Axe ’Em, Jacks!
Clinical teaching placement
When choosing from the clinical teaching placement sites, carefully consider all aspects of clinical teaching, including:
- transportation issues
- personal circumstances
- and choices that will benefit you personally as well as professionally.
You must choose from the approved university partner schools for your placement site. Choose three districts where you are willing and able to clinical teach. All three districts that you choose are equally likely to be your placement.
Applying for placement
| Planning to Teach | Application Window |
|---|---|
| August to December | Dec. 1 through Feb. 15 |
| January to late May/early June | July 1 through Sept. 15 |
Clinical teaching is a semester-long experience. There is no clinical teaching in the summer and is not available in eight-week sessions. Clinical teachers will follow the calendar of the school district and not SFA, including the first day of school for the ISD (January or August).
Eligibility
Prior to clinical teaching, you must complete coursework and field-based experience requirements as well as pass the appropriate content exam. You'll work with your academic advisor and/or program coordinator to confirm eligibility for clinical teaching.
Upon confirmation of eligibility, candidates apply for clinical teaching via mySFA.
- Log in to mySFA.
- Click on the Academics tab.
- Click Apply to Clinical Practice.
- From here, follow the prompts to complete the application.
You'll receive a message when you have successfully submitted the application.
Next steps...
After all applications are submitted, they are forwarded to the school districts. School districts make all placement assignments and clinical teachers may not request changes to their placements after the application deadline.
When placements have been confirmed, and approximately one month prior to the semester start, notification will be sent to your student email address informing you which school district you are to be placed in. You may not know other details until the beginning of the semester.
We make all arrangements for clinical teaching assignments. Do not attempt to arrange your own placement.
Maintaining professionalism in placement: Assignments to specific campuses and mentor teachers are the responsibility of the school administrators. It is unprofessional for the clinical teacher to contact the district, principal or classroom teacher to obtain a specific placement.
Clinical teaching mandatory events
All clinical teachers are required to attend three mandatory SFA events during the clinical teaching semester.
- Clinical Teaching Orientation (prior to the first day of clinical teaching)
- SFA Educator Job Fair (mid-semester)
- Clinical Teaching Seminar (end of the clinical teaching semester)
Dates for the mandatory events will be provided prior to the clinical teaching semester.
Clinical teaching resources and forms
- Education Aide exemption
- Appeal to student teach with late content exam scores
- Request for permission to videotape in the classroom
Field supervisors
Field supervisors are resources for the clinical teacher and cooperating teacher, and they serve as liaisons between the university and the field. These supervisors act as critical friends by observing clinical teachers' classroom work several times each semester and providing feedback and suggestions.
If for any reason you do not plan to clinical teach after you submit your application, you must notify the clinical teaching coordinator at edcertfield@sfasu.edu.
Accommodations
If you have a documented disability for which you are requiring accommodations, you are encouraged to contact the Office of Disability Services at disabilityservices@sfasu.edu or call 936.468.3004 or 936.468.1004 TDD. Reach out to this office and the clinical teaching coordinator as soon as possible after submitting a clinical teaching application.