Clinical Supervisors  

Requirements and Expectations

The New Jersey Department of Education (NJAC 6A:9A-3.3) requires that a clinical supervisor:

• Has had experience supervising, consulting or otherwise working in an elementary/secondary school in contact with classroom teachers within the previous two years; and

• Has demonstrated expertise in the field in which he or she is supervising.

In addition, Seton Hall University requires that a clinical supervisor:

• Has earned a master's degree or acquired equivalent job experience;

• Has a minimum of three years of teaching and/or administrative experience; and

• Has previously worked as either a cooperating teacher or as an administrator with supervisory experience.

Seton Hall's expectations of your role as a clinical supervisor include:

• Attendance at mandatory training sessions;

• Attendance at convocation to meet with candidates prior to the first observation;

• Contact in person, by phone or email with the Office of Fieldwork and Certification to receive updates about our program;

• Timely sharing of evaluations with teacher candidates and timely submission of evaluations via the College's online evaluation system; and

• Early notification sent to the Director of the Office of Fieldwork and Certification of any challenges faced by the teacher candidate.

School District expectations of your role as a clinical supervisor include:

• Contacting cooperating teachers prior to your scheduled arrival;

• Introducing yourself to the principal or key building administrator on your first visit to the school;

• Assisting the cooperating teacher in understanding the developmental process of our teacher preparation program and your role as clinical supervisor; and

• Conferring with the cooperating teacher and the teacher candidate about the teacher candidate's work and progress; conducting group conferences with the teacher candidate and cooperating teacher, as appropriate.

The teacher candidate's expectations of your role as a clinical supervisor include:

• Working with the teacher candidate to design a supervision schedule and informing the teacher candidate and cooperating teacher of planned visits;

• Observing the teacher candidate and evaluating performance using the appropriate evaluation forms; providing concrete, specific feedback regarding learning and instruction; and assisting the teacher candidate in locating instructional resources;

• Providing specific suggestions and feedback about strategies for creating a positive classroom environment;

• Sharing your knowledge about classroom management and sharing constructive feedback about the teacher candidate's developing skills in this area;

• Sharing information on and feedback about how to acknowledge differences in the classroom and how to modify lessons to include all learners;

• Reviewing the teacher candidate's use of assessments and providing constructive feedback about them;

• Providing concrete approaches about collaboration with colleagues and families;

• Assisting the cooperating teacher in understanding the developmental process of the teacher preparation program and your role as supervisor;

• Conferring with cooperating teacher, relative to the teacher candidate's work and progress; conducting group conferences with the teacher candidate and cooperating teacher, as appropriate; and

• Timely sharing of evaluations with teacher candidates and timely submission of written evaluations to the College's online evaluation system;

Our university supervision model is based upon models of clinical supervision designed to set specific learning goals for teacher candidates and to assess progress using a variety of observation techniques.

Clinical supervisors can access all required information, forms, processes and policies in the Clinical Placement Handbook. The Handbook can be accessed here »

Evaluations and Training

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

Observation and Conference Report (O&C)

• Clinical Experience I, II, and III – one evaluation by supervisor
• Clinical Practice 1 – three evaluations by supervisor
• Clinical Practice 2 – five evaluations by supervisor

Clinical Competency Inventory (CCI)

• Clinical Practice 2 – two evaluations by supervisor

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

Evaluation Trainings and Assessments

Handbook

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

Checklist for Clinical Supervisors 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.135 Handbook

Guide for Week-to-Week Activities for Clinical Practice pg.127 Handbook

Co-Teaching Model pg.128 Handbook

Key Terminology pg. 15 Handbook

Supervisors Expectations pg.134 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. As the assigned course instructor for your supervisee’s section, you are able to and should view the time log; however, only the cooperating teacher should 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.

Clinical Practice 2

Every teacher candidate in Clinical Practice 2 is required to submit a timesheet to the Office of Fieldwork and Certification. Your supervisee can and should share the timesheet with you; however, 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 the 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 cooperating teacher. 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.

Supervisor FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Clinical supervision is the examination of the performance of teacher candidates in real-world settings with the aim of improving instruction and students’ learning. It is a dynamic process where clinical supervisors, teacher candidates, and cooperating teachers set mutual goals for the teacher candidate and use observational evidence to analyze his or her teaching performance over time.

Clinical supervision teams aim for several outcomes of their work:

• Objective feedback about a candidate’s teaching;
• Diagnosis and problem solving;
• Development of diverse teaching strategies; and
• Evaluation of teacher candidates.

Ultimately, the triad of university faculty, clinical supervisors and cooperating teachers deems itself responsible for making certain that the teacher candidate improves and that students under that candidate’s tutelage learn.

First, effective clinical supervisors have a vision of effective teaching. This vision includes clear ideas about the importance of

1. different teaching styles, such as direct and indirect instruction;
2. the teaching of critical thinking skills;
3. effective planning and classroom management;
4. addressing the needs of diverse learners; and
5. valid and reliable student assessment.

While there is no single vision of effective teaching, university supervisors are ultimately interested in whether or not students are learning from the teacher candidate’s work.

Lastly, clinical supervisors need to believe that they are part of a larger team that includes both people in the field and at the university, all of whom share an interest in improving and developing the candidate’s teaching skills and sense of professional responsibility.