This document outlines the syllabus for EDSC 226, a spring 2012 field placement internship at U-32 High School in Montpelier, Vermont. Key details include important dates for the internship, an overview of course expectations and responsibilities of interns, mentors, and supervisors, as well as policies around observations, solo teaching, assignments, and course policies. Formal meetings between interns, mentors and supervisors will be held at the beginning, middle and end of the semester to set goals, provide mid-term feedback, and discuss final evaluations. Interns will complete observations of peers, mentors and colleagues, as well as have their own teaching observed and evaluated throughout the semester.

1. EDSC 226 Spring 2012 Syllabus 1
EDSC 226 Spring 2012
Field Placement Site: U-32 High School, Montpelier, Vermont
UVM Supervisor/Coordinator: Beth White
beth.white@uvm.edu
Work Number: 802-656-0282
Cell Number: 802-
Internal Site Coordinator: John P
Important Dates
Start Date: January 9, 2012
End Date: May 11, 2012
Portfolios Due: May 4, 2012
Portfolios Read, Rated and Returned: May 15, 2012
Portfolios Revised and Resubmitted: May 25, 2012
Course Overview
To achieve the benefits of the licensure program (new knowledge and skills, changed attitudes and
values, and the potential to become a licensed and employed school professional) UVM interns will
engage in a variety of activities designed to fulfill our collective mission of providing a high quality
field-based student teaching internship experience. This is a collaborative effort with each member
of the intern’s team having a critical and active role.
The University Internship Supervisor is responsible for supervising interns in partnership with
the Field-based Mentor. The internship supervisor will observe each student formally a minimum
of six times. (At least one of these observations will use a videotaped lesson. Both the intern and
supervisor will view and evaluate each lesson.) The internship supervisor will check in informally, in
person, by phone, email, or Skype, with each intern on a weekly basis.
Field-based mentors are responsible for the day-to-day activities for the intern (and are asked to
refer to the Experience Plan in the Student Teaching Handbook as a guide). Each mentor will
conduct at least two formal written observations.
The intern must be actively engaged in both the classroom and the school community over the
course of the semester. Active engagement includes continuous dialogue and reflection relative to
strengths and areas in need of growth as seen from the perspective of the mentor, supervisor,
students, parents, and the intern him/herself.
The intern must be observed by a peer, and the intern must view (and submit feedback) to a peer.
In addition, in an effort to gain additional perspectives on teaching, interns are must observe and
formally document a colleague’s teaching. (These colleagues may include: school-based faculty
including other teachers and department chairs and/or administrators.)1
1
Note: Having an administrator observe your work is particularly important if you would like an administrative
recommendation for your future job search. (Just something to keep in mind).

2. EDSC 226 Spring 2012 Syllabus 2
Formal Meetings
Cooperating teachers, interns, and the UVM supervisors will meet formally three times
throughout the semester. The purpose of each meeting is described below.
Meeting 1: Goal Setting Conference (45 min)
This is the first meeting (by January 31st
) involves the intern, cooperating teacher(s), and supervisor
to review the requirements of the internship, sign the internship agreement, complete the Roles and
Responsibilities checklist, review the experience plan (if appropriate), and set up the first
observations. The meeting concludes with a date scheduled for the mid-term conference.
Meeting 2: Mid-term Conference/Assessment (45 min)
In this second formal meeting (occurring during the week of February 20th
), the internship team
(i.e. the intern, cooperating teacher(s), and supervisor) discusses the intern’s progress (using the
Professional Attributes and Dispositions Assessment or PADA), the grading criteria for EDSC
226 is reviewed, and a grade-to-date is discussed. Goal setting, including general goals and specific
PADA-related goals, are articulated, solo teaching period is finalized, and date is set for final
conference.
Meeting 3: Final Conference and Roundtable Meeting (1 hour)
This is the last of our three formal meetings, and it is the intern’s responsibility to both prepare
the agenda and run this conference, including setting the date. The goal is for the intern to
speak directly to areas of growth and identify future professional development needs, using his/her
portfolio and other artifacts as evidence. The final grade for the internship experience is discussed,
using data from formal/informal observations and the PADA. Please come to this meeting
prepared.
Internship Assignments and Expectations
Faculty Meetings and Other School Activities: Each intern is expected to attend faculty and
other meetings held at their school, including parent-teacher conferences. In addition, interns are
encouraged to become actively engaged in school events such as dances, plays, sporting events, etc.
Absences and Substitute Teaching: Interns are responsible for following teachers’ contract rules
for absences and professional days, etc. Interns should only be used as substitutes for cooperating
teacher(s) unless there is an emergency (see page 16 in manual). Readiness for subbing should be
discussed and determined by UVM supervisor and site-based supervisor.
Fingerprinting and Criminal Records Check: Per school policy, all interns must have current
criminal records checks and fingerprints.
PRAXIS I AND II: Interns are responsible for submitting passing scores for Praxis I prior to
student teaching. IF passing scores have not been met, interns must formally request to
student teach without those scores. Requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The
PRAXIS II must be passed prior to seeking licensure in Vermont, but it not a requirement for
student teaching placement or for successful program completion. (Details regarding PRAXIS I and
II may be found in the manual on page 18, as well as in the Licensure Resources Section.)

3. EDSC 226 Spring 2012 Syllabus 3
Observations
There will be six formal observations scheduled throughout the semester with your UVM
supervisor, two with your cooperating teacher, and one with a peer. For each observation, interns
must submit their written lesson plan no later than midnight on Sunday on the week of the
scheduled visit. Keep in mind when you sign up for an observation time-slot to schedule adequate
debrief time immediately following your lesson (30-45 minutes is recommended). Within 48 hours
after the observed lesson and debrief, interns are asked to write and submit (via email to UVM
supervisor) a reflective journal entry that responds to the supervisor feedback and answers questions
posed in the observation report/debrief session. Often, university supervisors provide interns with
supporting materials, such as readings, rubric samples, etc. that are beneficial to the teaching
process.
Peer observations are an important component to this program. Please be sure to submit lesson
plans via email (and cc your UVM supervisor) to your observers on the Sunday before the
observation. As observers, please complete and submit to you colleagues (and cc your UVM
supervisor) the Peer Observation Report. As with other observation protocol, the peer
observation includes a face-to-face time to debrief directly following the lesson. Interns who were
observed must also submit a 1-paged typed reflection on the peer observation to the UVM
supervisor within 48 hours of the observation.
Mentor observations are also key to strengthening teaching skills. Again, lesson plans are due to
the cooperating teacher by Sunday at midnight (please cc your UVM supervisor). Cooperating
teachers are asked to complete the Lesson Observation Protocol and submit their feedback to the
intern in writing (and cc the UVM supervisor) as well as have a formal face-to-face debrief directly
following the lesson. Again, interns must submit a 1-paged typed reflection on the mentor
observation to the UVM supervisor within 48 hours of the observation.
The Colleague observation can happen at any point in the semester. Interns are asked to arrange
to view at least one course taught by a colleague within their host school and reflect on the teaching
style and lesson design in a 1-page typed reflection (due within 48 hours of the observation to UVM
Supervisor). Post-lesson debriefs are optional.
In short, every observation (with UVM supervisor, mentor, and peer) consists of: 1) submitting
lesson plans in advance (by Sunday at midnight), 2) teaching an observed lesson (a minimum of one
must be videotaped) 3) debriefing the lesson with supervisor, and 4) reflecting on the lesson and
supervisor’s feedback in a 1-page typed paper.
Solo Teaching Documentation
You are required to submit ALL unit plans prior to undertaking your solo teaching. Note: for each
class you solo in, a unit plan is required. Throughout your planning process, you should solicit
feedback from you mentor (and supervisor if desired). Both your mentor and supervisor must
see and approve your unit plan before you initiate soloing. Throughout this experience, you
must collect, evaluate and make lesson/unit modifications based on student work samples. This is
particularly critical to successful completion of Entries 4 and 5 of your portfolio.

4. EDSC 226 Spring 2012 Syllabus 4
Course Related Policies and Practices
Official Policy for Excused Absences for Religious Holidays: Students have the right to
practice the religion of their choice. Each semester students should submit in writing to their
instructors by the end of the second full week of classes their documented religious holiday schedule
for the semester. Faculty must permit students who miss work for the purpose of religious
observance to make up this work.
Academic Honesty and Professionalism: All students are required to be familiar with and adhere
to the academic honesty policy, as found on the University of Vermont website and titled “Code of
Students Rights and Responsibilities.” www.uvm.edu/~uvmppg/ppg/student/studentcode.pdf
Accommodations: Accommodations will be provided to eligible students with disabilities. Please
obtain an accommodation letter from the ACCESS office and see one of the instructors early in the
course to discuss what accommodations will be necessary. If you are unfamiliar with ACCESS, visit
their website at http://www.uvm.edu/access to learn more about the services they provide.
ACCESS: A-170 Living Learning Center, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405.
PH: 802-656-7753, TTY: call 711 (relay), Fax: 802-656-0739, Email: access@uvm.edu,
General office hours: 8:30am – 4:30pm Monday through Friday. Call to make an
appointment.
Grading: It is important to understand that the minimum grade allowed by the Vermont State
Department of Education for licensure is a B. Therefore, the passing grades are A+, A, A-, B+, and
B. Any grade in student teaching lower than a B will result in the state denying that person
licensure.
It is important to remember that failure to produce requested materials or meet articulated
requirements during the internship semester will adversely affect your overall grade in EDSC 226.
As a student in the capstone experience of our program you will be expected to modify your
practice, justify your efforts, interpret new ideas and information, and generate multiple examples of
evidence demonstrating your ability to teach. Demonstrating these professional attributes and
dispositions is critical.
According to your handbook, the grade (in EDSC 226) should represent the demonstrated
ability level of the student teaching intern at the conclusion of the experience and not the
overall average of the full semester. An appropriate question to ask when deciding on the final
grade for the internship is “how does the student stand as he or she is about to enter the work
force?” (Manual pg. 12)
A+ In general, a grade of A+ should rarely be given as a grade for student teaching. An A+
should only be considered in the extreme case that a student teaching intern has
demonstrated and documented outstanding competence in all five standards and in all
ROPA entries. In addition, he or she has provided leadership in professional development
to the school and/or intern cohort during the teaching internship.
A The intern consistently demonstrates a high level of competence in all five of the Standards
for Vermont Educators. The student teaching intern is fully qualified to enter the teaching
profession with the strong endorsement of the university and the cooperating school.

5. EDSC 226 Spring 2012 Syllabus 5
A - The intern demonstrates a high level of competence in the Standards for Vermont Educators but
is not consistent in their level of performance. The intern has an area of the standards that
has not fully developed to the extent of an A student. An important difference between the
A and A- student is the amount of initiative, self-confidence and leadership demonstrated.
For example, an intern may be highly skilled in the classroom but have an undeveloped
strength in working with colleagues.
B+* The intern is adequate in his or her performance but has not progressed at the rate
consistent with a grade of A or A-. Throughout the course of the student teaching
experience, weaknesses have been identified in his or her ability to meet the Standards. Even
though the intern has worked at addressing those weaknesses, the level of performance has
not reached the level expected of an A- student.
B* The intern demonstrates a level of competence in the Standards for Vermont Educators that
are minimally acceptable. Areas of concern have been identified that the intern needs to
address in order to advance from minimally acceptable to fully qualified. The intern at this
level is not so deficient that he or she should be denied a teaching license, but the areas of
concern should be delineated so any district hiring this individual will be aware of these
weaknesses.
B-/C The intern has deficiencies that make recommendation for licensure impossible. The person
has problems that have not been adequately addressed to bring the intern to a level of
performance that is minimal for a beginning teacher. The person has not attempted to
address deficiencies that have been identified or has not shown a capability of improving in
those areas to a level deemed sufficient to be licensed.
* In the case of interns who earn a grade of B or B+, mentoring would contribute significantly to
their success in their first professional position.