Office of Field Experiences (OFE)

In order to participate in any clinical experience, all licensure candidates must complete and pay for a criminal background check through WCU’s approved company Certiphi. Certiphi will search through each candidate’s credentials, the Sex Offenders Registry, State Criminal (Felony, Misdemeanor, and Other Offenses), Federal Criminal (Felony, Misdemeanor, and Other Offenses), & OIG & GSA Excluded Parties.

SELF-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT

Candidates are responsible for self-disclosure of any charges or university sanctions accumulated after their initial background check. New charges should be reported to the Director of Field Experiences within 72 hours of the incident, or students risk losing the clinical practice placement.

*Any new charge(s) not on the student’s original background check may require the candidate to get a new one at their own expense.

BACKGROUND CHECK ISSUES

Candidates that do not receive a clear background check will be contacted by OFE and required to submit a statement of explanation. The explanation form will require you to list all charges on your background check results, including the incident's date(s), explanation, and outcome. This statement will be required for charges, dismissals, prayer for judgment, no contest, and guilty or not guilty pleas (including minor traffic violations). Explanations will be kept on file and may be shared with school partners as needed for placement purposes. Serious charges or failure to disclose criminal history may result in a candidate’s inability to be placed for their field experience and/or removed from the Teacher Education Program (TEP).

List of Charges Flagged by OFE:

• Petty Theft or Shoplifting
• Assault (any type)
• Anything involving children/minors (endangerment, neglect, etc.)
• Larceny – Theft, robbery, burglary, stealing, etc.
• DUI
• Drug possession
• Fraud – Bribery, embezzlement, money laundering, tax evasion, forgery, etc.)
• More than three charges of any offense

Reports that indicate that candidates have any of the charges listed above, or have three of any charge, will be requested to submit an explanation for each charge. The Teacher Education Background Review Committee will review these explanations. This committee evaluates the severity of the offenses, the number of incidences, and the recentness of the crimes committed.  The committee will determine whether they believe the candidate is eligible to continue in the Teacher Education Program or be placed for field experiences. Candidates who clear the committee’s review will receive notification that although the committee has cleared them, they are at the discretion of the school districts as to whether or not placements will be accepted.  OFE will attempt to place a candidate three times, and if no district accepts them after that point due to the charges or sanctions, they will not receive a placement for the course/experience and could be advised to withdraw from the program. 

INITIAL BACKGROUND & BACKGROUND RECHECKS

Below is an overview of when each program should complete the initial background and rechecks:

*Students in these programs employed by the school system in which they will be completing their internship DO NOT have to complete the background recheck requirement.

NOTE: Letters from school personnel offices, background checks through a local courthouse, other school districts, and background checks from work are n­­ot acceptable.

Students with disabilities who require accommodations for field experiences or internships must contact the Office of Accessibility Resources (OAR) to identify themselves as having a disability, provide current documentation, and discuss their need for accommodations. For additional information, visit accessibility.wcu.edu or call 828-227-3886. If you fail to arrange your field or site-based accommodations through the OAR, the Office of Field Experiences may be unable to meet your accommodation needs. NOTE: This process is separate from receiving academic accommodations in your courses. 

Western Carolina University is committed to ensuring equal educational opportunities for students with disabilities and supports their civil rights as provided by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), its amendments (ADAAA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. 

Early field experiences are designed to give teacher education candidates opportunities to observe in various P-12 classrooms from the beginning of their professional teacher education coursework. Early and ongoing engagement with public school faculty and students ensures a balance of educational theory and practice. These courses may require placement through the Office of Field Experiences, and the instructor of your course could facilitate others.

Applications for early field experiences open on the first day of classes each semester. Candidates should monitor the Office of Field Experiences (OFE) website to ensure deadlines are not missed. Failure to complete applications by the advertised deadline will be encouraged to withdraw from the field experience course. In order to earn a grade of C or better, all candidates must successfully complete the required field experience requirements. Students who do NOT successfully complete the required field experience will earn a C-, D+, D, D- or F, depending upon the remainder of their work in the course.

EDCI201, SPED 240, SPED430/EDCI430/HPE430, and most methods courses REQUIRE students to complete field experiences. These courses, except EDCI 201 and SPED 240, require that students be admitted into the teacher education program before being permitted to enroll. 

APPLYING FOR EARLY FIELD EXPERIENCES

FIRST-TIME APPLICANTS ONLY, BEFORE YOU APPLY:

• Complete your Background Check through Certiphi. This process will take 3-5 business days to get your results.
  • Early Field Experience Applications will not be accepted until your Initial Background Check through Certiphi has been purchased, processed, and results have been evaluated.

Complete your Application for Early Field Experience:

• An informational site has been created within Canvas to assist you in the application process. Please use them to ensure that you have completed all your application requirements:
  • Early Field Experiences Canvas Information Site
    • You must log into Canvas to view these resources. If you are unable to access these materials, please submit an Access to Canvas Module Request to get access.

NOTE: DO NOT contact schools directly to request placement, as this will decrease or eliminate your chances of receiving that placement.

Block Practicum placements are required for ALL Elementary, Inclusive, and Middle Grades Education majors. This requirement is generally completed the semester before Internship I. Candidates will spend one full “teacher day” in the placement for up to 12 weeks and attend an accompanying Seminar class on campus. Candidates will potentially complete some of the following assignments: formal observations; reflective journals reacting to their experiences and/or seminar readings; planning and teaching lessons and reflecting upon each; gathering student work for assessment analysis. The level of participation of the candidates in the placement is at the discretion of the host teacher. However, candidates are encouraged to participate in-class activities as much as possible.

Candidates will apply for the Block Practicum experience the semester PRIOR to enrolling in EDEL 390 or EDMG 411.

Applications: Block Practicum applications generally open midway through the semester (approximately week 8). Candidates should meet with their advisors to ensure they are ready to apply and monitor the Office of Field Experiences website for application timelines.

Videotaping Permission Form for Early Field Experiences & Block - please distribute and collect these from students within the first two weeks in Block placement.

Per North Carolina General Statute § 115C-269.25, to the extent practicable, EPPs shall require, in all programs leading to initial professional licensure, the following:

(1) Field experiences in every semester that include organized and sequenced engagement of students in settings that provide them with opportunities to observe, practice, and demonstrate knowledge and skills. The experiences shall be systematically designed and sequenced to increase the complexity and levels of engagement with which students apply, reflect upon, and expand their knowledge and skills, and to increase in each semester prior to the student's internship the number of hours spent in field experiences.

(2) A minimum of two hours of field experience in the first semester of the program and a cumulative total of at least 12 hours of field experiences prior to the student's internship.

(3) At least one field experience in a low-performing school.

Host Teachers for Block/Practicum Experience

For Elementary, Middle Grades, & Inclusive Education students.

For our “Block” placement, students are required to be with their host teacher one day per week (or 8 hours if their class schedule requires that they split between 2 days) over 10 weeks for observation.  During their time with the host teacher they will be conducting observations, assisting the teacher, and teaching several mini-lessons.

More detailed explanation of requirements and expectations are provided by the course instructor(s).

Clinical Educators for Internship

The Clinical Educator (CE) supervises and mentors the teacher education candidate daily. The clinical educator helps plan an increased instructional role throughout the semester, provides constructive feedback to encourage professional growth, provides input in the evaluation process, and participates in mid-term and final evaluation conferences. The clinical educator helps the intern acclimate to the school, schedule classroom duties, plan and implement lessons, and videotape lessons as required.

Requirements for Becoming a Clinical Educator

1. Approved by the administrative officials of the school system, program coordinator, and the Director of Field Experiences.
2. Professionally licensed in the field of licensure sought by the student.
3. Experienced, with a minimum of three years in a teaching role.
4. Committed to the education of pre-service teachers.
5. Rated through formal evaluations, at a minimum, at the “accomplished” level under the North Carolina Teacher Evaluation System.

FIELD SUPERVISORS RESOURCES ACCESS

 Field Supervisor – (FS) acts as the liaison between the classroom teacher and Western Carolina University. He or she has the important responsibility of ensuring a comprehensive, rewarding classroom experience for interns/student teachers.

Job Responsibilities:

• Serve as a good role model for prospective teachers.
• Exhibit professionalism, courtesy, and be approachable.
• Must attend an informational meeting/orientation at the beginning of the semester.
• Contact the intern(s) and clinical educator(s) within the first two weeks of the WCU semester.
• Provide all forms and documents (or directed interns to forms and documents) that are needed throughout the semester to the intern and Clinical Educator.
• Facilitate formal and informal discussions about intern progress and areas of needed growth.
• Communicates internship requirements & expectations to the intern and the clinical educator throughout the semester.
• Communicate in a timely manner through phone calls and/or emails.

• Supports the development of the intern by providing constructive, relevant, useful, and written feedback after observed lessons.
• Collaborate and coordinates with the clinical educator and academic supervisor to schedule mid-term and final evaluation conferences, and monitor student progress.
• Conducts a minimum of three observations per intern.
• Complete internship requirements within Canvas.

Requirements for Becoming a Field Supervisor

Minimum qualifications for serving as a Field Supervisor:

1. Doctoral or master’s degree from an accredited institution in the teaching field.
2. Strong classroom experience within K-12.
3. Strong reputation as an educator and/or classroom teacher.
4. Active NC licensure (or eligibility) in applicable area.
5. Ability to use technology in the performance of responsibilities.
6. Must be willing to travel to regional schools within a 100-mile round trip.
7. Have a valid driver’s license and mode of reliable transportation.
8. Ability to adapt to new and changing processes and technologies.

If you are interested in becoming a Field Supervisor, please apply. You will need:

• Résumé or Curriculum Vitae
• Transcripts
• Teaching License
• Reference List