University Supervisor and/or Area Coordinator:

A. Introduction
The university supervisor is responsible for coordinating the program of those student teachers under his or her supervision. In some geographical regions of the state, the functions of the university supervisor may be either supplemented or assumed by the area coordinator. The university supervisor and/or area supervisor serves both the student teacher and cooperating teacher and must be a readily accessible confidant, trouble shooter, resource person, and teacher. This section of the handbook describes the major responsibilities of the university supervisor and/or area coordinator.

B. Expectations
Your student teachers and their cooperating teachers have the following expectations of you:

Student Teachers expect:

1. An orientation to the program and its requirements;
2. Timely and periodic observation, feedback, and specific suggestions for improvement;
3. Identification of specific weaknesses early enough to allow for improvement during student teaching. This is especially critical in relation to the student teacher's demonstration of the Educator Accomplished Practices
4. Fair and continuing assessment of performance;
5. Support during times of personal and professional concern;
6. Recognition of success; and
7. Provision of final evaluative references.

Cooperating Teachers expect:

1. Appropriate information about the program and its requirements, in person or by mail;
2. Timely response to professional problems, including inadequate performance and inappropriate behavior by student teachers;
3. Professional courtesy in working together; and
4. Recognition of success.

C. Prior to the Student Teaching Experience

1. Orientation of Student Teachers: Prior to the student teaching semester, area coordinators are responsible for providing an orientation for student teachers. The nature of this orientation may differ from program to program, but student teachers should be informed of their responsibilities prior to the student teaching semester. Written descriptions of any program-specific expectations (lesson planning, specific projects, portfolio, work sample, reports, etc.) must be provided to the student teachers.
2. Orientation of Cooperating Teachers: University supervisors and/or area coordinators should schedule meetings and/or provide written guidelines for supervising teachers so that they are informed of academic program expectations prior to the student teaching experience. They should check to be certain that the Cooperating Teacher has a copy of the FSU Student Teaching Handbook and all required evaluation forms

D. During the Student Teaching Experience
To ensure that the necessary elements of due process are provided each student teacher, the university supervisor and/or area coordinator is expected to monitor the student teaching experience in the following ways:

1. The student teacher's progress must be observed and documented by the university supervisor and/or area coordinator on a periodic basis throughout the program. If a student teacher is experiencing difficulty, increased contact is expected.
2. University supervisors and/or area coordinators should observe and counsel student teachers early enough in the semester to allow them time to improve their teaching performance.
3. Comprehensive, systematic evaluation of student teachers should occur during the field experience. The university supervisor and/or area coordinator should document and discuss with student teachers and cooperating teachers the results and recommendations of each observation.
4. The university supervisor and/or area coordinator should inform student teachers of less than satisfactory teaching performance in the Accomplished Practices no later than mid-way through the student teaching experience. In such cases, guidelines and expectations for the remainder of the program must be clearly identified at that time by both the University Supervisor and the Cooperating Teacher.
5. At the end of the semester, the university supervisor and/or area coordinator will complete the appropriate forms and reports. A copy of the final evaluation should be submitted for each student teacher to the Program and the Office of Clinical Experiences

E. General Suggestions for University Supervisors and/or Area Coordinators

1. Meet the principals of the schools they are visiting.
2. Meet, if possible, county supervisors of their teaching fields. Doing so often improves working relations and helps identify prospective cooperating teachers and placement sites.
3. Inform the student teachers and cooperating teachers of supervisory visits in advance, so that schedule changes will not preclude observation.
4. Review carefully the periodic performance evaluations submitted by cooperating teachers. Early identification of weaknesses should lead to early remediation, and lack of steady progress in the Accomplished Practices should be addressed.
5. Invite cooperating teachers to observe with you, to provide a common base for discussing performance. It is good practice to have personal conferences with student teachers and with cooperating teachers.
6. Submit evaluative references for student teachers who request them.

Other Responsibilities

The following guidelines outline the expectations of the teacher education unit for the supervision of any student teacher. There may be specific program expectations that are in addition to these. Please check with your program/department coordinator.

Travel Authorization Request
File a "Travel Authorization Request" at least fifteen days before making any trip for which you expect to be reimbursed.

Orientation for Student Teachers
An orientation session is required by the teacher education unit. If a university wide orientation has been scheduled during the first week of the semester, meet with your student teachers at that time. Otherwise, meet with your student teachers either before their student teaching assignment begins or in the first week of the assignment. This orientation should include: expectations of student teachers, policies governing student teachers, specific assignments they are expected to complete during the term, areas that will be evaluated, who will do the evaluations, how often evaluations and observations will be done, and what instruments will be used for formative and summative evaluations.

Meet with Cooperating Teachers
If you do not meet the cooperating teachers during a university wide meeting, then meet with the cooperating teachers in your assigned schools before the student teachers begin their assignment or by the end of the first week of the student teaching assignment. The purposes of this meeting are to:

1. Ensure that the supervising teacher has a current copy of the student teaching handbook.
2. Establish an open relationship with the supervising teacher(s). (This relationship is every bit as important as the one between you and the student teacher).
3. Discuss the roles and expectations of the supervising teacher, university supervisor, and the student teacher.
4. Discuss the need for mutual support between the supervising teacher and the university supervisor. We will fully support school policies and expect their full support of our student teaching policies.
5. Discuss program policies on absences, check-in/check-out time, discipline, classroom management, lesson planning, and other relevant areas (e.g. portfolios, student work samples, videotaping).
6. Discuss the Sequential Plan and the assumption of duties.
7. Discuss the specific assignments given to the student teacher.
8. Discuss program expectations (O or A Rating on Final Student Teaching Evaluation) for demonstration of the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices at the preprofessional level during student teaching.
9. Discuss the observations the student teacher is expected to make as defined by the approved program area.
10. Discuss observations and evaluations to be made by the supervising teacher and the university supervisor. Since your time with the student teacher will be minimal compared to that of the supervising teacher, it is very important that s/he take the lead in observations. Your observations should, whenever possible build upon those done by the directing teacher. (You should read the supervising teacher's written observation forms and, if possible, concentrate on the same strong and weak points.) All observation/evaluation instruments that might be used by you or the cooperating teacher for evaluating the intern must be reviewed. (All instruments should contain evaluation of progress on demonstrating the Educator Accomplished Practices at the Pre-Professional Level.)

Contacts with Student Teachers and Formal Observations
You are expected to have contact with your student teachers each week These contacts may be formal observations, informal observations, brief visits, conferences or electronic communications. You are expected to make at least four formal observations of each student teacher. A formal observation should include a pre-observation conference with the student teacher and supervising teacher, an extended observation (30 minutes or more) at one sitting, a post-observation conference, and a written evaluation. At least three copies are required of each written evaluation, distributed as follows:

1. Student teacher,
2. Supervising teacher (s), and
3. A file you will maintain on each student teacher you supervise (which will be turned over to the department/unit at the end of the semester).

Final Student Teaching Evaluation Form Completion and Submission
All student teachers are to have a final evaluation completed by both the university supervisor and supervising teacher using the approved form. The Final evaluation forms that you need to complete are sent to the department or program. These have to be completed and submitted (return copies per directions on the color coded form) prior to grades being filed. Supervising teachers' forms are sent directly to the teacher by the Office of Clinical Education. Should the supervising teacher indicated they have not received a form by the 12th week of the semester, please notify the Office of Clinical Education. All student teachers are to complete a Student Satisfaction Survey/Student Assessment Profile and return it before the end of the semester. The university supervisor should remind the student to complete and return the form prior to finals week.

Letters of Recommendation
You may want to prepare a letter of recommendation for each of your student teachers at the end of the term. A copy of this letter and the prescribed evaluation form should be placed in the department file.

End of Term Responsibilities
It is your responsibility to make sure the following items are in the department file at the end of the term:

1. A copy of the student teaching application form;
2. A copy of the placement form;
3. A minimum of four formal observation reports and/or evaluations by the university supervisor;
4. Copies of the supervising teacher's formal observations and evaluations;
5. The university supervisor's letter of recommendation (if done);
6. The supervising teacher's letter of recommendation (if done);
7. The Summative Evaluation from both you as university supervisor and the cooperating teacher; and,
8. Any other materials required by the program.