Since its establishment in 2006, the Office of Educator Development and Clinical Practice (OEDCP) has played an integral role in supporting the mission of the Nystrand Center.
The OEDCP collaborates with district/school partners and community organizations for the placement of candidates in all phases of the Developmental Model throughout the unit (e.g., early professional experiences, content methods, clinical/student teaching, and special education and early childhood practicum). Field and clinical experiences encompass a variety of early and ongoing school-based and community-based opportunities. Candidates work in classroom settings to assist, tutor, instruct, conduct applied research, reflect, and analyze under the direction of a certified teacher. The OEDCP makes approximately 1,400 placements each semester.
Instructors, university supervisors, P-12 teachers, administrators, and/or directors at the placement sites provide support for candidates. The OEDCP works closely with all stakeholders and coordinates the efforts of the university supervisors, a critical component to the success of the programs. University supervisors are qualified education professionals hired for their expertise and experience in school settings at the levels they supervise.
Program and student teaching orientations, professional phase candidate update meetings, cooperating teacher training, and university supervisor training are offered to all respective groups to ensure a successful progression and culminating experience for our teacher candidates. During these sessions, co-teaching strategies are reviewed, observation tools and the assessment process is presented, and updates and changes are discussed as necessary for each of the identified groups.
A key responsibility of the OEDCP is the collection and reporting of data in compliance with state regulation. This includes overseeing the electronic submission of all field hours and mandated state activities through the Kentucky Field Experience Tracking System (KFETS) and the CEHD Field Experience Record in Foliotek. These electronic systems hold documentation of our candidates’ field experiences with diverse student populations in compliance with state regulation.