Field Based Teacher Candidate Resources: Field Experience and Clinical Teaching Requirements

For initial teacher certification, the candidate must complete field based experience classroom observation for a minimum of 50 clock hours prior to assignment for clinical teaching.

The field based experience must include classroom observation and actively engaged activities.

All placements for field-based experience must be in a TEA-accredited public school.

Program Requirements for Clinical Teaching

The following must be met to be approved to clinical teach:

• Full admission into the Field-Based Teacher Education program;
• Meet overall GPA requirements – 2.75 GPA required;
• Documented 50 hours of Field-Based Experiences (It is a TEA requirement that all students must have documented 50 FBE hours before they begin clinical teaching);
  • The field based experience must include classroom observation and actively engaged activities;
• Receive departmental approval from respective academic department (obtained by teacher certification staff). Note: A department may prevent a student from interviewing or beginning clinical teaching for academic or professional behavioral reasons. In addition, a department may require higher GPA and/or course grade requirements;
• Senior standing (completion of approximately 80 semester hours of college coursework);
• Complete all required coursework, with a grade of “C” or better, and a GPA of 2.75 in all identified teacher education subsections of the Degree Works plan;
• Mandatory participation in partnership district interviews. A successful interview resulting in a placement is required to complete student teaching;
• The clinical student teaching candidate is required to have personal transportation to meet the attendance demands of clinical teaching.

The following must be met to obtain approval to complete semester two of clinical teaching :

• Continue to meet overall GPA requirements – GPA of 2.75 required;
• Completion of all coursework, with a grade of “C” or better, and a GPA of 2.75 in all identified teacher education subsections of the Degree Works plan;
• Pass the Content TExES Exam for your certification area;
• The clinical student teaching candidate is required to have personal transportation to meet the attendance demands of clinical student teaching.

Placement in a student's first district choice is not guaranteed. Placement in any school district is contingent upon the number of applicants requesting a specific district, and the availability of available mentors. Placement in a student's second district choice may be necessary to secure a clinical student teaching placement.

NOTE: An applicant may not be placed on a campus as a clinical teacher in which a family member is employed, i.e., principal, teacher, educational aide, custodian, etc. Placement in such a situation is a conflict of interest and is not permissible.

Clinical Teaching Application Process

Approval to clinical teach must be requested through a formal application during the spring/fall semester before the teacher candidate plans to teach.

The application for clinical teaching is housed in Tk20. Students must have a Tk20 account to apply for clinical teaching. The application process begins on the first day of the semester and is only available during a designated timeframe. Applications must be submitted in Tk20 by the designated due date. Applications may not be processed past this date. Students should contact their major advisor for questions concerning readiness to apply for student teaching.

*Please refer to the Academic Calendar for the necessary dates above.

Note: All applications open on the first day of classes. Educational aide applications will not be reviewed until after the application deadline has passed and the application period has closed.

Clinical Teaching Application Instructions

STEP 1: LOGIN TO YOUR TK20 STUDENT ACCOUNT

Candidates purchase Tk20 during the admission application process for their program. If you do not have a TK20, you may purchase one in one of two ways.

• Contact the ETAMU Campus Store (students qualifying for Financial Aid may opt to purchase through the Bookstore)
• Log in to TK20 and set up your student account by clicking on “Click here to register your student account,”– Located on the left-hand side at the bottom.

STEP 2: CREATE AN APPLICATION

1. Go to the “Applications” tab located in the left side menu.
2. Click on the green “Create New Application” button.
3. Select the appropriate application from the dropdown menu and then hit the green “Next” button.
4. Complete the application as directed. Any fields with an asterisk (*) must be filled in before the system will let you submit.
5. Once you have started an application, you have 3 options:
   • Save: You can click this at any time and return at a later time to finish the application.
   • Submit: This will submit your application for final review. Edit before submitting!
   • Cancel: Use this to exit the application without saving any changes.
6. Once you have submitted an application, it may not be recalled. Please check for correct spelling, accuracy, and district selection(s) while completing the application for student teaching.

Note: If you do NOT see the name of the application you need to complete, you may be attempting to complete it AFTER its due date has passed.

STEP 3: TO CHECK STATUS OF A SUBMITTED APPLICATION

1. Click on the submitted application’s hyperlink in “My Applications.”
2. Click on the “Review” tab. This will show your application status.

If you are unsure which application you need to fill out, please contact [email protected].

Interview Dates and Placement Procedures

Reminders of the scheduled interview(s) in a school district will not be sent by teacher certification staff. You will be notified by the Center Coordinator regarding the scheduled interview(s).
Note: Please check your email regularly for information regarding the scheduled interview(s).

Attendance at an interview is mandatory for placement within a school district. Please attend your first district choice interview only. If you are not placed in your first district choice, you will be notified.

When will I know if I've been placed?

You will receive your tentative placement via phone or e-mail.

Partnership Districts

An essential part of the application process is a successful interview with a partnership school district. The following districts are partners in the field-based program. Unless otherwise indicated, they interview all certification levels and accept interns in both the fall and spring semesters. All placements are tentative until prerequisites have been met.

District Partners

*Paid Clinical Teaching Opportunities Available