Office of Field Experiences (OFE)

Statement on Professional Liability of Interns and Student Teachers

School personnel are responsible for ensuring the safety and protection of students at all times. Teacher education candidates completing field experiences and clinical practice are legally viewed as school employees and may be personally charged with negligence if accident or injury occurs to a student in their care. Neither the State of North Carolina nor Western Carolina University will be responsible for providing legal defense for any professional education candidate or for paying for any judgment which may be entered against the accused; therefore, beginning in the Fall 2018, the College of Education and Allied Professions will require that all professional education candidates purchase professional liability insurance prior to beginning their internship. 

Many professional organizations offer professional liability coverage as a benefit of membership. Examples of such organizations include, but are not limited to, the following:

Student Chapter North Carolina Association of Educators (SNCAE) http://www.ncae.org/

Professional Educators of North Carolina (PENC)

Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)

Kappa Delta Pi (KDP)

National Education Association (NEA)

Information on obtaining private liability insurance can be obtained from the North Carolina Association of Insurance Agents.

Note: Some districts require all teacher candidates to have liability insurance for any field experience placement in the district.

 

Early Field Experiences generally involve focused observation, interviews and assisting the classroom teacher.  Courses requiring these experiences include EDCI 201, PSY 323, SPED 339, elementary and middle grades methods courses, and EDCI 607,609, & 616.  Methods courses may also require that candidates plan and implement lessons.  Candidates are required to document from 5 to 24 hours in the classroom depending on the course.  

• Applications for early field experiences open the first day of each semester.
• EDCI 201, PSY 323 and SPED 339 require a time sheet which are to be submitted on Tk20.  
• Documentation of field experiences for other courses is at the discretion of the individual course instructor.

The "Block" Practicum Experience for students taking either ELMG 390 or EDMG 411 in the elementary, middle grades, and inclusive education programs and is generally completed the semester prior to Internship. This experience requires candidates to plan and implement several lessons and work in the classroom one day per week (or two half days) for 10 weeks. 

• Applications for the "Block" practicum experience open at course registration the semester prior.
• Placement information is generally given to the students around the second week of the semester by the Block course instructor.

Internship is a two-semester experience. Candidates gradually assume the responsibilities of the classroom teacher for planning, implementing and assessing lessons, managing student behavior and carrying out non-instructional duties. The goal is for candidates to develop the knowledge, skills and professional dispositions necessary for successful teaching.

• Internship I is three half days for HPE majors and two full days for all other majors. 
• Internship II is 40 hours per week following the host school calendar and continuing through the end of the WCU semester. 
• For undergraduates, no additional classes can be taken during the final semester without prior approval.  Internship/student teaching applications open the first day of the preceding semester and close the 2nd Friday of September or February as applicable.  An online Clinical Practice Handbook is available with detailed expectations and is updated each summer for the following academic year. 

The College of Education and Allied Professions at Western Carolina University subscribes to a definition of diversity inclusive of the following attributes: age, disability, ethnicity, family structure, gender, geographic region, giftedness, language, race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and school performance. WCU candidates should experience a range of school settings and interact with a variety of students. Candidates who have not been placed in a diverse setting prior to the Internship experience will be placed in a diverse setting for Internship (as allowable).

If a diverse placement in a public-school setting cannot be arranged, candidates will be allowed to complete an experience of at least 10 hours (across a full semester) with an after-school or community program that provides academic services in a structured environment for diverse students.

 Diverse experiences are approved by the Office of Field Experiences. The following factors are used to determine the diversity of a school setting:

• School enrollment based on the following student populations: English Learners (EL), race/ethnicity, student socioeconomic status (based on free and reduced lunch program enrollment), and students with disabilities
• Geographic location of the school (i.e., rural, urban, or suburban)
• Type of class (e.g., EC, AIG, etc.)
• Type of school (e.g., public, charter, early college, or child care center)
• School performance (as determined by the state)

In order to ensure that candidates experience a range of school settings and interact with a variety of students, the following attributes must be met in one or more placements over the course of the teacher education program.

REQUIRED:

Placement in a diverse setting with student populations of color greater than or equal to 20%.

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In addition, a placement in a school(s) that meet 2 of the following 5 attributes must also be met upon completion of internship:

1. 5% or more of the student population identified as ELs OR
2. 60% or more of the student population identified as low SES OR
3. Low-performing school OR
4. Urban or suburban school setting OR
5. Alternative Class Type (e.g., early college, charter, AIG, child care center)