* SPED Early Intervention

Join our Cadre of Special Education EI/ECSE Cooperating Professionals

To provide licensure candidates with exposure to pre-k and school based intervention practices, the COE typically places fifteen EI/ECSE teacher candidates with special education Early Intervention professionals. We deeply appreciate the wealth of classroom experience and pedagogical expertise our cooperating professionals provide.

Depending on teaching assignment, mentors may host multiple 11-week terms or across the year.

10-Week Term Candidate Onsite HoursOutlineLicensure task support stipend
Introductory Supervised EI Practicum I (Sept-Dec)12 hrs/week/10-weeks per term for a minimum of 120 hours.• Mentor helps candidate develop relationships with the site and students, become familiar with instructional routines and resources, practice student engagement activities, and demonstrate skills necessary to assume the role of a full-time interventionist in an EI/ECSE setting.
• When possible, candidates remain in the same setting both terms to help provide stability to children and families served by the site; practice core competency areas with a greater level of independence and responsibility; and complete first formal teaching sample.
• To qualify for student teaching practicum, candidates must successfully complete Practicums I and II, passed their first teaching sample, and be in good standing at the University of Oregon. 		Yes
Introductory Supervised EI Practicum II (Jan-Mar)12 hrs/week/10-weeks per term for a minimum of 120 hours. Yes
EI/ECSE Student Teaching Supervised (April-Jun)36 hrs/ week/11 weeks, a minimum of 360 hours.• Cooperating professional creates a co-teaching model of shared planning, organizing, delivery, and assessment of instruction to support classroom and individual student learning needs. This should include creating IFSPs which guide services for a child and their family.
• Candidate is required to fully participate in their field placement Monday through Friday and assume as many of the responsibilities of their cooperating professional as are feasible.
• The cooperating professional, university supervisor, and candidate meet regularly during the term to discuss progress, their teaching sample, issues, and evaluations.
• Candidate is expected to demonstrate teaching objectives identified by TSPC and to independently complete their second teaching sample demonstrating their work towards program competencies.
Yes
  • Supervision: the candidates assigned University supervisor assists in managing the practicum student teacher experience and ensure the candidate is completing University and licensure requirements.­
  • Stipend: District teachers earn stipend in terms where licensure evaluation and assessments are required. Check with your HR Office to determine how these benefits are dispersed.

Benefits of Serving as a Mentor:

  • University Student: may start of as having an active and engaged extra set of hands, eyes, and ears, but gradually transitions to co/team teacher planning, organization, delivery, and assessment responsibilities.
  • University Supervisor: helps guide you and your teacher candidate through the practicum experience and licensure tasks.
  • UO faculty & network Resources: connect with trainings, PDU’s, and a stipend (district employees also receive a reduced UO tuition voucher).
  • Recruitment & Retention: connect your agency with the UO’s teacher pipeline.

Cooperating Professional Training

As a mentor, you have a community of support to help in preparing a new teacher for the field. We partner with your district/site to provide you with orientation and support resources. Prior to each term, the UOTeach Clinical Coordinator will invite you to a synchronous online training meeting to connect you with our team and introduce you to evaluation and assessment tools, tips, and tasks.
Other Oregon Training Resources

TSPC Cooperating Professional Minimum Approval Criteria (OAR 584-400-0145)

  1. Hold a qualified TSPC license.
  2. Meet the 3 year experience requirements (SPED EI exceptions may be granted).
  3. Meet related endorsement requirements.
  4. Be part of the UO COE instructional team, including the Clinical Placement Coordinator and University Supervisor to support successful development of a student teacher. This includes online cooperating teacher trainings.

Join our Instructional Team! To become a new or returning cooperating professional, sign up through your district or EI/ECSE program process.

Pre-Service Practicum Overview

Field experience placement sites include: home and community-based EI/ECSE programs for children and their families, community preschools, and Head Start programs. Within this range of settings, students have the opportunity to work with families with young children ages birth through eight who have identified disabilities and/or developmental delays or are considered “at risk.” Sites may be classroom-based, home-visiting, consultation, or a mixture of those options. The UO works with field placement affiliated partners for approved cooperating professional placement opportunities. The clinical professor assigns students to placements based on several factors including faculty recommendation, the student’s interest and prior experiences, availability of sites, and transportation limitations.

A. Clearance: As a prerequisite to entering the field, the UO requires that in addition to satisfactorily meeting all program requirements, SpEd EI candidates must complete the following:

  • Oregon TSPC E-Licensure clearance
  • Oregon DHS mandatory reporting of child abuse
  • Civil Rights and Professional Ethics training (includes FERPA & HIPPA)
  • The Oregon Central Background Registry (CBR)
  • First Aid CPR training

B. Mentor Role & Responsibilities:

  • Attend a pre-term SpEd EI orientation meeting and/or review provided UO Canvas Cooperating Professional training module materials
  • Orient your assigned candidate to school and learning community policies and procedures.
  • Provide a positive model of special education foundations in early intervention, behavioral intervention, and social supports for students with diverse learning needs.
  • Help candidate develop strength-based understanding of typical and atypical development; infant, toddler, and preschool assessments; family involvement; design of intervention; implementation of intervention; evaluation of intervention; interdisciplinary and interagency collaboration; and hands on applications.
  • Encourage and enrich candidates preparation for working with diverse populations and provide a range of intervention model experiences.
  • Demonstrate how to arrange an environment for learning, plan and provide effective instruction and student supports, provide relationship to general education, collaborate, and provide suggestions for how to deal with challenging pupil behaviors.
  • Mentor your candidate’s interests, experience, and knowledge as a professional educator. Provide proactive guidance and coaching to normalize teacher anxieties and learning opportunities. Include university supervisor in candidate communications for wraparound supports.
  • Encourage and include the candidate in on-site and external professional development (up to 5 hours each term).

C. Observation Activities

  • Provide welcoming environment for student to shadow and engage with students and families.
  • Demonstrate, coach, and provide developmental opportunities.
  • Assign supportive instructional responsibilities under your supervision.
  • Maintain professional disposition in alignment with state, university, and site codes of conduct, sensitive to their role in providing care, custody, and control of minors and other vulnerable populations.

D. Student Teaching Term Activities:

Full-time student teaching practicum requirements are usually best met in an early childhood special education classroom site because student teachers will have time to build enough relationships with children to implement meaningful learning activities. However, depending on the role of the candidate, can also be completed within an itinerant provider role.

  • Provide welcoming environment for candidate to observe, practice, develop, and demonstrate the competencies required for initial licensure.
  • Develop opportunities for candidate to help enhance the overall operation of the program for children and their families.
  • Encourage candidate to proactively take on instructional responsibilities under your supervision.
  • Create environment in which candidate can demonstrate initiative and independence in co-teacher planning, organizing, delivering, and assessing instruction.
  • Encourage self-reflection activities, regularly debrief, and complete middle and end of the term progress evaluations with their supervisor.
  • Serve as role model for maintaining professional disposition in alignment with state, district / agency code of conduct. Discuss the sensitive role of providing care, custody, and control of minors and other vulnerable populations.

E. Licensure Observation & Evaluation Responsibilities:

    • Have weekly meetings with teacher candidate to review children’s progress, give informal feedback, and answer questions.
    • Complete 4 observations of direct implementation of learning activities and written feedback.
    • Attend midterm and final evaluation meetings with University Supervisor and candidate and provide written feedback on the candidate’s development toward Early Intervention requirements.
    • Communicate with the supervisor immediately if there are any concerns.
    • In the event that you are unable to continue in your role as cooperating teacher, let us and your building admin know, so that we can work to find a suitable replacement.

F: Not Approved Field Activities

Licensure candidates not hired by your organization are not employees, as such, they do not discipline students. Even though they take on teaching responsibilities, licensure candidates function like volunteers in the placement site. Disciplinary or corrective issues are to be handled by cooperating professionals, staff, and building administration. If a child breaks a rule, candidates are not to reprimand them. Instead, they should either pull the child aside or alert the appropriate staff member.

UO Special Education Early Intervention Resources

Updated: 10/15/24