Concerns
As with any kind of work with a wide variety of people, problems and conflicts with individuals or with groups will occur from time to time. Teacher candidates are expected to openly and honestly communicate their concerns. The earlier the concern is discussed, the greater the chance there is for a positive resolution.
The UW Bothell Secondary and Middle Level Teacher Certification M.Ed. provides teacher candidates with direct support from cooperating teachers, clinical faculty, building principals, and the Field Coordinator. All of these professionals are available to help teacher candidates be successful in the field. In addition, the UW Bothell Education Program faculty and advisors are available to discuss efforts to fulfill program requirements.
If a concern involves a cooperating teacher, teacher candidates are encouraged to discuss the issue directly and immediately with the cooperating teacher. If the teacher candidate would like professional advice on the matter before discussing the issue with the cooperating teacher, he/she is encouraged to first conference with the clinical faculty.
If a teacher candidate's concerns cannot be resolved, the field coordinator may provide additional support to both the teacher candidate and the clinical faculty. The clinical faculty and field coordinator will meet with the teacher candidate to discuss the field situation. Additional field observations, and /or meetings with the cooperating teacher or principal may be arranged. Issues of concern will be openly addressed and through the Guidance and Support Team (GST) process a plan for resolving the concerns will be developed and tried for a period of time, jointly determined by the Field Coordinator, cooperating teacher, or building principal. Every effort will be made to monitor and provide continued support toward resolution of the concerns.
Field Placement Changes
Not every placement, no matter how carefully arranged, will prove to be suitable or compatible to the needs and interests of the students, cooperating teacher, or the teacher candidate. At the same time, changes in field placements are disruptive to students, instructional sites, public school faculty, and the instructional program of the Secondary and Middle Level Teacher Certification M.Ed. A change will be recommended only when all other options have been exhausted. When problems occur that might possibly lead to a change in the field placement, intervention or change may be initiated by the university, the field site (cooperating teacher or building principal), or the teacher candidate.
At any point in the program, UW Bothell may reassign or remove a teacher candidate. The field coordinator, clinical faculty, program faculty, or the school personnel may remove a teacher candidate if they judge that the candidate has little or no chance of success in the placement, or the candidate’s presence in the classroom will negatively impact the students learning.
If the Field Coordinator and the clinical faculty determine that circumstances surrounding the teacher candidate’s experience warrant a different placement, the Field Coordinator will determine a date to end the current placement and select a new field site. A teacher candidate must be in good standing at the time of a placement change or a field course may need to be repeated.
Field Site Dismissal
If at any time the cooperating teacher or the building principal request that the teacher candidate be removed from the classroom or building, the removal will be effective immediately.
A teacher candidate who is removed from a classroom because of a serious breach of professional standards or ethics or other causes that pose potential harm to students, the school or its staff, or the Secondary and Middle Level Teacher Certification M.Ed., shall be subject to program dismissal procedures and will receive No Credit for the relevant field experience course.
The teacher candidate's ability to continue in the program will be determined by the UW Bothell Education Program Director with advice coming from program faculty and staff.
Teacher Candidate Initiated Change
Teacher candidates must be in good standing to request a change in field placement. Field placement changes will be made only after every effort has been made to resolve the concerns within the assigned field site. The need for changes in field placements is determined on a case-by-case basis. Gaps in field experience time must be made up and may negatively impact earning credit for that quarter.
In order to request a change in placement, the teacher candidate must submit a written formal request for a change to the Field Coordinator. This request should include the (1) reason for the request and (2) documentation of the steps that the teacher candidate has taken to make the field experience an appropriate environment for demonstrating and developing his or her teaching potential.
The Field Coordinator will arrange a new field placement when necessary. Depending on the circumstances, the teacher candidate may be asked to remain for the quarter and be reassigned to a new field placement in the next quarter
IMPORTANT: All field placements take time to arrange. Securing a new placement, especially during the full-time teaching internship, might result in loss of teaching time in the field, which will need to be made-up in order to fulfill certification and program requirements.