Cooperating Teachers  

You can also access all required information, forms, processes and policies in the Clinical Placement Handbook. There is a section dedicated specifically to Cooperating Teachers. The Handbook can be accessed here »

• Evaluations and Training
• Handbook
• Time Logs
• Clinical Placement Alert Form
• Payment for Clinical Practice
• Professional Development Hours
• Cooperating Teacher FAQs

Evaluations and Training

The evaluation instruments are listed below, along with the field levels during which the cooperating teacher uses each one and the number of observations evaluated.

Observation and Conference Report (O&C)

• Clinical Experience I, II, and III – one evaluation by cooperating teacher
• Clinical Practice 1 – two evaluations by cooperating teacher

Clinical Competency Inventory (CCI)

• Clinical Practice 2 – two evaluations by cooperating teacher

The evaluations are completed via Qualtrics and links are provided at the start of the semester. A copy of each evaluation is available in the Handbook for reference (see Appendix 10, 10A, and 11).

All cooperating teachers must complete the appropriate online training(s) and assessment for your teacher candidate’s field level here:

(O&C) training and assessment

(CCI) training and assessment

Handbook

The Clinical Placement Handbook is the best place to find forms, policies, and information. There is a section specifically for Cooperating Teachers.

• Checklist for Cooperating Teachers This is a general overview of the tasks that make up the pre-clinical intern and the clinical intern process. This checklist is designed to help you keep organized throughout the semester. pg. 132 Handbook
• Guide for Week-to-Week Activities for Clinical Practice pg.127 Handbook
• Co-Teaching Model pg.128 Handbook
• Key Terminology pg. 15 Handbook
• Cooperating Teacher Expectations pg. 130 Handbook

Time Logs

Clinical Experience and Clinical Practice 1

Your teacher candidate is required to log their hours in the classroom using the Watermark application. The cooperating teacher is asked to verify these hours for our teacher candidates. The Teacher Candidate is responsible for entering their hours on time and for ensuring that they will meet the minimum number of required hours for their field level.

Your teacher candidate is expected to enter their hours weekly. You will receive a link to access and approve your intern’s hours via an email directly from Watermark, from [email protected]. Please be sure to save this email because you will be using that link throughout the entire semester. Instructions for approving hours will be attached to the Welcome Letter email sent to all cooperating teachers at the start of the semester.

Clinical Practice 2

Every teacher candidate in Clinical Practice 2 is required to submit a timesheet to the Office of Fieldwork and Certification. The cooperating teacher is asked to verify and sign this timesheet. The teacher candidate is responsible for documenting hours and submitting approved timesheets by the midterm and final timesheet deadlines.

Teacher candidates completing Clinical Practice 2 are required to be in your classroom full time (five days per week) from the start of their field placement to the end.

Clinical Practice 2 Timesheet

Clinical Placement Alert Form

We strive to develop the most knowledgeable and skilled teacher candidates possible. In some instances, teacher candidates may encounter significant areas of improvement that still need to be developed. You are encouraged to discuss any such area with the teacher candidate’s clinical supervisor.  You should first provide feedback to the teacher candidate directly. If there is any area of significant concern or requiring immediate intervention, please notify us using the Clinical Placement Alert Form.

Payment for Clinical Practices

Cooperating teachers of clinical interns completing year-long Clinical Practice are eligible to receive a payment for their work throughout the year. Seton Hall University has determined that each cooperating teacher mentoring a student for Clinical Practice 1 and/or 2 must be designated as an independent contractor following New Jersey standards. In order to receive payment, cooperating teachers must complete the Request for Payment for Mentoring a Clinical Intern form, sign the Independent Contractor Agreement, and register for the University’s payment management system (Unimarket). The complete Payment Policy and instructions to complete this process are emailed to cooperating teachers.

Professional Development Hours

Cooperating teachers are recognized with professional development hours as indicated by field level below. The Office of Fieldwork and Certification will email the documentation to the cooperating teacher after verifying that all requirements have been completed.

• Clinical Experience: 3 professional development hours
• Clinical Practice 1: 5 professional development hours
• Clinical Practice 2: 20 professional development hours

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Cooperating Teachers FAQs

Can a teacher candidate be left alone in the classroom during his or her clinical practice?
The short answer is no.

Circumstances may require a cooperating teacher to leave the room for an unexpected event or to quickly respond to needs of an administrator or fellow teacher. If these absences are brief and happen only occasionally, then it is acceptable. Keep in mind that a cooperating teacher plays a crucial role in the clinical intern’s development; therefore, he or she needs to be present and available to the clinical intern.

If the teacher candidate has a substitute certificate, can he or she serve as a substitute in my classroom or my school?
No.