Partnerships for Clinical Preparation
Standards Alignment: CAEP Standard Two – R2.1 Partnerships for Clinical Preparation – The provider ensures that effective partnerships and high-quality clinical practice are central to preparation so that candidates develop the knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions necessary to demonstrative positive impact on all P-12 students’ learning and development.
The evidence provided demonstrates that partners actively participate in the collaborative development of mutually-beneficial engagement with P-12 school and community arrangements for clinical preparation and they share the responsibility for continuous improvement of candidate preparation.
How alignment is assured: In consultation with EPP Program Leads and Department Heads, the Assessment Coordinator aligns the evaluation measures and assessment tasks with CAEP, InTASC, and appropriate Technology Standards. The Assessment Coordinator maintains alignment as well as adherence to multiple Louisiana state laws and policy regulations. All Standards have been maintained utilizing Watermark-Taskstream. This standards-informed database is maintained by the Assessment Coordinator to ensure alignments accommodate updates to standards, program competencies, courses, or assessments.
Evidence Overview
Description of Evidence: The Office of Professional Laboratory Experiences (OPLE) provides field experiences that provide students opportunities for the practical application of pedagogical skills and knowledge base in collaboration with district and community partners. The experiential engagements include observation, planning, presentation, assessment, and evaluation within the preservice teaching experience. At all levels of field experiences, candidates develop a repertoire of professional skills and competencies which prepare them to become outstanding professional educators who are experts in subject matter content, facilitators of learning, as well as enhancers and nurturers of affective behaviors. Collaboration and effective communication are vital for developing, maintaining, and evaluating the success of OPLE programs. The charts below link each partnership school/district/parish site with which students engage. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOUS) the OPLE establishes and maintains with partners explain the outcomes, collaboration details, and collaborative clinical components.
The purpose of the MOUs is to articulate the goals and responsibilities of each party associated with the continuous development and implementation of clinical, practicum, and field experiences including, though not limited to observations, school site-based coursework, student teaching, undergraduate residencies, and post-baccalaureate internships. Sample MOUs are delineated in the table below with explanations of collaboration details, diversity of placements, and clinical components provided by each district to promote mutually-beneficial partnerships. The EPP’s Pre-K-16 Advisory Board is convened quarterly and provides direct engagement opportunities to communicate with internal and external stakeholders regarding all levels of field experience. Members include EPP faculty and administrators, alumni, mentor teachers, principals, superintendents, district personnel, and faculty members from the College of Arts and Sciences (COAS). The charts below link each partnership school/district/parish site. MOU Outcomes, Collaboration Details, and Collaborative Clinical Components are also included. Sample MOUs are also provided and offer explanation of collaboration details, diversity of placements, and the clinical components available within each district to promote mutually beneficial partnerships.
Grambling State University Standard Two Compendium 1
R2.1
Template for the Presentation of Evidence by Dr. Michele Brewer and Dr. Amber Vraim is licensed under Attribution 4.0 International "College of Education Office of Technology, Assessment, and Compliance: Template for the Presentation of Evidence." Copyright 2020 by Wilmington University.
Grambling State University Standard Two Compendium 1
R2.1 Partnerships for Clinical Preparation
M emoranda of Unde rstanding/Partne rship Agreements
Parish School Links MOU Outcome / Collaboration Details
Point of Contact: William Wysinger
Collaborative Clinical Components (more detailed information found in the next section)
Practicum
Crawford Elementary
Implementation Date: 02/20/2020
Outcome: Accept MOU and all field- based expectations including Year Long Residency ( YLR)
Traditional Student Teaching Collaborative Partnership Experience Year-Long Residency
Bienville
Gibsland Coleman
Point of Contact: William Wysinger
Implementation Date: 02/20/2020
Outcome: Accept MOU and all field-based expectations including YLR
Memoranda of Unde rstanding/Partne rship Agreements
Parish School Links MOU Outcome / Collaboration Details
Huntington High School Point of Contact: Lamar Goree
Implementation Date: 02/20/2020
Outcome: Accept MOU and all field-based expectations including YLR
Judson Elementary Middle School Point of Contact: Lamar Goree
Implementation Date: 02/20/2020
Outcome: Accept MOU and all field-based expectations including YLR
Practicum
Traditional Student Teaching Collaborative Partnership Experience Year-Long Residency
Collaborative Clinical Components
Practicum
Traditional Student Teaching Collaborative Partnership Experience YLR
Practicum
Traditional Student Teaching Collaborative Partnership Experience YLR
Caddo
Keithville Elementary Middle School
Point of Contact: Lamar Goree
Implementation Date: 02/20/2020
Outcome: Accept MOU and all field-based expectations including YLR
Practicum
Traditional Student Teaching Collaborative Partnership Experience YLR
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Grambling State University Standard Two Compendium 1
R2.1 Partnerships for Clinical Preparation
Memoranda of Unde rstanding/Partne rship Agreements
Parish School Links MOU Outcome / Collaboration Details
Queensborough Elementary Point of Contact: Lamar Goree
Implementation Date: 02/20/2020
Outcome: Accept MOU and all field-based expectations including YLR
Memoranda of Unde rstanding/Partne rship Agreements
Parish School Links MOU Outcome / Collaboration Details
Point of Contact: Bill Kennedy
Collaborative Clinical Components
Practicum
Traditional Student Teaching Collaborative Partnership Experience YLR
Claiborne
Homer Elementary
Haynesville Elementary School
Implementation Date: 09/20/2020
Outcome: Accept MOU and all field-based expectations including YLR
Point of Contact: Bill Kennedy Implementation Date: 09/20/2020
Outcome: Accept MOU and all field-based expectations including YLR
Memoranda of Understanding/Partnership Agreements
Parish School Links MOU Outcome / Collaboration Details
Point of Contact: David Claxton
Collaborative Clinical Components
Practicum
Traditional Student Teaching Collaborative Partnership Experience YLR
Practicum
Traditional Student Teaching Collaborative Partnership Experience YLR
Jackson
Jonesboro Hodge Elementary
Implementation Date: 08/2020
Outcome: Accept MOU and all field-based expectations including YLR
Collaborative Clinical Components
Practicum
Traditional Student Teaching Collaborative Partnership Experience YLR
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Grambling State University Standard Two Compendium 1
R2.1 Partnerships for Clinical Preparation
Memoranda of Understanding/Partnership Agreements
Parish School Links MOU Outcome / Collaboration Details
Point of Contact: Rickey Durrett
Cypress Springs Elementary
Implementation Date: 07/21/2021
Outcome: Accept MOU and all field-based expectations including YLR
Lincoln
Ruston Junior High School
Lincoln Preparatory Charter School
Point of Contact: Rickey Durrett
Implementation Date: 07/21/2021
Outcome: Accept MOU and all field-based expectations including YLR
Point of Contact: Gordon Ford
Implementation Date: 02/17/2020
Outcome: Accept MOU and all field-based expectations including YLR
Memoranda of Understanding/Partnership Agreements
Parish School Links MOU Outcome / Collaboration Details
Monroe City
J.S. Clark Magnet Elementary
Point of Contact: Brent Vidrine
Implementation Date: 03/2022
Outcome: Accept MOU and all field-based expectations including YLR
Collaborative Clinical Components
Practicum
Traditional Student Teaching Collaborative Partnership Experience YLR
Practicum
Traditional Student Teaching Collaborative Partnership Experience YLR
Practicum
Traditional Student Teaching Collaborative Partnership Experience YLR
Collaborative Clinical Components
Practicum
Traditional Student Teaching Collaborative Partnership Experience YLR
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Grambling State University Standard Two Compendium 1
R2.1 Partnerships for Clinical Preparation
Memoranda of Understanding/Partnership Agreements
Parish School Links MOU Outcome / Collaboration Details
Calhoun Middle School
Ouachita
Point of Contact: Don Coker Implementation Date: 02/13/2019
Outcome: Accept MOU and all field-based expectations including YLR
Collaborative Clinical Components
Practicum
Traditional Student Teaching Collaborative Partnership Experience YLR
West Ouachita High School
Point of Contact: Don Coker Implementation Date: 02/13/2019
Outcome: Accept MOU and all field-based expectations including YLR
Memoranda of Understanding/Partnership Agreements
Parish School Links MOU Outcome / Collaboration Details
Terrebonne
Ellender High School Point of Contact: Phillip Martin Implementation Date: 07/2020
Outcome: Accept MOU and all field-based expectations including YLR
Practicum
Traditional Student Teaching Collaborative Partnership Experience YLR
Collaborative Clinical Components
Practicum
Traditional Student Teaching Collaborative Partnership Experience YLR
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Grambling State University Standard Two Compendium
1
R 2.1 Partnerships for Clinical Preparation
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
To ensure that partnerships are mutually beneficial and include mutually agreeable expectations for candidate entry, preparation and exit, Memoranda of Understanding are created in collaboration with each district to personalize the experiences for candidates and the schoolhouse Additionally, each Memorandum of Understanding is developed to highlight the specific collaborative clinical components active within the district. Two sample Memoranda of Understanding can be viewed through the links included below:
Sample MOU 1 – Bienville
Sample MOU 2 - Caddo
These Memoranda of Understanding/Partnership Agreements provide evidence for how Grambling State University’s clinical partnerships co-construct mutually beneficial P-12 school and community arrangements for clinical preparation shared accountability
The sample Memorandum of Understanding with Parish School Districts outlines mutually agreeable expectations for candidate preparation.
• The District and the University will mutually agree upon teacher candidates to be assigned to the district for said field experiences through meetings set with district partners and residency coordinator. During this time expectations are discussed such as:
o The placement of all University student teaching candidates or practicum candidates is contingent upon completion of a satisfactory criminal history records check, including fingerprinting.
o The district reserves the right to reject, in its sole discretion, any student proposed for placement.
o During this time MOU discussion and updates occur as evidenced by the table of District Partners and MOU above.
• During Partnership meetings that occur before placement of residents in the district the residency coordinator and district partners review the following as evidenced by the Partnership Meeting Agenda and Sign In:
o Selected candidates must have the appropriate educational background and skills consistent with the contemplated education experience offered by the district as specified in the Residency Handbook
o All University candidates shall teach and observe under the supervision of District assignment mentor teachers and shall follow the direction of District building administrators, mentor teachers and other authorized staff while present in any District School evidenced by pages in the Residency Handbook.
The sample Memorandum of Understanding with the Parish School district also outlines the multiple ways in which Grambling State University and its partners exhibit shared accountability in the preparation of teacher candidates. Within the “District Approved Program, Placement, and Clinical Experience Parameters” section of the MOU, a list of responsibilities highlighting the expectations of the district, the mentor teacher, and the Grambling clinical supervisor are provided for each type of clinical experience (practicum, traditional student
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Grambling State University Standard
Two Compendium 1
R 2.1 Partnerships for Clinical Preparation
teaching, collaborative partnership experience, and yearlong residency). Accordingly, the MOU Parties agree to the following collaborative goals:
• Co-construction of Effective Measures of Clinical and Field Experience: Due to restrictions during the pandemic, the way this was implemented was temporarily paused. However, collaborative meetings held during fall 2022 resulted in the creation of a new protocol for the evaluation of residents A spring 2023 meeting will focus on modifying and innovating field experiences now that schools are back face-to-face. Lessons learned from the Pandemic will be shared and discussed.
• Establish a Framework for Transferring Data: Agreement was reached between the Districts and the EPP for the purposes of monitoring and evaluating the preparation and effectiveness of candidates/residents, completers, and mentor teachers working in Districts pursuant to all applicable federal and state regulations governing the sharing of student-level data, teacher evaluations, and personally identifiable documentation.
Recent Co-Construction Example Through MOU Mentor Teacher Partnerships:
• Fall 2022 Meeting Agenda
• Fall 2022 Meeting PowerPoint
From this meeting, University Supervisors, Mentor Teachers, and Residents agreed that all portions of the Danielson Rubric should be completed for the residents. The section that was not being completed before dealt with professionalism aspects that the university supervisor may or may not see in one observation, but the mentor would see throughout the time with the resident. It was decided that this portion would be completed during the post conference with mentors and shared with residents at that time. Also, any portion of the rubric that was not completed by the university supervisor the score would be provided by the mentor teacher at that time as well.
PK-16 ADVISORY BOARD
The purpose of the PK-16 Advisory Board is to foster communication with stakeholders for all levels of field experience The Board meets quarterly and is comprised of university faculty, EPP alumni who are teaching in partner districts, mentor teachers, principals, superintendents, district personnel, faculty from the College of Arts and Science (COAS), and other stakeholders. Additionally, the Dean of the COE, Department Head for Curriculum & Instruction, Director of OPLE and Residency Coordinator meet throughout the year-long residency program and at the end of each academic year with leadership from primary partnering school districts to discuss and address challenges, questions, or needs that emerged from the Residency experience
PK-16 Advisory Board Members
A sample advisory board agenda and notes provide evidence of shared responsibility for continuous improvement of candidate preparation.
• Advisory Board Meeting Agenda Sample
• Advisory Board Meeting Notes Sample
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Grambling State University Standard Two Compendium 1
R 2.1 Partnerships for Clinical Preparation Analysis and Interpretation
Memoranda of Understanding are created in collaboration with each district to personalize the experiences for candidates and the schoolhouse. MOUs are renewed annually and revisions are made when suggested changes are requested by either the EPP or the partnership school/district/parish While the EPP does an internal review annually, mechanisms need to be put in place so that the partnership sites are provided a formal opportunity to review annually. Moving forward, a more intentional process regarding tracking of decisions and updates to candidate preparation is needed
EPP maintains advisory committees to provide a forum where the co-construction and cross collaboration of both internal and external stakeholders takes place. While this was paused temporarily due to Covid restrictions, there is an intentional focus on maintaining the master schedule for these meetings to occur.
Continuous Improvement
Focus Area 1: The EPP has established extensive partnerships with multiple districts throughout the state of Louisiana However, due to the small size of the state and close-knit professional relationships that exist, these partnerships are often developed and continued through informal meetings and arrangements. Moving forward, the College of Education will continue to hold a formal meeting with each district to review partnership arrangements annually.
Focus Area 2: Remain consistent with stakeholder involvement through quarterly meetings.
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