You will receive a contract, W9 Form, and an invitation to attend at least one mentor teacher in-service offered prior to or at the beginning of the semester.

The initial contact with your intern will be during the pre-practice visit.  This three hour meeting takes place prior to the actual internship.  At this time, you will want to welcome the intern and answer as many questions as possible concerning the basic curriculum of the grade level and how you manage your classroom.  Also, you will want to communicate your expectations and establish and open rapport.  Interns usually ask about a topic for the unit they are expected to teach so they can begin to gather materials.  Ask for their address and telephone number in case you need to contact them before the Internship.  Sign the pre-practice visit card for the intern to return to the Office of Clinical and Field Experiences.

When the intern returns, you will need to provide a tour of the school with introductions, a school schedule, a school policy handbook, classroom procedures and routines, and a class schedule. 

You will need to explain the school’s policies and professional responsibilities:  Times of arrival and departure, professional dress, supervision of students, professional behavior, confidentiality, etc.  The intern will need a place in the classroom which is his – to keep his/her books, supplies, and other teaching materials.  If it is at all possible, provide a desk.  Share procedures used for duplicating and use of equipment.  If there are cautions or restrictions, help the intern understand these.  Encourage interns to write a letter of introduction to parents.  Provide the intern with class lists and teacher editions of books.

Note:  In some Professional Development Schools, orientation to the school and expectations are communicated to the cadre of interns in a group meeting conducted by the Site coordinator or the principal.

Interns have already completed a three-week assistantship and will be eager to begin.  They should be able to assume routine, non-instructional activities from the first day.  They should also assist the teacher in the widest variety of teaching activities both in and out of the classroom.  Include the intern in parent conferences, faculty meetings, and extracurricular activities to which you are assigned.

As soon as readiness is judged adequate have the intern plan his/her first lesson.  The initial lesson will be a long lesson plan composed on TaskStream.  It will contain the state standards listed on the mdk12.org website or the appropriate standards of Pennsylvania or West Virginia.  Interns are asked to provide lesson plans a day ahead of teaching to allow time for conferencing.  Review and approve each lesson plan before the lesson is taught.  As you conference, you will need to share student needs with the intern:  Learning styles, disabilities, behavioral patterns, academic strengths and weaknesses, etc. 

Also, conference with the intern concerning IEPs, 504 plans, and/or special needs as applicable to those students the intern will be teaching.
 

Observe the lesson.  Record positive behaviors and note areas that need to improve.
 

Provide feedback by conference with the intern.  Begin on a positive note.  Ask the intern to reflect on how the lesson developed and what the children seemed to have learned.  Reinforce positive behaviors seen during the lesson.  Decide on one or two items to work on during the next lesson.  Have a plan or set a goal.  Then end on a positive note.  Continual conferencing will be needed as the intern progresses.  The number and style of these conferences will vary.

The development of the Internship experience will vary.  For some interns a gradual induction model may be followed.  Interns could begin with routines and assisting activities first, then teaching a small group, and then teaching to the whole class, gradually adding more responsibility for more content areas and management responsibilities.  Then, the interns assume teaching full time.  Near the end of the semester, the mentor teacher gradually reduces the responsibilities of the intern.  With this model the professional development activities are interspersed throughout the semester with most of the responsibility for these activities resting with the mentor teacher and the intern. 

A second model starts with a group orientation conducted by the site coordinator.  A plan is made to aid the interns in a total school immersion.  This may mean the involvement of the interns in research projects or other professional development.  Interns grow in proficiency with their mentors and also experience school wide experiences.  Variations on both models are possible.

1. Provide regular feedback to the intern on teaching and professional strengths and areas in need of improvement.
2. Observe and evaluate the intern’s content knowledge as applied in the field. 
3. Work with the site coordinator to ensure that the intern has a total school experience:  meeting with resource personnel, observing a special education class, participating in a parent conference, teaching occasionally in other classrooms, observing and discussing certain teaching strategies, participating in 3-way conferences, etc.  (See listing of possible PDS activities and PDS standards in appendix.)
4. Continually encourage and support the intern.

Meet with the supervisor.  Discuss strengths and weaknesses of the intern.  Decide on plans of action as needed.  Discuss professional development activities occurring.  Ask questions.  Give suggestions.  Promote the mentor teacher-intern-supervisor team collaboration. 

Conference with the intern on a daily basis to provide feedback and guidance.  Participate in the three-way evaluation process at the final conference.  Prepare the evaluation form prior to the conferences.  (See copy of form in appendix.)  At the final conference, you will be asked to sign the time sheet summary form to verify the intern’s activities and attendance.  (See form in appendix.)  The following forms are required to be completed for the candidate’s permanent records.* 

1.  The final evaluation form with signatures of mentor, supervisor, and intern.  Early Childhood interns have an addendum evaluation form too.
2. The time sheets with summary sheet signed by mentor, supervisor, and intern.
3. The notebook rating form signed by the supervisor and intern.
4. Professional Development School Checklist of Activities/Experiences
5. Lesson Plan with Observation.
6. Content Lesson Interview signed by the supervisor and itern.

*The University Supervisor will collect and submit to the Office of Clinical and Field Experiences all forms for candidate’s permanent records.

Q.  How often should I meet with my intern to discuss his/her progress?
A.  Start by dialoging with your intern everyday that he/she has taught or observed to aid the intern in reflecting.  Then dialog as you see the need.

Q.  When should interns begin teaching?
A.  Interns should begin teaching during the first week.

Q.  How much teaching should they do?
A.  Interns should gradually increase their teaching responsibilities until they are teaching a full day.  (Teaching a full day may occur as soon as the mentor assesses the intern as ready to carry out this responsibility.)  Interns are to teach at least 3 consecutive full days, a minimum of 5 full days in total, and as many additional days as the mentor decides are beneficial and appropriate.  Interns are strongly encouraged to teach as many full days as possible.

Q.  Does my intern take courses while interning?
A.  Yes. Students attend Block II classes when they are not interning.

Q.  How can I help my intern analyze his/her teaching performance? 
A.  Discuss the learning outcomes for the lesson with the intern.  Ask the Intern to what degree the learning outcomes were met by each student and how he/she knows.  Encourage the intern to pay attention to the high achieving students, ensuring that they are challenged.  How did the activities used in the lesson contribute to meeting the learning outcomes?  Were there any obstacles to learning encountered during execution of the activities?  How was the design of your lesson affected (negatively or positively) by individual student special needs, abilities, types of intelligences, etc?  Ask the intern to brainstorm ideas for next steps based on analysis of this lesson.      
 

Q.  What do I do if my intern is not responding to my suggestions?
A.  Document specific instances where suggestions were made and not incorporated.  Discuss this situation with the university supervisor.

Q.  How can I help my intern differentiate between learning outcomes (objectives)and activities?
A. 

• Identify the standards to be addressed
• Determine what the students will know and be able to do related to the standards
• Translate this into the learning outcomes(objectives)
• Determine how the students will be assessed at the end of the attainment of the learning outcomes
• Design/select the learning activities through which students will come to achieve the learning outcomes
   

Q.  How can I help my intern learn to analyze the ongoing formative assessment as a part of each day’s teaching?
A.  Before the intern begins to teach any classes, model the use of formative assessment in lessons that you teach.  After the lessons, discuss the analysis of the assessment with the intern and the ways in which this assessment will inform your instruction for the next day.  When the intern begins to teach make certain that formative assessment is part of his/her lesson plan.  After the intern has taught the lesson, review with him/her the results of the formative assessment.  Discuss with him/her how the results of this assessment will affect the next lesson to be taught.

Q.  How can I help my intern understand the difference between formative and summative assessment
A.  Discuss with the intern the concept of formative assessment as the process in helping to determine the next steps in daily instruction.  Summative assessment evaluates what each student has learned overall in regard to the learning outcomes for a topic, unit, module, etc.   

 Q. Can interns leave early to go to a job or to attend a university course?
 A.  Ordinarily, No.  Interns are to follow the same schedule as the teachers.  You may need to call the university to see if there are special circumstances.

 

1.  The mentor and the intern meet to discuss the problem and make a list of the behaviors expected from the intern during the following 5 days.  The supervisor may be invited to the meeting, but must at least receive a copy of the list of expected behaviors.
    
2. If the problem persists during the following week, the mentor supervisor, and intern meet to review the behaviors and to clarify all questions. The PDS coordinator is contacted and informed of the problem.  Then a formal contract delineating behavior goals is written and signed by the intern, supervisor, and mentor teacher.  The contract language, length of term, and timeline for improvement will depend on the circumstances and the severity of the problem.  Contracts may be revisited periodically as needed.  However, substantial improvement in behaviors must be noted within the first 5 days after the contract is signed.  A copy of the contract is given to the mentor, the supervisor, the candidate, and the PDS coordinator.
    
3. The supervisor will formally observe the intern in approximately 5 days.  At least one other person will formally observe the intern (another supervisor, the site coordinator, another teacher, and/or the principal) within this time period.  These observations are unannounced.  Each observer writes a formal evaluation addressing the behaviors cited in the written contract.  A copy of the evaluation is given to the intern and the mentor.
    
4. Within 2 weeks of #2 the mentor, supervisor, and intern meet to assess the intern’s progress.  If there is documented improvement at this point, a new contract may be generated and the process begins again.

If there is no improvement and/or stipulations in the contract are not followed, this fact must be documented and a copy with intern, mentor, supervisor, and additional observer signatures given to the signers and the PDS coordinator.  The supervisor and mentor write a letter telling the intern she/he is not meeting expectations and may not pass Internship II.  The supervisor, mentor, and PDS coordinator meet to discuss the situation and a decision about the next step in the process is made.  Based on the judgment of the supervisor, mentor teacher, and PDS coordinator, the intern may be removed from the Internship placement or other appropriate actions taken.  If the intern is removed from the internship this action results in a failing grade in internship.

1. The mentor and the intern meet to discuss the problem and make a list of the professional behaviors expected from the intern.  The supervisor may be invited to the meeting, but must at least receive a copy of the list of expected behaviors.  A copy of the list is sent to the PDS coordinator.
    
2. If the professional behavior does not improve immediately and continue consistently, the mentor teacher informs the supervisor who will then arrange a meeting with the PDS coordinator, the principal, the mentor, the site coordinator, and the intern to discuss the problem.  The intern may be removed from the Internship placement.
    
3. NOTE:  The school has the right to remove the intern immediately.  This decision can be made by the principal, mentor teacher, and site coordinator.