All Intern I and II candidates will be required to complete several inductions days prior to the star to the start of the Fall field experience. These days will be recorded on the time record sheet for the field experience.  In the event that any scheduled field experience days are missed due to school closures (weather events, power outages, etc), induction days will be utilized by the Office of Clinical and Field Experience to ensure that candidates complete the state-required minimum number of internship days (30/70).

If a candidate cannot complete the required induction days, he/she must write a formal letter to the program oversight coordinator and the clinical coordinator to request an exception.  The letter should include the request and the reasons as to why the candidate cannot complete the induction days. The letter must received at least 30 days prior to the start of the induction to allow for time for a review.   If approved, the candidate would likely have to extend their field experience in the event of school closures during the fall and/or spring semesters.

In the spring semester, each Internship I candidate will complete preparation days early in the semester. The purpose of these days is to allow each candidate to meet his/her mentor and students and to become familiar with the school and classroom environments. These days will be recorded on the Internship Time Record and will be counted as part of the day requirement.

The candidate should plan to complete any course or internship assignments associated with the induction/preparation days.

The State of Maryland requires 100+ days in a PDS internship for certification. Each candidate is to have an extended experience in a single Professional Development School, when possible.  The focus of the experience is on student achievement, research, collaboration, and professional growth in order to provide candidates with a comprehensive school experience.  

Candidates in the Frostburg State University PreK-9 programs are required to complete over 100 days in the field across the Assistantship, Internship I and Internship II experiences. Any days in which an intern is absent from the classroom for personal reasons during the scheduled days for Assistantship, Internship I or Internship II  are to be made up within the semester, using the OCFE make up day process.  Issues with achieving the required number of days will be handled on an individual basis with the university supervisor and the Clinical Coordinator in the Office of Clinical and Field Experience.

Any time/days completed by the candidate outside of the scheduled induction/preparation days and official field experience days cannot be counted as part of the scheduled field experience, with the exception of make-up days due to candidate absence. While candidates are encouraged to take opportunities to visit the school and classroom placement, any field experience time related to course assignments or volunteer opportunities should not be recorded on the field experience time record

During the Internship I experience, candidates may count 2 professional development days as part of the internship and record these activities on the internship time record. Candidates may use one day for Praxis testing and the additional day for the purpose attending school, county or state trainings, workshops or conferences.

During the Internship II experience, candidates may count 3 professional development days as part of the internship. Possible use could include job fairs, job interviews, training sessions, workshops, institutes, conferences, Praxis testing, etc. In the spring, PreK-9 Intern II candidates are required to attend a Frostburg State University-approved job fair experience

In order to utilize a professional development day, candidates must provide a written request to both the mentor teacher and university supervisor prior to the request date and this request must be approved by both parties. If an intern is scheduled to teach during a requested PD day, the candidate should prepare substitute plans similar to the requirement when their mentor is absent. Following the professional development experience, candidates must provide the mentor and supervisor with tangible evidence from the PD (agenda, handouts, conference program, registration ticket) in order verify completion of the requested professional development day.

The candidate follows the university calendar for Assistantship. Internship I and II candidates will need to follow their placement district’s calendar, (i.e., school start, Thanksgiving holiday, Spring Break ) in order to ensure that the scheduled number of days is met.  Candidates may make special arrangements when differences exist betwen the university calendar and the school calendar, with permission from the Clinical Coordinator, the University Supervisor, and the Mentor Teacher.  Written requests are signed by both the Mentor Teacher and the University Supervisor and submitted to the Clinical Coordinator in the Office of Clinical and Field Experiences.

Candidates should use the appropriate titles when addressing or referring to a mentor, supervisor, parents or other educators during the field experience, as a sign of respect.  All candidates should use the appropriate title (Mr. Miss, Ms., Mrs. or Dr.) and the individual’s last name when referring to mentors, supervisors, other educators and staff members. Even if a mentor indicates that a candidate could move to a first name basis, the PreK-9 program faculty feel this would be appropriate only after the candidate has graduated and would be considered a colleague of the mentor.  Appropriate titles and surnames should also be used when addressing parents, even if the candidate has a prior social relationship with the parent outside of the classroom. Any candidate questions regarding how to address individuals should be directed to the candidate’s mentor or supervisor.