Placement Requirements
Fingerprinting
All candidates must have a formal fingerprinting/background check completed by Maryland Livescan Fingerprinting prior to field experience. A failure to complete the fingerprinting/background check will prohibit candidates from participating in any field experience required through education coursework. Candidates must meet additional application and background check requirements based on their placement county for internships and will be informed of any additional requirements by the OCFE. For example, interns placed in Frederick, Washington, Garrett and Mineral counties are required to have additional fingerprinting/background checks and TB tests prior to placement. Interns who change county placement may require additional fingerprinting/background checks, and should contact the Office of Clinical and Field Experience for direction.
Candidates are required to attend all mandated meetings, such as placement meetings, orientation and other events as announced. The Office of Clinical and Field Experience and/or program coordinator will provide meeting dates and times. Failure to attend required meetings may result in a delay in the start or continuation of field experience, as determined by the program coordinator.
Candidates are required to make contact with their mentor teacher prior to the start of the induction or field experience. Each program will determine the method and expectations for the contact and will communicate these directions to candidates. Candidates should demonstrate professional dispositions in their pre-practice contact with school officials and mentors.
All programs require an induction experience in the Fall semester. This experience requires 3 days in the school placement, with at least 1 day before students arrive and the first days of school. Candidates will record and label induction days on the time record form. Candidates should demonstrate professional dispositions (dress, professionalism) during all induction days. Candidates who are unable to complete the required induction must complete an exception request process with the program coordinator and the Office of Clinical and Field Experience.
The candidate would likely have to extend their field experience in the event of school closures upon exception approval.
All programs require a minimum of 100 days in the field, as mandated by the state of Maryland, completed across several field experience placements. Each program will publish an internship schedule. Candidates are to complete the required number of days for each experience and to follow the published start date and end date for each program. Candidates will follow the annual school system calendar for teacher workdays, professional development, holidays and school closures. Program coordinators and the Office of Clinical and Field Experience reserve the right to adjust the field experience schedule as needed.
Placements for all field experiences are made by the Clinical Coordinator in the Office of Clinical and Field Experience. Placements are made in order to meet certification requirements for the State of Maryland.
Candidates will not be placed for a field experience in a classroom with a family member (children, parent, sibling, spouse, aunt/uncle, cousins, etc). Placement in a school where a family member is a faculty or staff member will be avoided, when possible. Candidates will be asked to disclose any family relationships in partner school districts on the Assistantship information form. Any relationship conflicts will be cross checked during Internship I and II placement procedures, but it is the responsibility of the intern to alert the Office of Clinical and Field Experience of a conflict. The program coordinator and the Clinical Coordinator will determine appropriate next steps for a change in field experience if a conflict is identified.
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, 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.
Internship I and II candidates will need to follow their placement district’s calendar, (i.e., school start, Thanksgiving holiday, Spring Break) during the scheduled internship, in order to ensure that the scheduled number of days is met. Candidates may make special arrangements when differences exist between 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.
Students with any type of recognized and confirmed disability that would require accommodations during a field experience should inform the program coordinator and Clinical Coordinator prior to a field experience, including the submission of a letter prepared by Disability Support Services. Candidates should be aware that the demands and needed accommodations of a classroom course and a field experience may differ significantly, so candidates who are in need of field-based accommodations are encouraged to develop a separate accommodation plan for the field experience. It is the candidate’s responsibility to initiate that accommodation process for each field experience.
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