Supervised Student Teaching Placement
The OEPP is responsible for coordinating the placement of Student Teachers in public school classrooms unless otherwise indicated by the respective school district. The OEPP works closely with the District Human Resources Director of the given school District to select and approve candidate placement. Placements will be based on compliance with CTC and USU criteria for diverse classroom settings. Candidates may request a specific placement, but requests cannot always be honored.
USU and the CTC value a diverse academic learning community. Therefore, all teacher credentialing placements will be in diverse classrooms. The CTC defines diversity as:
“Throughout this set of TPEs, reference is made to "all students" or "all TK–12 students.” This phrase is intended as a widely inclusive term that references all students attending public schools. Students may exhibit a wide range of learning and behavioral characteristics, disabilities, dyslexia, intellectual or academic advancement, and differences based on ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, religion, and/or geographic origin. The range of students in California public schools also includes students whose first language is English, English learners, and Standard English learners.”
Multiple Subjects: The Multiple Subject Teaching Credential authorizes the holder to teach all subjects in a self-contained classroom, such as the classrooms in most elementary schools, in grades preschool, K–12, or in classes organized primarily for adults. In addition, the holder of a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential may serve in a core or team teaching setting. Candidates will be exposed to elementary settings with diverse populations, including English Learners (EL) and students with special needs. This classroom should contain a population where English Language Development (ELD) and Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE) lessons are taught.
Single Subject: The Single Subject Preliminary Credential teacher preparation program includes content for teaching English learners that authorizes the credential holder to provide instruction for English language development and specially designed academic instruction in English within the subject area and grade level authorization of the Single Subject Teaching Credential. Candidates will be exposed to secondary settings with diverse populations, including EL and students with special needs. Specifically, classroom settings will contain an English Learner (EL) population, where English Language Development (ELD) and Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE) lessons are taught.
Bilingual Authorization in Spanish: Candidates seeking a Bilingual Authorization in Spanish through the USU credential program must complete clinical practice experiences that provide opportunities to develop and demonstrate bilingual instructional competencies. Candidates must be placed in an appropriate classroom setting where Spanish is used as a language of instruction and where they can apply bilingual instructional strategies to support multilingual learners.
During the clinical practice experience, candidates must demonstrate the ability to:
- Provide literacy and academic content instruction in Spanish
- Support students’ development of academic language in both Spanish and English
- Apply effective instructional practices for bilingual and multilingual learners
- Demonstrate knowledge of culturally and linguistically responsive teaching practices
Candidates must also demonstrate proficiency in teaching reading and literacy skills in English, consistent with the expectations for the credential authorization being sought.
Prior to beginning the internship experience, candidates pursuing the Bilingual Authorization in Spanish must satisfy all applicable CTC requirements for bilingual authorization, including demonstration of Spanish language proficiency and cultural knowledge through a CTC-approved pathway. Candidates may meet these requirements through approved examination pathways, including the applicable CSET Spanish examinations, or through another CTC-approved option, as permitted by current Commission requirements.
USU verifies that candidates have met all required bilingual authorization prerequisites prior to recommending candidates for the appropriate credential authorization.
If the public school and USU calendars differ, candidates are required to follow the School site calendar. Some schools are on a traditional calendar while others are on a year-round calendar. Therefore, candidates will follow the schedule of the school district in which they have been placed.