteria, and playground
  • assist with individual and/or small group instruction
  • begin to handle matters pertaining to classroom management
  • take responsibility for activities such as announcements, opening exercises and directions, or even mini-content lessons, as appropriate

 Sometime during the first day, the mentor teacher and the teacher candidate should confer about the day’s work and review upcoming visits in future weeks, if time allows.

 The mentor teacher and the teacher candidate should agree on the activities for which the teacher candidate will (or will not) assume responsibility. 

 The teacher candidate will log the field hours into the Watermark System, following each visit for approval by the mentor teacher.

Substitute teaching cannot be counted toward the required hours of field work.

Placements will be made based on your academic schedule. We will not take into consideration employment schedules when seeking/scheduling early field experience placements for teacher candidates.

Housing and transportation during the field experience are the responsibility of the teacher candidate. Commitments, such as jobs, bear no influence on the location or scheduling of placements.

The Field Experience and School Partnerships (FESP) Office will coordinate all field placements. The FESP Office may consider suggestions, but requests cannot be guaranteed. Teacher candidates are not permitted to contact potential mentor teachers or building principals to request placements or in any way attempt to secure their own experiences.

The teacher candidate should be expected to be evaluated. All persons connected with the teacher candidate’s assigned placement can evaluate competencies as identified in the course and field work objectives. The final evaluation of the teacher candidate is the responsibility of the University instructor(s) with input from the mentor teacher. 

Teacher candidates will receive a grade between “A-E” depending upon the quality of and the completion of course requirements and field work. Teacher candidates who fail a course with an attached field work component will have to repeat the course and the field experience. Both components must be successfully passed for the student to receive credit for the 100 hours. The exception to this is those courses designated S/U.

Teacher candidates who receive an incomplete (INC) in the course to which part of the 100-hour requirement is attached will not receive credit for completing that part of the 100-hour requirement until they have completed the course. Even if teacher candidates have completed the 100-hour field component for that course, they must complete the course to receive credit for the field experience. Failure to complete the component of the 100-hour requirement attached to the course results in automatic failure of that course.  Therefore, both the 100-hour requirement attached to a specific course and that course must be repeated.

If a teacher candidate wishes to withdraw from the course with an attached field placement, the grade awarded depends upon the performance of the teacher candidate at the time of withdrawal.

• If the teacher candidate’s performance is satisfactory at the time of withdrawal, s/he will receive a grade of “X”, which carries no credit and does not affect the grade-point average
• If the teacher candidate’s performance is not satisfactory at the time of withdrawal, s/he will receive a grade of “XE” or “U”.

 Withdrawals must be approved by the Associate Dean of the respective school in which the teacher candidate is majoring (School of Professional Studies, School of Education or School of Arts and Sciences). No “X” may be used for withdrawal from a course during the change-of-schedule period.

The teacher candidate will be removed at any time during the field experience when the course instructor and/or mentor teacher determine that:

•  the teacher candidate’s performance is not satisfactory, and that minimal competence cannot be achieved, or
• the teacher candidate’s presence in the classroom is a detriment to the public/private school class.

 In each case, the teacher candidate will receive a grade of “E” (failing) for the field experience and course.

Teacher candidates are required to complete the mandatory workshop courses on Dignity for All Students Act (DASA), Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting (CAR) and Safe Schools Against Violence in Education (SAV) prior to student teaching. Teacher candidates are to register for the mandated workshop courses at the time of registration.

 If a P-12 student discloses any form of child abuse, neglect, or harassment/discrimination from another student to a teacher candidate, the teacher candidate is required to report this to their mentor teacher immediately and follow the directive of the school concerning filing a report. In addition, they are also to notify their University Supervisor immediately.

SUNY Cortland recommends that all teacher candidates complete the fingerprinting requirements process upon acceptance in to a teacher certification program.

 All teacher candidates are required to be fingerprinted prior to student teaching. All teacher candidates must apply for fingerprinting through IdentoGO’s website at identogo.com or by calling 1-877-472-6915. IdentoGO is the only vendor to process fingerprinting for certification. IdentoGO will request a NYSED ORI code. This code is 14ZGQT. The total fee for fingerprinting is approximately $102.

It is important that University Supervisors, teacher candidates, and personnel in our cooperating public-school districts understand the official position of the University relative to teacher strikes and other job actions. The official position of the University is non-involvement.

 The teacher candidate is a guest of the school district and, as such, should not participate in or openly advocate any position in cases of strikes or actions. In no case should the teacher candidate enter a public-school building or serve as a substitute teacher when the Teachers’ Association is officially on strike.  Conversely, the teacher candidate should not serve on a picket line or overtly support the strike in any way. 

 If “Work to Rule” is in effect, teachers have decided to perform no more than their contract has stipulated; typically, they enter the building en masse at the contractually appointed moment (no earlier) and leave the building at the contractually appointed moment (no later), teaching only their required classes and performing only their required duties. This usually means that the teachers will not be participating in extra-class or after-school activities or in lesson preparation at home. 

 Coaching of after-school athletics seems to be an exception in schools involved in work slow-downs. The University has the obligation to provide the teacher candidate with a complete student teaching experience and, if necessary and feasible, the teacher candidate may be reassigned to another school district.

Teacher candidates should be familiar with all respective Fair Process Policies and Procedures for

Review of Professional Competencies in Teacher Education: 

• •  Teacher Candidate Consultation Policy
  • Student Due Process Information
  • Fair Process Policy

Any questions or problems related to the observation experience should be first discussed with the teacher candidate’s course instructor. If the situation requires further attention, the program/department coordinator should be contacted. If unable to reach either party, contact the Field Experience and School Partnerships Office.

• • Mentors/Positive role models
  • Professionally active
  • Full-time at grade level preferred
  • Experienced teacher – tenured and master’s degree preferred
  • NYS certified – within discipline
  • School district / building administrator recommendation
  • Positive reviews of previous host experience
  • District specific hosting requirements

• Review of the information, policies, and procedures presented in this handbook
• Prepare for the teacher candidate’s pre-student teaching field experience:
  • Before the teacher candidate arrives, it is important to convey to the students that they should look upon the teacher candidate as another teacher rather than as a student.
• Respond to the teacher candidate’s initial contact
• Welcome the teacher candidate into the school, introducing the teacher candidate to students and colleagues
• Orient the teacher candidate to the school
• Integrate the teacher candidate into the school
• Arrange for observations of mentor teachers and other teachers
• Plan for the teacher candidate’s first day and first week
• Provide initial assistance to the teacher candidate in making lesson plans, if applicable
• Develop a long-range plan with the teacher candidate that aligns with the course’s field component
• Approve the fieldwork hours entered into the Watermark System by the teacher candidates. Mentor Teachers will use a link, sent via email, to access the Watermark System for the approval of the hours. The email is sent to the mentor teacher following the entering of the teacher candidate’s first logged hours.
• Guide the teacher candidate toward available resources
• Complete a final electronic evaluation using a Watermark System link that will be sent, via email, following the conclusion of the teacher candidate’s placement.

Mutual respect for opinions and values held by the mentor teacher and the teacher candidate should create a feeling of confidence which will encourage a teacher candidate’s initiative, enthusiasm, creativity and self-reflection.

 The mentor teacher may facilitate the teacher candidate’s self-confidence by sharing professional literature, discussing professional experiences and creating an atmosphere conducive to professional growth. 

If a teacher candidate suffers an injury or illness on school property during the course of their early field experience, the mentor teacher should immediately contact the building principal and the Director of the Field Experience and School Partnerships Office at 607-753-2824. 

Your professional contributions as a mentor teacher truly make a difference in the preparation of SUNY Cortland’s future teachers. In recognition of your commitment, the Professional Courtesies Brochure, which provides a list of privileges and benefits, is available for faculty associates.