Master's Internship Experience in Teaching Fields
All students seeking a master's degree and/or certification in generic special education, visual impairment, orientation and mobility, and deaf/blind certification must complete an internship experience in a field-based setting. Field experiences are governed by the following policies adopted by the special education faculty on September 9, 1998.
1. A total of 350 hours must be completed in a Master's program.
2. The internship requirements will be developed cooperatively between a faculty member and the student to provide the best educational experience possible and to allow students to develop and grow professionally.
3. The internship requirements should be responsive to licensing/certifying organization requirements so that upon completion of the special education program, graduate students will be eligible for certification or licensure.
4. Since the majority of students are employed full-time, they may accomplish the requirements in two or more of the following ways as determined by their supervising faculty member. Examples of activities could include:
· 150 documented hours of placement in a full- or part-time school or service agencies
· Completion of a project under the mentorship/supervision of the supervising faculty member.
5. The internship will be supervised by a university faculty member.
Students are placed full-time or part-time in programs that comply with standards established for educational programs by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), CEC, AER and NCATE (or other recognized accrediting body). Students work under the direction of a mentor/supervisor who is an experienced educator of students with disabilities and who must:
· Be appropriately certified by the Texas Education Agency or other recognized accrediting agency to teach in the classroom where the student is assigned for the field experience.
· Demonstrate professional practices that are consistent with the program in special education.
·Be assigned no more than one internship student for a given period.
· Hold an earned master's degree.
· Have 3 years of teaching experience in teaching students in the area of emphasis.
· Be recognized by his or her supervisor as exemplary.
Daily, ongoing guidance will be provided by the student's on-site mentor/supervisor. The role of Texas Tech in supervision of the intern is as follows:
· Interns will be supervised by a university professional with appropriate preparation in the area of emphasis.
· Supervisor will contact the intern at the internship site at least three times during the semester.
· The contacts should be initiated by the student periodically throughout the semester.
· Written and verbal feedback on the student's performance will be provided.
Students should contact a professor in the area of emphasis to ascertain the specific requirements for internship in their specific exceptionality area. Semester and clock hour requirements and specific criteria for evaluating the internship student are contained in the course outline used by the individual professor. To demonstrate satisfactory performance at the internship site, the intern must:
· carry out responsibilities specified by the supervisor/mentor with a high level of competence,
· demonstrate creativity, problem solving, and critical thinking in carrying out specified practicum responsibilities,
· demonstrate professionalism and ethical practices in compliance with the CEC Code of Ethics,
· contribute meaningfully to the classroom or program to which the practicum student is assigned.