ADS Pathway Guidance
Accreditation Data System (ADS) Proposed Pathways
For data collection in the ADS, these definitions provide guidance about the pathways through which teacher preparation programs may be delivered. Clinical Practice Guidance – Clinical Practice Guidance (September 2017) – Guidance related to fieldwork and clinical practice requirements.
| Pathway | Guiding Definition* |
|---|---|
| Student Teaching: Traditional Student Teaching | Clinical experience where the master teacher models and guides the student teacher in day-to-day classroom management, planning, instruction and assessment, and gradually releases responsibility for the classroom to the teacher candidate. Student teaching concludes with a final culminating activity, such as a solo-teaching classroom experience. |
| Student Teaching: Co-Teaching | Clinical experience with two teachers (the candidate and a master teacher) working together with groups of students and sharing the planning, organization, delivery and assessment of instruction and physical space throughout the clinical experience. |
| Student Teaching: Teacher Residency | Clinical experience developed between a school district and an institution of higher education. A residency means the candidate is in the classroom with the mentor teacher at least 50% of the time across a minimum of one full school year. Residency programs usually offer candidates financial support including but not limited to, a living stipend, health benefits, and tuition remission, and often results in an employment offer in the district in which the residency was completed. |
| Student Teaching: Private | A prospective teacher who is earning a credential and completes a substantial portion of the clinical experience in a private school. Additional placements maybe required for these candidates. |
| Intern | A paid clinical experience in a public school where the candidate is an employee of the district or school and serves as the teacher of record in his/her own classroom. Interns may only be used for employment shortages when districts cannot find a teacher with a preliminary or clear credential in the needed area. Interns are provided extensive support and supervision by both the preparation program and the employer as defined in Title 5 regulation 80033. |
*Pathways are institutionally defined and may be used for guidance.
Commission on Teacher Credentialing
651 Bannon Street
Sacramento, CA 95811