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.