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Home Teacher Education and Clinical Practice Clinical Practice Clinical Teaching

Clinical Teaching  

Clinical teaching is a one-semester, full-time, unpaid student teaching commitment​ that is completed in the final semester of MAT program. The semester shall be spent in a selected partner school. Teacher candidates must be present at their school for the full day and are required to participate in faculty meetings, PTO/PTA meetings, parent teacher conferences, etc.

Candidates must apply during the semester prior to completing the courses, ICL 7808 and ICL 7993.​ Applications are due between October 1-15 for the upcoming spring semester or February 15-March 1 for the upcoming fall semester.

For Library Media Specialists

  • Teacher candidates and "Initial" Library Media Specialist Licensure candidates needing to apply for the Clinical Teaching semester or practicum should complete and submit the Clinical Teaching Application>.
  • Library Media Specialist (Add-on Endorsement) candidates needing to apply to the practicum should complete and submit the Library Media Specialist Practicum Application>. 

Requirements

  • Have an overall 3.0 graduate grade point average.
  • Successfully complete all approved pre-clinical teaching semester experiences in conjunction with class work.
  • Must take and pass all required Praxis II exams prior to the clinical teaching semester.
  • Must submit passing scores to the Office of Clinical Based Practice 30 days prior to the first day of the clinical teaching semester.
  • Must have positive evaluations from all clinical experiences.
  • Be fully admitted to the Teacher Education Program one semester before the clinical teaching semester.
  • All course work required for initial licensure must be finished prior to the clinical teaching semester.

Seminar

All students must take the Professional Seminar (ICL 7993) with the Clinical Teaching Semester (ICL 7808). No other courses may be taken during the clinical teaching semester. The seminar is designed to assist students with submission of the edTPA.

Placement

University of Memphis policy dictates that students are required to have diverse clinical experiences. All Clinical Teaching placements are made in accordance with this policy as well as in conjunction with identified COE partner schools. Placements are generally made in a variety of West Tennessee public school systems. School partnerships change annually.

Mentor Teachers

Mentor Teachers (MTs) are selected according to criteria specified by the Tennessee Department of Education and in collaboration with partner schools. State requirements include:

  • a regular Tennessee License for the teaching assignment,
  • at least four years of teaching experience,
  • and a history of positive evaluations from their principal or supervisor.

In addition to State requirements, Partner Schools and the College of Education collaborate to select MTs who are excellent classroom teachers, have had professional development related to being a MT, have scored a 4 or 5 on their teacher evaluations and have demonstrated positive impact on student achievement as reflected by TVASS.

College of Education Clinical Supervisors

The clinical supervisor must have a teacher license, substantial experience in teaching, a master's degree and assumes the responsibility for supervising the activities of the teacher candidate in the partner school. The clinical supervisor works in conjunction with the Office of School Based Clinical Practice.

Professional Liability Insurance

Clinical Teaching candidates are required to obtain professional liability insurance which will cover them during the entire semester. This may be obtained through STEA, Professional Educators of Tennessee, other approved professional organizations or by a special rider added to a personal homeowner's policy. Proof of insurance must be presented prior to the Clinical Teaching Semester.

Portfolio

Students will submit a portfolio to document Clinical placement experiences via the Student Learning & Licensure system>. 

In Lieu of Clinical Teaching

If you hold a valid Job Embedded Practitioner (JEP) License, the University of Memphis College of Education offers the "In Lieu of Clinical Teaching" option for you. Individuals seeking the "In Lieu of Clinical Teaching" option should submit the following by April 15 for May Graduation or November 15 for December graduation:

  1. A completed In Lieu of Clinical Teaching Application.
  2. A copy of your composite state approved teacher evaluation (e.g. TEAM, TEM with a composite score of 3.0 or higher) from the current school year. Note: For private school applicants without a standardized teacher evaluation form such as TEM/TEAM, the candidate must submit a recent 3-5 day unit plan including lesson plans, assessments, summary of the assessments and student artifacts.
  3. The Educators Disposition Assessment - Nine Indicators