Procedures for Mentors and University Supervisors

• Evaluation Criteria for Internship

  Evaluation of the internship is a collaborative effort among the Candidate, Mentor Teacher and the University Supervisor. The internship facilitates Candidates’ development as professional educators as they enhance their competencies in: content, professional and pedagogical knowledge, skills and dispositions delineated in the professional, state and institutional standards. Multiple assessment strategies are used to evaluate Candidates’ performance and effect on student learning. Candidates, school faculty and University Supervisors jointly conduct assessments of Candidate’s performance throughout internship with a focus on the mid-term evaluation (formative evaluation) and the final evaluation (summative evaluation).

   

  Although particular competencies are specified for teaching at different levels (preschool, elementary, middle or high schools) or for different subject matters, the following general competencies are expected to be demonstrated by the Candidates in OSU’s Professional Education Programs. Evaluation of Candidates’ performance in internship should reflect their demonstration of knowledge, skills and dispositions reflected in the InTASC standards.

• Addressing Concerns and Plan of Improvement Form

  Problem Solving Process 

  Most problems which arise during internship are resolved through daily conferencing.  The following process should be followed if a problem isn’t resolved through conferencing between the Candidate, the Mentor Teacher and/or University Supervisor:

   

  1. The University Supervisor or the Mentor may alert the Office of Educator Support (OES) representative and Program Coordinator to discuss any issue(s) or concerns.  
  2. The program coordinator will develop a plan of improvement (POI form) to resolve the problem(s) with input from the Mentor Teacher, University Supervisor and Professional Education staff. The POI form to be used by all OES programs is available below.    
  3. The candidate will meet with the Program Coordinator and a OES staff member to discuss the POI and receive coaching on expectations/needs moving forward to be successful.  
  4. An OES representative will communicate the POI to the Principal and to all involved parties.
  5. The Candidate will follow the outlined POI; the University Supervisor and Mentor Teacher will document the Candidate’s progress.
  6. The University Supervisor will communicate to the program coordinator the Candidate’s progress towards resolving the challenge(s).

   

  Plan of Improvement

  The Plan of Improvement (POI) is designed to assist in the problem-solving process. In cases where a teacher candidate fails to meet expectations, it may be necessary for OSU to develop a POI in order to address the issues. The Plan of Improvement is a proactive and supportive approach designed to assist teacher candidates who may be facing challenges or experiencing difficulties in specific areas of their internship semester. This plan is developed in collaboration between the college or university and the mentor teacher, with the goal of providing targeted support and resources to help the candidate grow and succeed in their teaching journey. The plan is not intended to be punitive but to provide a clear framework for improvement and a pathway towards becoming an effective and confident educator.

   

  Removal from Internship Placement

  If the Candidate fails to satisfactorily meet the POI, one of the following alternatives will occur:

   

  1. The Candidate is removed from the assignment and reassigned within the partner school or the school system. 
  2. The Candidate is removed immediately from internship in that school system. 
  3. The Candidate is removed immediately from the internship.

  NOTE:  The Candidate has the right to appeal the decision to remove them from their internship placement. Appeals are sent to the Director of Professional Education.

• Procedures Related to University Supervisors for Internship

  Step 1: 

  Program Area faculty select OSU Supervisors for their Candidates.

   

  A University Supervisor should possess at a minimum the same qualifications as a Mentor Teacher: a certificate in the teaching area, at least three years of classroom teaching experience, academic competence, knowledge of the basic principles of supervision, and effective team member skills. Supervisors should not be assigned to internships in a school where they currently or in the recent past have had close ties. All applicants must fill out the OSU Supervisor application. It may be necessary to conduct interviews to determine the best “fit” for the current needs in terms of geographic location, grade level, etc. In assigning supervisors to Candidates, the needs of the Candidate should be considered first, but the most economical travel route must also be strongly considered. Since needs vary each semester, hiring of supervisors is done each semester according to needs.

   

  Step 2:

  The Program Coordinator sends a list of University Supervisor contact information (phone and email) and assigned Candidate to the Coordinator of Field Experience and Clinical Practice(kathy.thomas@okstate.edu)

   

  Please submit this data in spreadsheet format, as it will be imported into the OSU-OES database.

   

  Step 3:

  The Program Coordinator sends a list of University Supervisors with the information required by the department for payroll.

   

  An Employment Action (EA) form must be completed at least three weeks prior to the first date of the semester, or the University Supervisor will not have timely access to email, and their pay may be held. University Supervisors are either paid as either “Independent Contractors” if they are not a current OSU employee or “OSU Payroll Employees” if they are. Your administrative assistant processing the EA form will need this information.

   

  Step 4:

  The University Supervisor completes annual training offered by the Office of Educator Support.

   

  Verification of completion of this training will be required for the Supervisor’s end-of-semester mileage reimbursement to be approved. Below are general expectations for all University Supervisors across OES Programs. The University Supervisor is a liaison between the OSU Office of Clinical Experience, the faculty member teaching the student teaching course, the Partner School, the Mentor Teacher, and the Candidate. The Supervisor is expected to:

   

  • Hold regularly scheduled meetings with the Candidate.
  • Visit the clinical site a minimum of three times for substantive observation with written feedback for each visit during the internship period.
  • Engage in a three-way conference two or more times with the Candidate and the Mentor Teacher.
  • Conferences should be conducted among the Candidate, Mentor Teacher, and University Supervisor prior to completing the mid-term evaluation and prior to completing the final evaluation. Evaluation scores and qualitative feedback should reflect the Supervisor’s and Mentor Teacher’s independent views of Candidate performance and should be shared openly with the Candidate.
  • Provide written documentation of observations, providing a copy for the Candidate and maintaining a copy for the Candidate’s file.
  • Conference with the Candidate to discuss planning, learning strategies, classroom management, etc.
  • Participate in discussions with the Candidate and the Mentor Teacher to decide in which other classrooms and/or building the Candidate will observe.
  • Give input to program faculty on the final grade for the internship.

   

  Step 5:

  The University Supervisor completes training with the Program Area.  

   

  This can be conducted in any manner the program area prefers, but it should include specifics regarding program standards, expectations, and preferred communication channels beyond the general expectations listed above.