Clinical Experience Requirements for Candidates in Professional Education Programs

PURPOSE: This rule establishes clinical experience requirements for candidates in professional education programs approved by the State Board of Education in all baccalaureate degree granting four- (4-) year colleges and universities in Missouri. (1) For the purpose of this rule, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the following terms shall mean: (A) Accredited nonpublic school. A school that has met the standards of a state recognized accrediting agency and has received the approval of such agency; (B) Board. Missouri State Board of Education; (C) Clinical experiences. Supervised student teaching or internships that are conducted in approved educational settings such as a public or accredited nonpublic school or classroom. Students in professional education programs are immersed in the learning community and are provided opportunities to develop and demonstrate competence in the professional roles for which they are preparing; (D) Clinical faculty. Faculty from schools, preschool–grade twelve (12), and institutions of higher education responsible for instructing, supervising, and assessing preservice education students during student teaching assignments, internships, or other field experiences; (E) Cooperating teacher. A teacher with at least three (3) years experience in a public or accredited nonpublic school setting, having professional classification certification in the content area and grade range being taught, with whom preservice students are placed for student teaching or other field experiences to fulfill the requirements of a professional education program; (F) Field experiences. Venues in which students in professional education programs may observe, assist, tutor, instruct, and/or conduct research. Field experiences may occur in off-campus settings such as public or accredited nonpublic schools or classrooms; (G) Internship. A post-licensure or graduate clinical experience under the supervision of clinical faculty; may also refer to a preservice clinical experience; (H) Mentor. An experienced teacher, administrator, or other school professional with appropriate certification who provides support to a beginning educator by providing instruction, coaching, counseling, or other assistance in the performance of his/her duties and responsibilities; (I) Preservice. The period of time during which a student is undergoing professional training to become a teacher, administrator, or other certificated school employee; and/or (J) Teacher assistant. An individual who is serving in a classroom under the supervision of a certificated teacher with responsibilities comparable to a certificated teacher in a public school or accredited nonpublic school setting. (2) Each institution of higher education offering professional education program(s) for teacher certification shall require preservice teacher education students to complete clinical and other field experiences under the supervision of a qualified cooperating teacher and a qualified clinical faculty member from the institution’s professional education program in accordance with rules promulgated by the board, with the following exception: (A) Programs having preservice teacher education students who have been employed in public or accredited nonpublic schools for at least two (2) years as teacher assistants shall accept such experiences in lieu of the conventional student teaching requirement if the following conditions are met: 1. The preservice student’s experience as a teacher assistant was concurrent with the student’s participation in the professional education program and in the same content area and grade range for which the student is seeking certification; 2. The teacher assistant shall have conducted teaching activities comparable to those required for other preservice education students in conventional student teaching placements and demonstrating similar competencies; 3. The teacher with whom the teacher assistant served meets the qualifications for a cooperating teacher, as defined in this rule; 4. The teacher with whom the teacher assistant served has been provided training for observing and evaluating the assistant’s teaching practice through the institution providing the assistant’s professional education program or through the school or district’s mentor training program; and 5. The teacher assistant has been working with permission and under the authority of the principal of the school or a designee. AUTHORITY: sections 161.092, 161.097, 161.099, and 168.400, RSMo 2016, and section 168.021, RSMo Supp. 2019.* This rule previously filed as 5 CSR 80-805.040. Original rule filed Sept. 24, 2002, effective April 30, 2003. Moved to 5 CSR 20-400.330, effective Aug. 16, 2011. Amended: Filed Jan. 14, 2020, effective Sept. 30, 2020. *Original authority: 161.092, RSMo 1963, amended 1973, 2002, 2003, 2013, 2014; 161.097, RSMo 1985, amended 2014; 161.099, RSMo 1993; 168.021, RSMo 1963, amended 1973, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2018; and 168.400, RSMo 1985, amended 1990, 2002.