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.
Updated January 16, 2024