Glossary

You may find some of the terms below useful:

Alternative Licensing Procedures - An individual desiring alternative licensing pathway is directed to the district of their employment.  The district, in cooperation with Utah State Office of Education, will prepare a plan to complete licensing requirements.  Weber State University Department of Teacher Education does not provide a teacher license path for alternative licensing.

Candidate Performance Data - Information derived from assessments of candidate proficiencies, in areas of teaching and effects on student learning, candidate knowledge, and dispositions.  Candidate performance data maybe derived from a wide variety of sources, such as projects, essays, or tests demonstrating subject content mastery; employer evaluations; state licensure tests; and mentoring year "portfolios" as well as assessments, projects, reflections, clinical observations, and other evidence of pedagogical and professional teaching proficiencies.

Candidates - Individuals admitted to, or enrolled in, programs for the initial or advanced preparation of teachers, teachers continuing their professional development, or other professional school personnel.  Candidates are distinguished from "students" in P-12 schools.

Clinical Faculty - School and higher education faculty responsible for instruction, supervision, and assessment of candidates during field experience and clinical practice.

Clinical Practice - Student teaching or internships that provide candidates with an intensive and extensive culminating activity.  Candidates are immersed in the learning community and are provided opportunities to develop and demonstrate competence in the professional roles for which they re preparing.  This is the culminating experience for students enrolled in the Teacher Education Program.  During this period, students receive guidance in assuming responsibility for directing the learning of an individual, group, or groups of learners over a period of several consecutive weeks.

Collaborating Teacher - Is the term used to designate the public school teacher(s) responsible for hosting and mentoring/coaching student teachers from the Clinical Practice Program as they observe and/or teach in the public school teacher’s classroom?

Conceptual Framework - An underlying structure in a professional education unit that gives conceptual meanings through an articulated rationale to the unit's operation, and provides direction for programs, course, teaching, candidate performance, faculty scholarship and service, and unit accountability.

Content - The subject matter or discipline that teachers are being prepared to teach at elementary, middle level, and/or secondary levels.  Content also refers to the professional field of study (e.g., special education, early child-hood, school psychology, reading, or school administration).

Content Supervisor - Is the term used to refer to the University Content/Discipline Faculty member responsible for supervising Student Teacher’s at the Secondary level.

Coordinator Of Field Experience/Clinical Practice - Is the Weber State University, College of Education administrator charged with the responsibility to coordinate placement of Student Teachers in the Colleges Clinical Practice Program.  The Coordinator is further charged with developing overall policy in these field experience areas and is involved in all decisions with regard to termination or changes in assignments.

Dispositions - The values, commitments, and professional ethics that influence behaviors toward students, families, colleagues, and communities and affect student learning, motivation, and development as well as the educator's own professional growth.  Dispositions are guided by belief and attitudes related to values such as caring, fairness, honesty, responsibility, and social justice.  For example, they might include a belief that all students can learn, a vision of high and challenging standards, or a commitment to a safe and supportive learning environment.

Exceptionalities - A physical, mental, or emotional condition, including gifted/talented abilities, that requires individualized instruction and/or other educational support or services.

Field Experience - A variety of early and ongoing field-based opportunities in which candidates may observe, assist, tutor, instruct, and/or conduct research.  Field experiences may occur in off-campus settings such as schools, community centers, or homeless shelters.

Fingerprint Clearance - Refers to a valid "green card" issued by Teacher Education certifying the student has been granted a “clearance” from the State of Utah and the FBI and is valid for Clinical Practice and Field Experience.  The initial clearance is good for "three (3) years" from the date of issuance.  The Student Teacher Candidate must renew the “clearance” if the “green card” expires before completion of the Clinical Practice assignment.  The Student Teacher Candidate must begin the renewal process at least six (6) months prior to the expiration date on the current “green card”.

Intern - A teacher education student who, having completed specific requirements, is employed by a school district (District Employee) for an extended period of time.  Support and supervision of the intern is provided primarily by the school district system (Employer) but with a continuing relationship with college/university personnel for the duration of the internship assignment. It should also be noted that the term “Intern” denotes a non-university student.  An intern is an employee of a school district and thus the school district assumes the responsibility and management of the educational program for the intern.

Labor Disputes - In the event of a labor dispute, work stoppage, or concerted activities in a public school, Department of Teacher Education Supervisors and Department of Teacher Education Students, who have been assigned to complete a Clinical Practice assignment, or other field-based experience, will not attend their regularly assigned classrooms for completing their assignment.Teacher Candidates participating in an emergency hire program who receive pay from school districts are considered as employees of the District.  Their participation on either side of the labor dispute, work stoppage or concerted activities as private citizens is left to their own discretion. However, for all individuals, regular student teacher and/or emergency hire, any work during a labor dispute will not be counted as progress toward the completion of the Field Experience/Clinical Practice assignment.Utah State Office of Education guidelines require a full time supervised equivalent experience of ten (10) weeks, fifty (50) days of Clinical Practice.  Any days of Field Experience/Clinical Practice missed, due to concerted activities, would have to be made up later, in regularly assigned classroom(s), if the assignment could not be completed in the semester in which it was assigned. The Department of Teacher Education desires to remain neutral in such matters in its position and placement of Teacher Candidates.  It is the intent of the Department of Teacher Education not to place Teacher Candidates in a compromising position of having to decide whether to assume a temporary.

Lesson Plans - lesson plans developed by the student from which the student teaches and the observer and/or evaluator follows the student through the teaching process for that session.

License - A license [certificate] issued by the State Board of Education, which permits the holder to be employed as an educator in public schools.

Mentor - One who teaches by word and example.
N/O - not observed means that on this day, at this time, and during this observation, the item was not observed and/or was not able to be documented as (M) meeting a standard, or (N) not meeting a standard, or (D) developing the standard.

Portfolio - An accumulation of evidence about individual proficiencies, especially in relation to explicit standards and rubrics, used in evaluation of competency as a teacher or in another professional school role.  Contents might include end-or-course evaluations and tasks used for instructional or clinical experience purposes such as projects, journals, and observations by faculty, videos, comments by collaborating teachers or internship supervisors, and samples of student work.

Student Teacher - A college/university student preparing to teach who is assigned a period of supervised teaching during which the student assumes increasing responsibility for directing the instruction of a group or groups of learners.  It should be noted that the term “Student Teacher” in this publication includes in-service or pre-service teachers who are preparing for basic licensure, endorsement, or dual certification in the State of Utah.

Students - Children and youth attending P-12 schools as distinguished from teacher candidates.

Substitute Teacher - An individual employed to take the place of a regular teacher who is temporarily absent.

Technology - includes overhead projector, chalkboard, maps, power point presentations, CD disks, DVD disks, VHS tapes, etc.

Temporarily Absent - Interpreted to mean for a period not to exceed eight (8) weeks.

TWS - teacher work sample - a specific unit plan composed of seven components designed by the student teacher per the TWS model as required by the University, in conjunction with the collaborating teacher, in which the student teaches from for at least a fifteen (15) day period.  Elementary student teachers are to complete one TWS for the clinical practice assignment.  Secondary student teachers are to complete one TWS for the major and one for the minor in the clinical practice assignment.

 University Supervisor - Is the term used to refer to the University Faculty and/or University Adjunct member responsible for supervising and coordinating the Student Teacher’s activities while the Student Teacher is working with a Collaborating Teacher.