Please note that only Education majors may participate in field experience placements.
Each of the six baccalaureate programs in education have extensive field experience placements associated with the program area. The culminating experience is a 15-week internship. The program CoOP Field Experience model is very different than that of a traditional field experience model. The School of Education model builds partnerships with the local school districts to identify highly-qualified mentor teachers who work closely with teacher candidates throughout their final internship. These teachers are integral in determining when student candidates are ready for full take over. Teacher candidates in the School of Education are required to have diverse experiences throughout the program's field experience CoOP. The School of Education has worked closely with local school districts to determine the composition of their school populations. The candidates must then ensure they visit schools in each of the three subgroups. Their placements and performance are documented through an on-line accountability and assessment system, LiveText.
Each teacher candidate is evaluated multiple times by the college internship faculty member, the mentor teacher, and through self-evaluation. This information is triangulated to determine the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses. Extensive data is available on the performance of candidates during their internships as well as graduates hire rates for all cohorts. For the last three years, Florida SouthWestern State College has ranked in the top five institutions in the state for the number of graduates employed in the Florida Public Schools (see page 96 of the 2012 Teacher Preparation Study Final Report).
Clinical Placement Contact:
Elizabeth Perdomo, Coordinator of Clinical Placements
, 239-489-9366