Glossary of Terms

 

Authorization The grade levels you are certified to teach.  Early Childhood/Elementary, K-5, 6, 7, 8 in a self-contained classroom.  Middle/High School is for 6-12 with subject area endorsement.
Cooperating Teacher (CT)

A certified teacher in the public schools who acts as a mentor teacher candidate.  It is our practice to require our Cooperating Teachers to have completed a minimum of two years teaching experience.

September Experience/Fall Observations – CT will coordinate an observation schedule with teacher candidate and communicate expectations with teacher candidate regarding additional responsibilities (assisting in classroom, teaching a mini-lesson, etc.). No formal evaluations of teacher candidates this term.

Winter Practicum and Spring Student Teaching  – CT should work with teacher candidate to establish a teaching schedule for the candidate’s instructional responsibilities and identify opportunities to engage in program tasks. The candidate should be oriented to the school site and staff. In addition, the candidate should be aware of established policies about reporting times, work hours, and extra duty assignments, as well as class assignments. University Supervisor will communicate specific evaluation procedures during the first 3-way conference of each term.

ESOL/ELL/ELD

These are various terms relating to those who are English learners:

ESOL – English for Speakers of Other Languages, which generally refers to the endorsement available in Oregon

ELL – English Language Learners, which refers to the students who are in the programs

ELD – English Language Development, which usually refers to the classrooms in the programs

edTPA™ edTPA™ is a summative assessment of student teaching that requires teacher candidates to demonstrate they have the skills to help all students learn. The Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) has adopted the edTPA as the exiting assessment for all teacher candidates receiving an Oregon teaching license.
Endorsement An area of teaching expertise gained through courses, practicum experience, and (for Middle/High School) passing scores on the ORELA/NES subject exam(s). Endorsements are designated on teaching licenses.
Highly Qualified Current interpretation of federal law by the state of Oregon considers teachers who have passed the required subject exam for middle and secondary subjects and the multiple subjects exam for early childhood/elementary as highly qualified.
Lesson Plan A detailed description of the lesson to be taught, which will include but not be limited to the following: goals, objectives, materials, lesson procedures and assessment.  Candidates are required to have a lesson plan prepared for every formal observation during practicum and student teaching.
Professional Growth Assessment (PGA) Both the Cooperating Teacher and the University Supervisor, using the Professional Growth Assessment (PGA) tools, will assess and report progress to the candidate.
Observation The purpose of an observation is for the candidate to receive feedback on their teaching.  Supervisors and Cooperating Teachers will observe several lessons during a given term.  The lesson is typically preceded by a pre-conference (candidates share the lesson plan and designate a focus) and a follow-up post-conference (data collected is analyzed, and suggestions for future teaching are presented by both the observer and the candidate).
Supervision Each teacher candidate in the program is assigned a University Supervisor employed by the College of Education who will help guide the field experience. The supervisor is in the building regularly to make observations, meet with the team, communicate with the classroom teacher, and check candidate progress.  Time is also set aside weekly to conference with each candidate individually.
Supervisor Meetings Candidates will meet weekly with their supervisor and a small number of other cohort members. The University Supervisor will facilitate group discussions on teacher-related issues and practicum concerns.  Supervisor meetings may be held at the school site or on the university campus.
Teacher Candidates (also referred to as pre-service teachers, practicum students and/or student teachers) – This is a student studying/training to be a certified classroom teacher.  Students in our program will complete multiple terms of field experience, including September Experience, Field Observations, Practica, and Full-Time Student Teaching.

September Experience: minimum of 15 hours per week for a total of four to five weeks (50 hours minimum, may include ESOL hours)

Field Observations: minimum of ten hours per week for a total of 10 weeks (100 hours, may include ESOL hours – assignments linked to courses)

Practicum:  part-time for a total of 10 weeks (minimum 200 hours, may include ESOL hours)

Student Teaching: Students are on-site all term and assume full teaching responsibility for approximately 9 weeks.

TSPC Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) issues teaching licenses upon successful completion of approved programs.  All matters pertaining to the license are handled by Richelle Krotts, Coordinator of Licensure and Student Records, in the College of Education.