Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in Elementary Education Field Experienced and Demonstration Teaching Handbook:

Part 2. Early Field Experiences

The OFE must approve all placement sites. Candidates will be scheduled to complete their early field experiences in at least two schools throughout the program.

Candidates Who Work in an Educational Setting

Candidates who work in an educational setting as a teacher of record or paraprofessional may complete a portion of the classroom-based field experience requirements in classrooms that meet the scope and content area of the program at their place of employment—provided all placement requirements are met and approvals are granted. Candidates in this situation will be assigned a qualified host teacher.

If approved by the OFE and school site, candidates who are the teacher of record can complete up to 50 hours in their own classroom. Candidates in this situation must then work with their assigned host teacher and the academic program coordinator or designee to meet the following guidelines:

• The candidate will meet with the host teacher 1-2 times per week for joint reflection and mentoring.
• The host teacher will complete a host teacher evaluation and timesheet for the candidate at the end of the experience.

If approved by the OFE and school site, candidates who are a paraprofessional can complete up to 50 hours in the classroom where they work provided the teacher of the classroom meets the host teacher qualifications. The teacher of the classroom where the candidate is a paraprofessional must be willing to allow the candidate to help plan and teach lessons in order to complete the field experience assignments for the applicable course(s).

Candidates who are approved to complete up to 50 hours in the classroom where they work as either a teacher of record or paraprofessional must complete the remaining field experience hours in a different setting approved by the OFE.

Walden University recommends that all candidates who work in an educational setting contact their school district human resources office to discuss the school district’s policies regarding employees completing field experience hours. Many school districts do not allow candidates to complete field experience hours without using accrued paid time off.

Diversity

Diversity in field experiences is highly valued. Candidates will be placed in classrooms that meet a range of exceptionalities and meet the program’s diversity criteria during both their early field experiences and DT. Candidates will note their experiences working with students who differ in race, ethnicity, home language, and socioeconomic status on their timesheets for their early field courses, and host teachers will verify the information. Placements will be tracked by the OFE to ensure candidates have experiences in diverse settings.

Teacher candidates are also exposed to a wide range of diverse classroom settings through the VFE® in their courses.

Placement Levels

Candidates in the elementary education program must complete classroom-based field experiences at two levels: primary (Grades K–2) and intermediate (Grades 3–6). Candidates in some states may be required to complete experiences in three levels – Kindergarten, primary and intermediate to cover the scope of the license. Typically, candidates are placed at the primary level first and progress through the intermediate levels throughout the program.

Host Teacher

Host teachers at placement sites must be licensed/certified in elementary education, have at least two years of teaching experience, and be recommended by the principal or district. Host teachers are required to complete a time sheet verifying the hours each candidate spent in the classroom as well as a brief evaluation based on their experience working with the candidate.

Placement for field experience refers to the process of locating and securing a site or school, classroom, and host teacher that meet the requirements for early field experiences. The OFE is responsible for finding and approving all field experience placement sites and host teachers for candidates. As part of the placement process, the candidate must first apply for their early field experiences, and then the OFE will collaborate with the schools and school districts local to each candidate to coordinate their field experience placements.

Field Experience Preparation Course

Walden is committed to providing candidates with resources and support in preparation of field experiences. To help ease anxiety in the field experience process, Walden offers a 0-credit Field Experience Preparation course, a structured experience that guides candidates through the application process and currently available readiness resources. The course is designed to complement other pre-requisite courses needed in preparation for field experiences. There may be reasons why a field experience course needs to be postponed, or the readiness course may not be needed if a field experience opportunity has already been secured. In this instance, students may opt-out of the preparation course. 

Candidates are required to apply for their early field experiences during course EDUC 2405 The Professional Educator. The application is located within the Field Experience Application module in their ePortfolio. Failure to complete the application by the deadline will result in a hold being placed on the candidate’s record, and will prevent them from registering for the subsequent quarter of courses. Once the candidate submits the form and a placement is secured, the hold will be removed, and the candidate will be registered for the next quarter of courses.

The application consists of four components: Candidate Information, Early Field Experiences Preferred Placement Form, Candidate Agreement and Plan of Study. Once the candidate completes all four components of the application, they can submit the application for review by the OFE.

Early Field Experiences Preferred Placement Form

The Early Field Experiences Preferred Placement Form is one of the components of the Early Field Experiences Application. Candidates are responsible for researching and identifying their preferred school districts in their geographical region and listing their preferred school districts on this form.

Provided the school district(s) the candidate lists on the preferred placement form meets program and field experience requirements, the OFE will attempt to place the candidate in the school district they list on the form. However, Walden University does not guarantee candidates will be placed in a school district they have listed on the form. Candidates must accept the placement confirmed by the OFE, or they can choose to defer their early field experience courses to a later term. In addition, the OFE reserves the right to change a candidate’s placement site and/or host teacher as needed.

Plan of Study

The Plan of Study is one of the components of the Early Field Experiences Application. The candidate will receive their Plan of Study from their Student Success Advisor during the first two weeks of EDUC 6405 The Professional Educator. No changes to a Plan of Study can be made unless (1) the change does not impact when the candidate is scheduled to take a field experience course, or (2) the candidate is required to retake a professional core course.

Candidates who wish to update their preferred placement to a different location must contact the OFE to do so at least one term before the field placement is scheduled to begin. If the request is not made by the start of the term preceding the placement start date, the candidate may need to drop the associated field experience course(s) for the upcoming term.

If a candidate relocates to another state, the relocation may impact the candidate’s ability to complete field experiences and/or to obtain professional licensure, certification, or other credential in that state. Candidates are advised to carefully review, evaluate, and understand the requirements of the applicable licensure board in the state in which they intend to relocate.

Note: The OFE may request the candidate to resubmit one or more component parts of the Field Experiences Application to request the change.

Upon receiving the completed Early Field Experiences Application, the OFE will attempt to place the candidate in a district listed on the Early Field Experiences Preferred Placement Form, and enter into an affiliation agreement with the preferred district. The district must agree to host a candidate and the affiliation agreement must be finalized and fully signed before a placement is considered approved. Placement at a preferred site is not guaranteed. The OFE will, however, make every effort to place candidates according to their indicated preferences, provided the site meets program requirements.

Some placement sites or schools may require candidates to submit a résumé as well as complete an in-person interview before the site, school, or district agrees to host them. Thus, the OFE may submit a candidate’s résumé to the potential placement sites. Interviews may be arranged in one of three ways: a principal or director may make direct contact, the OFE may set up the interview, or the school district office may set up the interview.

Some placement sites may also require additional information such as an official transcript, an application, a criminal background check and/or proof of tuberculosis (TB) clearance or other immunization records. When this occurs, the candidate must fulfill the requirements immediately to ensure placement. Failure to fulfill the placement site’s requirements before the experience is scheduled to begin will result in a delayed placement and may require the candidate to postpone registration in the accompanying course(s) until the next offering.

Once a placement has been confirmed, the candidate will be able to view their placement in their ePortfolio. Additionally, the candidate will receive an email from the OFE via their Meditrek ePortfolio regarding the placement information. All email communication between the OFE and principal candidates will take place via the Walden email server, per university policy.

Note: Walden University does not guarantee candidates will be placed in a district listed as preferred on the Early Field Experiences Preferred Placement Form. The university also does not guarantee that it will be able to enter into an affiliation agreement with a particular site. Candidates must accept the placement confirmed by the OFE, or they can choose to defer their early field experience courses to a later term. 

• Candidates are expected to report to their placement site each week.
• Candidates are expected to create a schedule with their host teacher and notify their host teacher if a conflict arises and prevents them from meeting at a scheduled time.
• While conducting field experiences, teacher candidates are considered professional invitees at their approved placement site, and time spent at the site must be focused on completing the early field experiences and program requirements. Therefore, teacher candidates are not allowed to bring their dependent child (children) or other family members to their placement site during early field experiences or DT unless the dependent is an enrolled student at the placement site. If the dependent is an enrolled student at the placement site, the teacher candidate must complete all requirements in a classroom other than the one in which their dependent child is enrolled or in which another family member is present.
• Candidates are required to present themselves in accordance with the Code of Ethics for Minnesota Teachers (Rule 8710.2100) and the Code of Ethics for the state where they complete field experiences during each visit to and in correspondence with a placement site. Candidates should review the Code of Ethics in Part 1 of this handbook.
• Professional dispositions, or attitudes, are very important elements in determining a person’s fitness to teach. Host teachers will evaluate candidates’ professional dispositions toward children and teaching at the end of each early field experience course. In addition, anyone who interacts with the candidate at any point may notify the academic program coordinator or designee for the program if they have a concern with a candidate. The academic program coordinator or designee will schedule a telephone conference with the candidate to investigate the concern. Candidates should review the Professional Dispositions in Part 1. Candidates are assessed on these dispositions. The assessment of professional dispositions is further explained in the Candidate Guidebook.
• If candidates are unable to complete their courses as scheduled and, therefore, are unable to fulfill the early field experience hours for the term, they are responsible for notifying their host teacher, the Walden University Student Success Advising Team, and the OFE.
• Candidates are required to complete the assignments aligned to the field placement.

Candidates are required to enter their early field experience hours on a Field Experience Timesheet after each visit to their assigned placement site. The timesheets are located in the ePortfolio, and will be verified by the candidate’s assigned host teacher during the last week of each of the four field experience courses. Host teachers will also complete an evaluation of the candidate’s knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions during the last week of each of the four field experience courses. 

Important Note: Concerns regarding truthfulness or accuracy of Field Experience Timesheets or host teacher approvals will result in a Code of Conduct inquiry. Candidates who are found to have falsified their timesheets or evaluations in their ePortfolio, or their host teacher’s approval will fail the applicable course(s) and be subject to disciplinary action. For more information about the Code of Conduct, please refer to the Walden University Student Handbook, Section 3: Student Conduct and Responsibilities.