Field Experiences

Teaching candidates are prohibited from attempting to arrange their placement in any manner and may not contact teachers or district personnel about possible placements. Students may not act on their own behalf or have anyone other than the OFE placement team act on their behalf regarding placements. If you seek your own placement, or one is sought for you by parties other than the CWU placement team, your placement will be put in jeopardy.

To best support the success of your placement request:

• Submit your application by the posted deadline.
• Answer all application questions thoroughly and completely.
• List any specific schools or mentor teacher preferences in your application only IF they have indicated an interest in hosting you during an earlier practicum.  (Most candidates will NOT list anyone here.)
• Update your placement coordinator immediately if your preference requests change after you submit your application.
• Respond promptly to communication sent to your CWU account by the Teacher Certification Program and OFE placement team.

MUSIC STUDENTS: It is your responsibility to coordinate with Drs. James Reddan and Kirsten Boldt-Nuerohr before you submit your placement preferences for Student Teaching (EFC 480) and Field Experience (EFC 330). Drs. Reddan and Boldt-Nuerohr sometimes provide recommendations for music students to be placed with specific districts or teachers. You can include these recommendations in your application. The placement team will submit requests based on the preferences you list.

You will need to submit a placement Request Appeal If:

• You did not submit your placement request application by the deadline posted on the OFE website.
• You want to defer your placement request to a future quarter, and that quarter’s application deadline has already passed.
• Your application was denied because Teacher Certification did not receive academic pre-requisite or legal clearance requirement documentation by the due date.

In order to submit a Field Placement Application appeal, you will need to contact your advisor to receive the appeals link. Late field application appeals will be denied when student teaching academic pre-requisites are not currently being met at the time of the appeal. In the case of an appeal due to unmet academic pre-requisites, you will need to complete a plan to meet your academic pre-requisites, signed by your academic advisor, and submitted with your appeal.

Your appeal is more likely to be approved if all pre-requisites and clearance documentation have been received by the time your appeal is submitted. 

If your appeal is approved, the late application date may still reduce the chances of placement in your first preference area. You will be unlikely to receive placement in areas designated in the application as having reduced placement availability (for example, Kittitas Valley). Depending on when a decision is made about your appeal, the OFE may still not have enough time to secure your placement.

Even if your appeal is accepted, create a backup plan in case you need to defer your field experience to a future quarter. 

Placement Availability

Extenuating personal, professional, and family circumstances for areas with limited placement will not be considered. There are no guaranteed placements with particular school districts, school buildings, or mentor teachers. Not all areas of geographic preferences are available each quarter. 

The OFE placement team will attempt to find a placement that fits your request as closely as possible based on that quarter’s availability. Be prepared to accept a placement in your second or third request area - especially if you select one or more geographical areas designated as having limited availability in the placement application. In areas where placement options are limited, students may be assigned via a random lottery system.

Field placements are dependent upon the feasibility of University-approved supervision. Placements will be sought only in areas where field supervisors are available. Placement districts are primarily located in the areas surrounding the Ellensburg campus and the CWU Centers in Yakima, Wenatchee, Des Moines and Pierce County.  Elementary education practicum courses are taught at one of those locations, and therefore, options for placement requests are limited to districts near the centers where our elementary field faculty are located. There are more district preferences to select from on the student teaching field placement application since student teaching field faculty are located more widely across the state.

Requests for districts outside our designated map areas will be considered on a case-by-case basis only when staff capacity permits and with the approval of the candidate's department chair or program coordinator. Special geographical requests will be reviewed by our Placement Appeals Committee. See the Application Appeals section above for more information.

School districts will accept or deny placements based on the merits of your application, the availability of qualified mentor teachers, and district or school priorities.

Districts are not required to host student interns. Therefore, placements in your content area may not be geographically convenient to you. Candidates sometimes need to travel up to one hour for their field placement, or find alternative housing. The placement team works diligently to obtain placements within one of your three requested districts or nearby districts, but it cannot be guaranteed.

If you ask to change your geographical preferences after a placement request has been submitted to a school or district, your placement coordinator will not retract that request. If that submitted request is denied, your coordinator will update your next request to include your updated preferences.

You will need to complete a new application by the posted deadlines for each new practicum course you take.

Housing and Transportation

You are responsible for arranging your own housing and transportation. These factors cannot be determining factors for placement.

You will not be placed in a school where you:

• Attended high school
• Have relatives who are employed or have been employed within the last two years
• Have relatives or children who are attending or have attended within the last two years

These restrictions may be waived on a case-by-case basis for Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT) candidates, Teacher Academies graduates, and Seattle Academy for Rising Educators (ARE) graduates, or to support candidates who are in other district-specific Grow Your Own programs, at the request of our district partners. Placement decisions and waivers will be made at the Office of Field Experiences' discretion.

If a placement cannot be found in your major and/or certification areas in the quarter for which you apply, your field placement may have to be postponed.

In addition to the policies listed above in Placement Availability and Restrictions, the following are additional policies and procedures specific to the Elementary Education Endorsement:

Elementary Education Grade Level Options:

Candidates for the Elementary Education endorsement will be placed in an elementary school for their practica and student teaching. Washington State's Elementary Education endorsement is a K-8 endorsement, and CWU must ensure that candidates demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and cultural responsiveness for the particular certificate and endorsement area they are seeking (WAC 181-78A-220). Candidates must demonstrate competency through both their elementary methods coursework in each subject, and their fieldwork, as required by law. Therefore, Central will only provide field placements for candidates seeking an elementary education endorsement in elementary schools, not middle schools. 

Districts sometimes hire K-8 Elementary Education endorsed candidates for middle school teaching assignments in specific subject areas, so that employment pathway may be available to candidates once they are recommended to OSPI for certification.

Elementary Education Practicum Regional Options:

The elementary education practicum courses are taught at one of the CWU Centers or Main Campus, and therefore, options for placements are limited to districts near the centers where Central has elementary field faculty:  CWU Ellensburg, CWU Des Moines, CWU Pierce College, CWU Wenatchee, or CWU Yakima.

On applications for field placements, teacher candidates will have the opportunity to share preferences within the regions that Central serves. Applications will ask for three preferred locations by region and school district and candidates may select the same region for all preferences if different districts are requested. As more regions provide student teaching supervision, placements for this field experiences are in a greater number of regions around the state.

Districts are not required to host student interns, and universities are required to provide faculty supervision in any district in which they place candidates. Therefore, placements in your content area may not be geographically convenient to you. Candidates sometimes need to travel up to one hour for their field placement. The placement team works diligently to obtain preferred placements, but it cannot be guaranteed. New applications for each field course that you wish to enroll in are required, including the EFC 480 application for student teaching.

Para-educators Completing Practicum Hours Within Their Employment Placement

Candidates who are employed as paraeducators may be eligible to complete their practicum (field experience) hours within their current job placement, provided that specific criteria are met: 

1. Alignment with Course Objectives:

The candidate’s job duties must directly align with the learning objectives of the practicum course. The field experience must allow the candidate to engage in responsibilities that support the development of skills outlined in the course syllabus. 

2. Supervision by a Mentor Teacher:

The candidate must work consistently with one qualified mentor teacher throughout the duration of the field experience. The mentor teacher must meet all university and certification requirements to serve in this supervisory role.

3. Administrative Approval:

Prior to confirmation of a field experience to be completed during work hours, the candidate must obtain written approval from their school administrator. This approval must be submitted to the university placement coordinator. 

4. District Policies:

Candidates are responsible for understanding and complying with their district’s policies regarding field experience during employment. Some school districts may require paraeducators to take a leave of absence to fulfill university field placement requirements. Most of our partner districts will require paraeducators to take a leave of absence during the full-time student teaching quarter, if not before.

5. Restrictions on One-to-One Assignments:

Paraeducators assigned exclusively to work one-on-one with students, including those in special education or high-needs programs, are not eligible to complete practicum hours under this policy. These assignments typically do not allow for the breadth of experience necessary to meet practicum objectives. 

Failure to meet any of these conditions will result in the candidate needing to complete their practicum hours in a separate, university-approved placement. 

When your placement is secured, an email will be sent to your CWU email. Please check your CWU email daily! Upon receiving your confirmation email, please get in touch with your mentor teacher right away to say thank you for the placement and to introduce yourself.

After all placements have been finalized, you will be registered for your course by your department staff.  It is your responsibility to take care of any holds you may have prior to the add/drop date. You are responsible for any penalties associated with late registration if you have not taken care of your hold.

If you withdraw from a course, you are responsible for dropping the course and any financial consequences. 

If you decide to withdraw, notify your placement coordinator or placements@cwu.edu immediately.

If you decline a confirmed placement that fulfills your certification requirements, you will need to re-apply for a future quarter.

ABSENCE POLICY AND CANDIDATE REVIEW PROCESS

ATTENDANCE AND ABSENCE POLICY

Candidate attendance at course orientations, seminars, and scheduled field experiences is mandatory. Planned absences must be approved in advance by the university supervisor for seminars and by the supervisor and mentor teacher for field experiences. Unplanned absences due to illness or emergency must be made up as directed by the university supervisor and mentor teacher. Failure to make up more than two absences from scheduled field experiences will result in an unsatisfactory (U) grade for the course.

If candidates must be absent from a scheduled field experience due to illness or emergency, they are required to contact the mentor teacher first and be sure to make contact. Candidates should use all contact options – call, text, email - until the mentor teacher confirms that they have received the message. Second, candidates should call the school’s office manager and inform them that they will be absent. Third, candidates must notify their university supervisor of the absence by email.

REASSIGNMENT TO A DIFFERENT MENTOR TEACHER

A candidate that is demonstrating adequate performance may be reassigned to a different mentor teacher for various reasons. For example, reassignment may be necessary if the mentor teacher becomes ill or changes positions. The university supervisor will determine that a reassignment is necessary and coordinate a new placement in consultation with the field director. The reassignment may need to occur the next quarter. In the case in which a candidate is demonstrating adequate performance for the course but cannot be reassigned until the next quarter, the candidate may withdraw (W) or take an incomplete (I) grade for the course following university guidelines.

INADEQUATE PERFORMANCE AND TERMINATION OF FIELD EXPERIENCE

Inadequate performance is defined as candidate knowledge, skills, or attributes that would score as “Needs Significant Improvement” on the Teacher Candidate Attributes Scale or below the minimum score required for adequate performance as defined on course specific assessments.

Washington State law defines a Student Conduct Code (WAC 106-125) for university students and Acts of Unprofessional Conduct (WAC 181-87) for educational practitioners. Behaviors that violate these codes are considered more severe than inadequate performance and may result in immediate termination of the field experience and removal from the Teacher Certification Program. In this case, the field experience will be suspended while the behavior is investigated and addressed through CWU’s Student Conduct process and/or the School of Education (SOE) Candidate Review Committee’s process.

If the mentor teacher, district personnel, and/or the university supervisor have evidence from informal or formal observations or regularly scheduled course evaluations that the candidate demonstrates inadequate performance, the following policies and procedures apply:

1. If the first instance of inadequate performance occurs prior to the mid-term scheduled evaluation, the university supervisor will consult with the mentor teacher to identify specific areas from the course assessments for candidate improvement, provide specific strategies for improvement, and communicate this feedback to the candidate in writing.
2. If additional instances of inadequate performance are documented by school district representatives or the university supervisor or if any areas of the Teacher Candidate Attributes Scale show inadequate performance at the scheduled mid-term evaluation, the university supervisor will develop, in consultation with the mentor teacher, field director, and/or the SOE Candidate Review Committee (CRC), a written Candidate Development Plan delineating specific expectations, supports, consequences, and a timeline for the candidate related to the specific course objectives utilizing the SOE Candidate Development Plan form.
3. Based upon the timeline laid out in the Candidate Development Plan, the performance on the Candidate Development Plan expectations will be assessed and the outcome will be reported on the SOE Candidate Development Plan Progress Report by the university supervisor in consultation with the mentor teacher. If the university supervisor and mentor teacher determine that the candidate has improved to at least the level of adequate performance in all areas of the Teacher Candidate Attributes Scale, the student can proceed in their field experience, and if the candidate meets all other course requirements, they will receive a grade of satisfactory (S) in the course.
4. If the candidate has not demonstrated adequate performance within the Candidate Development Plan timeline, the candidate will receive a grade of unsatisfactory (U) in the field experience course. A referral will be made to the CRC to determine the next course of action.
5. When areas of inadequate performance emerge after the mid-quarter scheduled evaluation, as documented on the Teacher Candidate Attributes Scale, a candidate will be assigned a grade of unsatisfactory (U) for the field experience course, and a referral will be made to the CRC to determine next steps even if a Candidate Development Plan has not been initiated.

VOLUNTARY TERMINATION

Voluntary termination is when the candidate terminates the field experience.

1. Candidates who want to voluntarily terminate their field experience should first meet with the university supervisor to discuss issues that necessitate the termination. Some common reasons for voluntary terminations are personal illness, family commitments, or the determination that teaching is no longer the candidate’s desired profession.
2. If the decision is made to terminate the field experience, the candidate must notify the mentor teacher, university supervisor, and the candidate’s academic program coordinator or department chair of their decision in writing.
3. If the candidate is demonstrating adequate performance on all course assessments at the time of voluntary termination and the candidate desires to continue in the Teacher Certification Program, the candidate may withdraw (W) or take an incomplete (I) grade for the course following university guidelines.
4. If the candidate is not demonstrating adequate performance in the field course at the time of voluntary termination and the deadline for withdrawal has passed, the candidate will receive an unsatisfactory (U) grade for the course.
5. If a candidate is not demonstrating adequate performance at the time of termination and decides at a later date to apply to retake the course, the Second Chance Field Experience policies apply (see below).
6. If the candidate decides that they will no longer pursue the teaching profession, they should consult with the field director for a referral to the appropriate advisor to discuss alternative degree options such as the Instructional Foundations major, the non-certificate STEM minor, the non-certificate ECE major, etc.

INVOLUNTARY TERMINATION

Involuntary termination is when the university or school district terminates the field experience.

CWU maintains placement agreements with all school districts for field experiences. That agreement states that “The District shall have the right to immediately limit or withdraw the use of its facilities by an individual candidate whenever in the judgment of the District, use of the facility by that particular candidate endanger the operations of the District…the District reserves the right to terminate the use of its facilities by a particular candidate where necessary in District’s reasonable judgement to maintain its operations free of disruption.”  

The placement agreement also states that “The University will assign to a partner school only candidates who, in the judgement of the University, have the required academic background and basic skills to be trained in the district.”

1. If the school district’s representative (e.g., building administrator or human resources) determines that it is necessary to terminate the candidate’s field experience due to operational concerns or inadequate performance, then the field experience will be terminated immediately and the candidate will receive a grade of unsatisfactory (U) for the course, the above-mentioned policies/processes notwithstanding.
2. A field experience will be terminated by the University and the candidate will receive an unsatisfactory (U) grade for the course if the candidate does not successfully complete their Candidate Development Plan outcomes, if areas of inadequate performance emerge after the mid-term scheduled evaluation, or if the behaviors associated with inadequate performance have ethical or legal ramifications for the program and department, such as safety concerns.
3. When a field experience has been involuntarily terminated, a referral will be made to the CRC for review and to determine the next course of action.

SECOND CHANCE FIELD EXPERIENCE

STUDENT TEACHING (EFC 480, EDU 574)

1. Candidates who are not demonstrating adequate performance and leave student teaching through voluntary or involuntary termination cannot retake student teaching or continue in the Teacher Certification Program, except when:
   1. The SOE Candidate Review Committee (CRC) reviews the evidence and determines that the candidate’s performance was due to lack of mentorship by the mentor teacher and/or university supervisor.
   2. The CRC reviews the evidence and determines that the candidate’s performance was due to unforeseen circumstances.
   3. The CRC reviews the evidence and determines that even though the candidate did not move to adequate performance in all sections of their Candidate Development Plan, they improved in the majority of identified areas, and the areas remaining could be meet adequate performance through mentored remediation (see #2).
2. In situations when the CRC recommends remediation, the candidate would be offered the opportunity to complete an additional quarter of individually mentored experience on a Candidate Development Plan. If that quarter is successfully completed, then the candidate would be offered the opportunity to repeat student teaching starting on a Candidate Development Plan.

 PRACTICUMS (ELEM 494, ELEF 495, EDU 572, EDU 573, EFC 330) 

1. Candidates who are not demonstrating adequate performance and leave practicums through voluntary or involuntary termination will be referred to the SOE Candidate Review Committee (CRC) to determine if they can retake the practicum and continue in the Teacher Certification Program.
2. Second chance field experiences for practicums will not be offered when:
   1. The candidate does not acknowledge, understand, or address the problem(s) when identified.
   2. The problem is not merely a skill deficit that can be rectified by academic or didactic training.
   3. The problem is not restricted to one area of academic/professional functioning.
   4. The candidate’s behavior does not change as a function of feedback, remedial efforts, and/or time.
   5. The problematic behavior has ethical or legal ramifications for the program and department, such as safety concerns.
3. In situations when the CRC recommends remediation, the candidate would be offered the opportunity to complete an additional quarter of individually mentored experience on a Candidate Development Plan. If that quarter is successfully completed, then the candidate would be offered the opportunity to repeat the practicum starting on a Candidate Development Plan.

 ADDITIONAL SECOND CHANCE FIELD EXPERIENCE POLICIES/PROCEDURES

1. If it is determined by the CRC that the candidate will be offered a second chance field experience, they will be required to reapply for that field experience by the deadlines established for the quarter in which that additional experience is sought.
2. A second chance placement will not occur within the same quarter or the quarter immediately following the first field experience attempt in order to provide time for a new field placement to be sought and for any recommended remedial work to be completed.
3. When the Office of Field Experiences seeks a placement for a student on a Candidate Development Plan, the new placement personnel (mentor teacher and district administration) must be informed of the Candidate Development Plan.
4. Significant effort will be made to find a second chance field experience placement for a candidate who is on a Candidate Development Plan, but a placement cannot be guaranteed. The second chance placement may not be geographically convenient.
5. If, after two quarters, the Office of Field Experiences is unable to secure a second placement for a candidate on a Candidate Development Plan, the placement request will be cancelled, and the candidate will be referred to the appropriate department chair or program coordinator to discuss non-certificated options for degree completion.
6. If the candidate does not successfully receive a satisfactory (S) grade in their field experience course on the second attempt, a third attempt will not be provided, and the candidate will not be able to continue in the Teacher Certification Program. A referral will be made to the appropriate chair or program coordinator to discuss non-certificated options for degree completion.

 INCOMPLETES

A grade of incomplete (I) may be given for field experience courses when candidates are demonstrating adequate performance but are unable to complete all course requirements by the end of the quarter.

1. The university supervisor, in consultation with the field director, will determine when an incomplete grade would be appropriate and work with the candidate to make arrangements for the candidate to finish their field experience at their placement school in order to resolve the incomplete.
2. Grades of Incomplete (I) follow University policy (University policy CWUP 5-90-040 (27)). Selected segments from the policy and procedures as they relate to field experience courses:
   1. "I" is used at the instructor’s discretion when the student was not able to complete the course by the end of the term but had been making satisfactory progress as of the uncontested withdrawal date.
   2. The instructor must submit a grade of "I" on the MyCWU grade roster.
   3. The instructor will designate what the student must do to complete the course. The instructor will inform the department chair of the incomplete, the work that remains to be done, and the deadline for satisfactorily completing that work.
   4. In cases where the instructor has requested a specific completion date earlier than one year, if the work is not completed by the date which was communicated to the student and the chair, then the instructor should submit the change of grade form to convert the “I” to a “U” grade.
   5. When a student satisfactorily completes the prescribed work within the indicated period, the instructor must file a Change of Grade form by the end of the quarter in which the work was completed.
   6. Students may not re-register for a course in which they receive a grade of incomplete.
3. If due to extenuating circumstances the work cannot be completed within one calendar year from the last day of the quarter in which the “I” was received, the instructor will notify the office of the registrar of the new agreed upon completion date as soon as possible.

Last major update 11/26/24; Reviewed by Assistant Attorney General (ATG), John D Clark (5/28/2024) and revisions by ATG Ellen Evans (11/15/2024) and Associate Provost, Kurt Kirstein (11/26/2024). Minor update to name of Candidate Development Plan on 8.4.25 to distinguish from the state's Plan of Improvement process for inservice teachers.

CWU teacher candidates in programs that lead to initial certification with Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction are required to log a minimum of 450 hours (650 hours for Alternative Route candidates) across all approved field experience courses (WAC 181-78A-236). Most of our candidates will log significantly more than the state minimum after satisfying the requirements of the field courses in their specific endorsement areas.  Students may log any hours spent planning, assessing, and instructing as part of the teacher role in their mentor teacher’s classroom or at home.

Additional activities outside the school day considered part of the teacher role, include active participation in staff meetings, IEP meetings, parent teacher conferences, and performances associated with the mentor teacher’s contract, may be logged for certification.

Non instructional activities outside of the school day, such as extracurricular clubs, attending or coaching sporting events, or assisting with study halls, will not count as hours toward certification as they are not activities associated with the role of a typical teacher contract.  However, candidates are highly encouraged to participate in these activities at their schools.  Though not logged as hours spent planning, instructing, and assessing, participation in those activities will be useful in meeting other field course objectives, and will be reflected in the student teaching course assessments.

Students will use the Field Experience Log in MyCWU to log hours planning, instructing and assessing in field courses. Instructions can be found on the Office of Field Experiences website.

Fall student teachers may participate in the previous academic year’s spring commencement without any academic regalia they might earn. This is a Registrar policy. Candidates should work to time their program so that they complete Student Teaching in a quarter that is advantageous to participation. If a candidate could finish in the fall but does not want to wait until the following spring to participate in commencement, they should rearrange their completion quarter to better accommodate their wishes.

The Intern Substitute certificate enables a teacher candidate to substitute, only in the classroom to which the student is assigned for EFC 480 or EDU 574, in the absence of the mentor teacher. 

The ability for EFC 480 Student Teachers to be recommended for the Intern Substitute Certificate is contingent on two successful observations by the assigned Field Supervisor during EFC 480, and the support of the Mentor Teacher, Field Supervisor and School District in obtaining this certificate.

The ability for MAT candidates to be recommended for an Intern Substitute Certificate is contingent on two successful observations during the EDU 573 quarter, and the support of the Field Supervisor, Mentor Teacher, and School District in obtaining this certificate; or MAT Director’s approval.