College of Education

Program accreditation

Accreditation Report

Section III: Evidence of Meeting Each Standard (continued)

Standard 3: Field Experiences and Clinical Practice

The unit and its school partners design, implement, and evaluate field experiences and clinical practice so that teacher candidates and other school personnel develop and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to help all students learn.

Collaboration between Unit and School Partners

College of Education faculty and their field-based colleagues work together in planning and providing high quality field experiences in the teacher, administrator, school counselor, and school psychologist preparation programs. Specifically, the unit and its school partners:

  1. Share and integrate resources and expertise to support candidates' learning in field experiences;
  2. participate jointly in professional development activities and instructional programs for candidates and children;
  3. determine specific placements of student teachers and interns for other professional roles to maximize the learning experience for candidates and P-12 students; and
  4. design, implement, and evaluate the unit's conceptual framework and the school program.

The following is a discussion of the above concepts:

1-3. Integration of resources and expertise, joint participation in professional development, and determination of placements for student teaching and internship.

Field experience and clinical practice are integral program components of the preparation of teachers, administrators, school counselors and school psychologists.

The following description relates to the teacher education program:

Recent revisions of the undergraduate elementary and secondary teacher education programs allow both the faculty and candidates to become more involved with the hands-on practice of teaching. Prior to entry into the teacher education program, candidates are introduced to the P-12 school environment through a one-week observation, a component of their initial field experience (T&L 300). At that time, they are also introduced to the program's conceptual framework and look for its components in the classrooms they observe. Since the last NCATE visit, teachers from partnering schools have worked with university faculty to design and implement additional field experiences to ensure ongoing school-based opportunities where candidates observe, assist, tutor, and teach. The undergraduate early childhood and elementary education practica (T&L 402, 405, 490), implemented in 2001, and the secondary education practica (T&L 317, 400), implemented during 2000 were a result of careful planning with partnership school faculty and administrators.

Elementary education candidates now participate in practicum experiences that are integrated with the literacy (T&L 306, 307, 320) and science/social studies/math blocks (T&L 371, 385, 352). University faculty members arrange placements and participate with candidates and school partners in a variety of practicum experiences. Beginning fall 2002, candidates will complete the final required course work in a 10-week block. Candidates will then spend the remaining five weeks fully immersed in a school setting, preferably in the same setting where they will then student teach. During the five-week practicum, candidates will complete integrated assignments that will count toward their grades for the 10-week block of courses. The WSU faculty will use technology to communicate with candidates and collaborate with P-12 teachers during this time. Across all practica, a goal is to place candidates at different grade levels and with students from diverse backgrounds.

The undergraduate secondary program was revised to include an additional field experience. Candidates complete a three-week, full-time structured experience (T&L 317) that provides an in-depth view of secondary schools before they enroll in T&L 302, Secondary School Curriculum and Content Literacy Development, and T&L 303, Secondary School Instruction and Content Literacy Methods. Later in their program, candidates complete a 60 hour advanced practicum and seminar (T&L 400) designed to prepare them for student teaching. The WSU faculty works with school personnel to place and supervise candidates.

At the undergraduate level, student teaching is a full time 15-18 week experience. The university and participating school districts work closely to determine effective placements for candidates. A minimum of ten seminars is conducted at the university or school district sites. Depending on candidate and school district needs and interests, university supervisors select from a list of seminar topics. A Seminar Guidebook (available for review in the Exhibit Room), developed by a faculty member and a teacher from a partnership school, provides resources and teaching suggestions for each topic.

The undergraduate student teaching experience is presently being revised in order to (a) provide more contact between the WSU faculty and candidates during and following the student teaching experience; (b) provide candidates with more experience with diverse student populations; (c) increase collaboration between partnership schools and WSU in the design, implementation, and evaluation of the student teaching experience; (d) develop consistency in expectations and assessment of candidates at all student teaching sites; (e) place cohorts of candidates at sites; and (f) establish the supervisors as an integral part of the teacher education program.

The following provides a list of major changes that have been made to date as part of the revision of student teaching:

In order to integrate field supervisors into the program, supervisors in the undergraduate programs at all campuses now participate in faculty meetings and some supervisors teach courses other than the seminars. Additionally, all supervisors for a given program (e.g., undergraduate program at WSU-P) come together frequently to participate in meetings so that student teachers receive similar guidance, feedback on performance, and seminar participation. Furthermore, to obtain more consistency in candidate assessment and to increase the use of performance-based assessment of student teachers, a new student teacher assessment system will be implemented in fall of 2002 (see Teacher Education Assessment Plan). The pedagogy assessment portion of this assessment system is being piloted during the 2001-02 academic year, so the final version will not be available until late spring or summer of 2002.

Undergraduate practicum and student teaching handbooks and the Seminar Guidebook are available in the Exhibit Room.

At the graduate level, the MIT is a full-time 15-month program at Pullman and Vancouver, and a two-year, part-time program at WSU-TC. The MIT at all campuses requires pre-internships and internships (student teaching) in local schools. Faculty who teach in the MIT program partner with school-based faculty to design and implement clinical practice for the MIT. The supervised pre-internship experience and seminar requires 10-12 hours a week for 15 (WSU-P, WSU-V) to 17 (WSU-TC) weeks. The pre-internship emphasizes the conceptual framework. Candidates engage in a wide range of non-instructional, observational, and instructional activities. They begin preparing their action research project, set goals for the internship, and gain experience with different grade levels. The cooperating teachers and WSU supervisors/faculty jointly plan, supervise, and mentor the MIT candidates.

For the MIT supervised internship, candidates are in local schools 4.5 days a week for 15 weeks (WSU-P), full-time for 15 weeks (WSU-TC), or half time for 10 weeks and full time for 10 weeks (WSU-V). Candidates are expected to become full members of the school community and participate in a wide range of instructional, professional, and informal activities. In addition, they complete their action research projects during the internship. They are supervised by faculty, field supervisors, and mentor teachers, and must attend seminars on either the university or school campus.

The MIT internship offers candidates the opportunity to stay in the building where they completed the pre-internship or to experience a different environment. Many of the candidates are clustered in buildings. This encourages a sense of shared responsibility for the field experience among the candidates, mentor teachers, and WSU supervisors. The ongoing professional conversations among candidates and teachers that take place because of having several candidates in a building provide a source of ongoing professional development for both mentor teachers and teacher candidates. The MIT handbooks in the Exhibit Room describe the expectations of candidates.

The EdM with Certification programs at WSU-V and WSU-P are similar to the MIT program in terms of the structure of pre-internships and internships. However, at WSU-V candidates have the option of certification only, or certification in conjunction with a master's degree. To accommodate these options, candidates first complete the certification course work. Those wanting a master's degree continue with addition courses. At WSU-P, candidates wanting only a certificate complete the undergraduate course work. Those wanting a certificate in conjunction with a master's degree complete the EdM with Certification program, which integrates certification and master's degree requirements.

The WSU-P program is five semesters in length. Candidates begin in the summer and complete the program the fall of the following year. The program requires two pre-internships and one internship, all accompanied by seminars. The WSU-V EdM with Certification is a part-time program that candidates can begin in any semester. The program requires a pre-internship and an internship, both accompanied by seminars.

The supervised pre-internships require at least six hours a week in a local school for 15 weeks. Candidates engage in a range of observational, non-instructional, and instructional activities. The WSU-V program also has a diversity component that requires additional time, and a professional element that requires interaction with a school principal or other administrator. Candidates in the WSU-V program must construct a preliminary portfolio around the three themes of the Professional Certification--effective teaching, professional development, and leadership. They also participate in an electronic action research project.

The supervised internship for the EdM with Certification program is 15 weeks long. Twelve (WSU-V) to 15 (WSU-P) of those weeks must be full-time. Requirements for the WSU-V program include, in addition to solo teaching, the development of a teaching portfolio, development of a Professional Growth Plan as part of the Professional Certification requirements, inclusion of a diversity component, and reflective journals. The handbooks for the EdM with Certification program, available in the Exhibit Room, provide more details about the program requirements.

Candidates in the endorsement programs for special education, ESL/bilingual, reading, and health and fitness must complete the field experiences associated with the early childhood, elementary, or secondary education programs. In addition, the special education program requires two semesters (180 clock hours) of supervised practicum in local special education settings, plus 5-8 weeks of the full-time student teaching (T&L 415) must be in special education. The ESL/bilingual program requires one semester of practicum experience (four hours a week) in combination with a seminar. One course in the reading endorsement program requires candidates to work individually with students. Health and fitness endorsement candidates complete a one-credit practicum with students with disabilities, in addition to the practicum and student teaching requirements of the secondary program.

The information below relates to professional preparation programs for other school personnel:

When a candidate makes application to one of the administrator preparation programs, he/she must provide evidence that appropriate school district personnel (superintendent, principal, or other) are aware of his/her interest in school administration and/or the particular certificate or degree being sought. This awareness also includes being willing to provide the necessary support to the candidate throughout the program, especially the internship.

Each of the administrative development programs includes a comprehensive internship. For cohort programs (superintendent and principal) the internship is two years in duration; for the other programs the internship is one year in length, coming at the end of the program and usually after all course work has been completed. (see Exhibit Room for an example of an individual statement of agreement between a student and the district in which he/she will complete the administrative internship).

All internship experiences are designed cooperatively by the intern and the district supervisor, with appropriate guidance by university faculty. These experiences are aligned with program expectations and focus on the "real work" of school leaders. There is a strong emphasis on leadership development, communications, problem solving, decision-making, and change. Candidates are required to keep a log of their experiences, as well as a reflective log showing their personal growth and development. A portfolio detailing internship activities, correlated to the ISLLC standards, is required of each candidate.

Interns talk and meet regularly with university faculty during the internship. There are seminars or regional meetings held on a regular basis. Interns also communicate regularly with university faculty via e-mail. Faculty advisors also do site visits with interns, at least twice a year, and host a celebration activity upon completion of the internship. This recognition ceremony includes the presentation of an appropriate plaque or certificate to each intern and his/her district mentor.

Consistent with state mandated requirements, candidates in the school counseling program complete practicum and internship field experiences. Practicum experiences are completed during the candidate's first year of study and are coordinated by the professor designated to teach the internship experience which occurs in their second year of study. In accordance with the recommendations of the WSU School Counseling Professional Education Advisory Board (Counselor PEAB), this experience is designed to expose candidates to the various roles and functions of the school counselor at different grade levels

Candidates in the school psychology program are required to fulfill practicum and internship field experiences specified by state guidelines. The practicum occurs near the end of coursework and consists of both clinical experience and coursework designed to introduce the candidate to the role and function of the school psychologist along with additional assessment techniques. The coursework portion addresses the aspects of the assessment process that go beyond the cognitive assessment curriculum. These topics include structural observation, functional behavioral assessment, and assessment of psychological processes such as short-term memory.

The school psychology internship consists of a minimum of 1200 hours of school experience. All internships are in public schools and are supervised by an experienced school psychologist (minimum five years experience) who has earned a continuing certification in school psychology. It should be noted that when it is determined that a prior internship experience (e.g., toward an M.A. in counseling) contained relevant school experiences, a maximum of 600 hours of internship may be waived. Candidates are expected to keep a log of their internship hours and experiences. In addition to contacts with field supervisors, all interns are expected to maintain regular e-mail contact with the university supervisor to allow for frequent and timely contact. This e-mail network of interns allows for group discussion of interesting cases, ongoing issues and in-service/ workshop opportunities. The university internship instructor meets with the intern and supervisor at the beginning of the internship, and during the internship year, to develop an internship expectation plan. At the completion of the internship, candidates are expected to take and pass the National Association of School Psychologist credentialing exam.

4. Joint design, implementation, and evaluation of the unit's conceptual framework and the school program.

Both university and P-12 faculty implement and evaluate the field experiences. In addition, P-12 teachers and administrators assist with program development through the respective PEABs, by presenting in courses, and by meeting with faculty to discuss how to improve the programs. Local adjuncts who are experienced teachers are often hired to teach courses and the Department of Teaching and Learning is developing a teacher-in-residence program at the Pullman campus. Each conceptual framework is used as the basis for program development, assessment and revision. Consequently, all planning, implementation, and evaluation activities with P-12 partners involve reflection on the relationship between all activities and the conceptual framework.

Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Field Experiences and Clinical Practice

The design, implementation and assessment of field experiences and clinical practice in each of the professional preparation programs are guided by the following principles:

  1. Field experiences allow candidates to apply and reflect on their content, professional, and pedagogical knowledge, skills, dispositions in a variety of settings with students;
  2. candidate learning is integrated into field experiences;
  3. candidates observe and are observed by others;
  4. candidates regularly and continually interact with teachers, WSU supervisors, and other student teachers about their practice;
  5. candidates reflect on and can justify their own practice;
  6. candidates collect data on student learning, analyze them, reflect on their work, and develop strategies for improving learning;
  7. the conceptual framework is modeled in field experiences by clinical faculty and through well-designed opportunities to learn through doing;
  8. candidates are members of instructional teams in schools and actively participate in decisions;
  9. candidates are involved in a variety of school-based activities to improve teaching and learning, including the use of informational technology;
  10. clinical faculty are accomplished school professionals who are jointly selected by unit and partner schools; and
  11. clinical faculty are prepared for their roles as mentors and supervisors and demonstrate the skills, knowledge, and dispositions of highly accomplished school professionals.

The following is a discussion of the above principles:

1-6. Field experiences provide for application and reflection, integration of learning, observation of others, ongoing contact with mature professionals, an opportunity to collect and interpret data related to student outcomes, and practice in developing strategies to improve learning.

Because teacher education programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels are field-based, candidates are in practica and pre-internships while they take their methods courses. In the MIT and EdM with Certification programs, candidates are also in methods courses concurrent with the internship, while undergraduates must complete all course work prior to student teaching. Concurrent enrollment in field experiences and methods classes allows candidates to apply their learning in P-12 settings. Examples of course and field-based assignments include reflective journals, justification of teaching plans relative to learning theory and diversity, reflection on teaching outcomes, action research projects, and discussions of field experiences with the mentor teachers, supervisors, and faculty members. These provide candidates with opportunities to reflect on their knowledge, skills, and dispositions, and to link their learning to the conceptual framework.

In all their field experiences, teacher education candidates are clustered in classrooms or schools and observed by mentor teachers, supervisors, and WSU faculty members. This, along with regularly scheduled seminars that include discussions of their experiences, allows candidates to reflect on their practice and learn from each other, as well as from their mentor teachers, supervisors, and faculty members.

In fall of 2002, the state's Pedagogy Assessment, currently being pilot tested by WSU and other universities, will be integrated into a larger student teacher/intern assessment instrument (see Teacher Education Assessment Plan). This assessment will require candidates to justify to their university supervisors and mentor teachers the various elements of the lesson plans relative to learning and development theory, meeting the needs of students with diverse backgrounds, and the conceptual framework. They will need to implement their lessons while being observed by mentor teachers and supervisors, collect data on student learning, reflect on the outcomes, revise their strategies, justify these revisions, and demonstrate a positive impact on the learning of all students. In order to obtain a teaching certificate, candidates must meet all state standards contained in the Pedagogy Assessment.

Practica and internships in the administrator, school counselor and school psychologist preparation programs require candidates to keep a log of their experiences. Candidates in the administrator program also keep a reflective log showing their personal growth and development, and construct a portfolio correlated to the ISLLC standards, in which they detail internship activities and accomplishments.

Interns in the administrator, school counselor and school psychologist programs talk and meet frequently with university faculty as well as on-site supervisors. Within the school counseling program, candidates are enrolled in an internship course and meet weekly with the instructor. Within the administrator program, which places interns at locations some distance to a WSU campus, on-going communication is maintained with supervisors and other candidates via email. The internship extends over a two year period, with faculty advisors visiting each internship site at least twice a year.

To assure the quality of the experience in school counseling, the Counselor PEAB and the university faculty have implemented several assessment procedures. Candidates are required complete weekly school experience logs to indicate when and how they have fulfilled the internship requirements. Candidates are required to compile a portfolio that contains examples of their work demonstrating mastery of the knowledge and skills (see Professional Portfolio - Washington State University School Counselor Performance Based Preparation Program). The Counselor PEAB evaluates these portfolios. At the completion of the internship, candidates are evaluated specifically on the required knowledge and skills. The university internship instructor meets with the school counselor supervisor and the candidate at the beginning of the internship experience to discuss the requirements and expectations and to develop a plan for fulfilling them in that internship setting. Additional meetings are scheduled throughout the internship to evaluate progress. Within the administrator preparation program, P-12 school representatives on the PEAB are frequently involved in candidates' internship experience and their membership on the PEAB provides opportunities to give the university feedback and make recommendations for changes in procedures.

The internship experience of the School Psychologist closely mirrors that of the applicant for the School Counselor position. Applicants are expected, as per WACs to complete a total of 1200 hours of internship experience, of which a minimum of 600 must be in a school setting. The specific experiences that compose the internship, are delineated by the National Association of School Psychologists. Briefly, the internship is to be composed of opportunities for assessment, counseling, collaboration and consultation as well as professional growth. Candidates and their field supervisors meet with the faculty supervisor at the beginning and middle of the internship experience. If necessary, an exit meeting also occurs. Candidates keep a daily/weekly log of all activities, and this log is reviewed by the faculty intern supervisor upon completion of the internship. To date, the PEAB has not expressed an interest in reviewing these logs or individual intern progress, but the recommendation will be made for this activity.

All interns and practicum candidates contribute to an ongoing e-mail conversation that allows for immediate response to candidate questions. Candidates are expected to join the on-line conversation at least weekly with issues arising during the internship. Cases are shared and discussions arise from the decisions made at the local level by either intervention teams or the Multidisciplinary Team. Latest research and legal decisions that affect practice are discussed and debated.

7. The conceptual framework is modeled by field supervisors.

The conceptual framework is an integral part of field experiences, so candidates have ample opportunities to link their knowledge, skills, and dispositions to the conceptual framework, reflect on their practice, and discuss it with mentor teachers or practicum/internship supervisors. Within the teacher education program, field supervisors are involved in all aspects of the department, including review of the conceptual framework, teaching courses based on the conceptual framework, and discussing it with candidates. Consequently, they are fully knowledgeable of the conceptual framework and apply it in their own teaching and supervision.

8-9. Candidates are members of instructional teams in schools and are involved in a variety of school-based activities to improve teaching and learning, including the use of informational technology.

Candidates are required to be full members of the educational community during student teaching/internship. The student teaching/internship handbooks outline a full range of activities in which teacher education candidates are to engage (e.g., parent conferences), and mentor teachers document candidates' participation in these activities. This arrangement provides opportunities for candidates to participate in staff development activities and professional decision-making. Likewise, practicum candidates and interns in the administrator, school counselor and school psychologist preparation programs are expected to be involved in a host of on-site activities designed to improve the quality of the learning environment.

10-11. Clinical faculty are accomplished school professionals who are jointly selected by unit and partner schools. They are prepared for their roles as mentors and supervisors and demonstrate the skills, knowledge, and dispositions of highly accomplished school professionals.

Within the teacher education program, mentor teachers and field supervisors must have a minimum of three years' teaching experience. They are jointly approved by the university and partner district. Contracts delineating the responsibilities of mentor teachers and supervisors are kept current and on file at the university. In addition, field supervisors are carefully screened to ensure they are highly competent professionals. Many come from the local education community where they are highly regarded teachers. Some supervisors participate in faculty meetings, on department committees, and in professional development activities. Some also teach courses, in addition to the seminars associated with field supervision.

Student teaching supervisors are evaluated annually by the candidates, mentor teachers and building administrators. The Director of Teacher Education Field Services, in consultation with the department chair, works with the supervisors to resolve problems. Supervisors are not rehired if they consistently receive poor evaluations.

Supervisors for administrator, school counselor and school psychologist practicum candidates and interns must be experienced professionals who hold continuing certification in the field in which they will supervise.

Candidates' Development and Demonstration of Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions to Help All Students Learn

The acquisition and application of specified knowledge, skills and dispositions results in candidates helping all students to learn. To assure that candidate have the requisite knowledge, skills and dispositions, the following indicators are examined:

  1. Candidates demonstrate mastery of content and pedagogy before admission to clinical practice;
  2. multiple assessments are used to determine areas needing improvement and develop a plan for improvement;
  3. summative assessments indicate candidates meet professional, state, and institutional standards and have positive impact on student learning;
  4. candidates work collaboratively with other candidates and clinical faculty to critique and reflect on each others' practice and their effects on student learning with the goal of improving practice;
  5. field experiences facilitate candidates' exploration of their knowledge, skills, and dispositions related to all students; and
  6. candidates demonstrate proficiencies that support all student learning as shown by their work with students with exceptionalities and those from diverse ethnic, racial, gender, and socioeconomic groups.

Each of these indicators will be discussed below:

1. Candidates demonstrate mastery of content and pedagogy before admission to clinical practice.

Undergraduate candidates must successfully complete all course work prior to admission to student teaching. They must also have successfully completed all practica, where they are under the direction of a mentor teacher and WSU supervisor. At the undergraduate level, review of candidate files is conducted to assure all work is completed prior to supervisor interviews for student teaching placement. The supervisor reviews candidate files during the placement interview, paying close attention to the practicum assessment results. Any concerns are discussed with the candidate. The College of Education Student Affairs Committee meets prior to student teaching with any candidate who has been identified through documentation on the EACE forms (see Exhibit Room for examples). If the Student Affairs Committee determines the candidate should not student teach, that decision is shared with the candidate, which triggers remediation or career counseling. At the graduate level in teacher education, written evaluations by the field supervisor and mentor teacher are compiled from the pre-internship and must indicate readiness to begin the internship.

Candidates in administrator, school counseling and school psychology preparation programs must (a) complete prerequisite courses and (b) work closely with the university practicum or internship instructor in arranging for a placement and identifying a qualified on-site supervisor.

1-3. Multiple assessments are used to determine areas needing improvement and to develop a plan for improvement. Summative assessments indicate candidates meet professional, state, and institutional standards and have positive impact on student learning.

As indicated in the discussion of Standard 1 and Standard 2 of this Institutional Report, candidates are assessed in multiple ways throughout the program. Course instructors and field supervisors work with candidates on any areas needing improvement. Course grades and successful completion of field assignments document candidate improvement; otherwise, candidates must repeat the course or field experience.

Within the undergraduate teacher education program the Pedagogy Assessment is introduced early. Candidates are asked periodically throughout the programs to assess their own performance relative to the Pedagogy Assessment that addresses both lesson planning and teaching. Finally, the Professional Certification requirements are introduced during student teaching/internship. Some programs (e.g., the MIT at WSU-V) have begun to require candidates to develop a Professional Growth Plan, a requirement of the Professional Certificate program, prior to the end of student teaching/internship. All programs will have integrated this component by the end of the fall 2002 semester (see the Teacher Education Assessment Plan document).

Within the administrator, school counseling and school psychologist programs, school experience logs, supervisor observations and candidate portfolios are used to assess the progress of practicum and internship candidates, and to plan additional experiences that will address any weaknesses detected.

Summative assessment for teacher education candidates includes (a) the exit ratings given by supervisors at the end of the student teaching experience and (b) the entrance to practice examination that is currently being developed for all Washington teacher candidates through the auspices of the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).

For advanced programs, candidates are required to pass a comprehensive six-clock-hour essay examination dealing with the major areas of knowledge and skills in the profession for which he/she is seeking certification. Higher order thinking skills, such as synthesizing outcomes and providing solutions to novel problems, are required within the examination.

A comprehensive written examination at the end of a program of professional study is a requirement established by OSPI and has been in place since the early 1990s. Subsequently, the WSU Graduate School agreed to changes that permit the comprehensive examination to meet requirements for the EdM degree, as well.

4. Candidates work collaboratively with other candidates and clinical faculty to critique and reflect on each others' practice and their effects on student learning with the goal of improving practice.

Teacher education candidates are clustered in classrooms and schools during the various field experiences in order to promote collaboration with each other, as well as with mentor teachers and supervisors. Within all certification programs, seminars or courses are associated with each field experience. These provide the forum for candidates to reflect on their own work, as well as that of other candidates, and to form a learning community that focuses on the teaching practice and the enhancement of student learning. The handbooks for the various field experiences describe the activities and assignments that address this collaboration (see Exhibit Room for copies of handbooks).

5-6. Field experiences facilitate candidates' exploration of their knowledge, skills, and dispositions related to all students; and candidates demonstrate proficiencies that support all student learning as shown by their work with students with exceptionalities and those from diverse ethnic, racial, gender, and socioeconomic groups.

See the discussion of Standard 1 and Standard 2, as well as the Teacher Education Assessment Plan to be implemented in fall of 2002. Current program evaluation activities specifically assess the adequacy of candidates' preparation to have a positive impact on the learning of all students. The assessment process to be implemented in fall of 2002 will require candidates to demonstrate that they can positively impact the learning of students from diverse backgrounds.

The internship experience for school counselor candidates facilitates candidates' exploration of their knowledge, skills and dispositions related to all students. As is reflected in the school experiences log, candidates engage in a variety of activities that impact students such as guidance curriculum (e.g., classroom activities), individual planning (e.g., Individualized Education Plan meetings, and school to career planning), responsive services (e.g., consultation), system support (e.g., permanent record maintenance), and administrative support (e.g., scheduling and placement). The school counselor internship log provides a framework to evaluate whether candidates have demonstrated competency in the functions of a school counselor that support all student learning as shown by their work with students with exceptionalities and those from diverse ethnic, racial, gender, and socioeconomic groups. For example, school counselor candidates are evaluated in terms of their development, implementation and evaluation of student guidance learning objectives and in regard to how to how they function as a team member in 504 and MDT meetings.

The variety of assessment tools that face the school psychologist candidate in program, mirrors the expectation that the Psychologist in practice, will be able to assess a student with a variety of tools, both standardized and curriculum-based. The certification plan, developed by candidate and faculty advisor, outlines the coursework needed for certification. At the completion of the coursework, prior to practicum and internship, the candidate and advisor meet to discuss progress, both academic and professional, toward the certificate. During the internship, there is continual feedback from the field supervisor and, as a culminating assessment, the candidate takes the NASP certification exam which is comprehensive. An alternative evaluation to the NASP exam is a written comprehensive exam designed by EWU and used with its Master's degree candidates and would be implemented if the candidate were unable to achieve a passing grade on the NASP certification exam.

 

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