Winter 2012 Partnership Magazine - College of Education Home ...

Re -Integrated
Field Services Collaboration
The Integrated Field Services team
commenced its second year of support services
to P-20 educators (that’s pre-school into the first
three years of teaching) at the TOSA Tune-Up
on September 8, 2011. The addition of new
partners, including changes to current job duties,
within administration, University faculty, and P-12
teachers created the need to adapt delivery
methods and enhance collaboration efforts.
Integrated Field Services began the 2010-
11 school year as a cooperative between the
Center for School-University Partnerships, the
Office of Field & International Experience, and
the Center for Mentoring & Induction, who codesigned
development opportunities supporting
all PDS partner initiatives.
The IFS team met in July 2011 after Carol
Werhan left the director position with OFIE,
and welcomed Kristin Dauk into the planning.
Leaders assessed the current state and built
action plans for their desired state, which
included an effective look at how the Teacher
Performance Assessment (TPA), its practitioners
and administrators, could be supported once the
full weight of accountability was added in the
new school year. As a result, the entire College
of Education faculty could use their help.
New director, Kristin Dauk, explained, “We
want to make it pertinent to what they’re working
on right now, and how they can move it forward.”
One meeting each month faculty,
supervisors, and TOSA’s gather together to
increase proficiency with the assessment.
Kristin Dauk, Laura Bemel, and Carol Burns
facilitate discussions around detailed analyses
for each part of the assessment as well as build
a common understanding of how to score a
candidate’s performance.
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One of these sessions invited a faculty
member from St. Cloud State University wellversed
in performance assessments and the TPA,
Dr. Kathleen Ofstedal. She provided numerous
resources and ideas while answering questions
that had come up since it began as a pilot last
year. She urged educators to view the TPA as a
“diary of student-teaching, because it is what a
good teacher does.” She added, “It’s all about
asking good questions about our practice.”
IFS leaders also noted the advantages
of last year’s learning community with the
Teachers-On-Special-Assignment, who are
involved in nearly all professional development.
The group, which expanded quickly within the
NExT initiative to include 18 this year, needed
more time to share their effective practices and
relevant questions with each other and IFS
leaders. At the same time, the significant level
of engagement from the TOSA’s built equity
into the governing structure, where all can now
contribute and benefit from each development
session.
The new TOSA Response Forum,
held once a month, delineated time for all
stakeholders to contribute and benefit. Leaders
divvied up the areas of responsibility for the
group as a whole and connected each one to
a leader based on their strengths in that area.
TOSA’s picked up a time slot for sharing and
presenting their own learning. College faculty
received invitations to attend the final time slot
of each day, where departments could meet
and plan more with the TOSA’s who coordinate
and support their students in the schools.
Last fall, faculty and P-12 educators
created a responsive and agile system for
developing the talents of every educator in
the PDS. As new development occurred within
the IFS scope, including mentor network, field
placements, clinicals, and PDS NExT initiatives,
teachers had more opportunities for practicing
and reflecting on their learning.
TOSA’s shared key documents organizing
complex projects so others could streamline
their efforts. They kept each other up-to-date on
learning specific to their organization or field
of experience. IFS collaborated with TOSA’s on
specific objectives in coordinating a vast amount
of placements and mentoring relationships.
Effectively communicating and
collaborating has become the standard for
the IFS team. Their abilities to respond and
adapt to all stakeholders’ needs keeps the PDS
running smoothly, and will continue doing so
into the new year.
The Integrated Field Services Team
> Kristin Dauk and Laura Bemel
(Office of Field International
Experience)
> Lori Bird and Carol Burns
(Center for Mentoring & Induction)
> Ginger Zierdt and Paul
Preimesberger (Center for
School-University Partnerships)
Breakdown of IFS Leadership
OFIE
Field Experience placements,
including long-term placements
Study Away Experiences
Co-Teaching/TPA
CMI
Professional Development,
PDS Mentoring and Induction
Cognitive Coaching
New Teacher Center Partnership
CSUP
PDS Leadership Institute
PDS Governance Council
NAPDS Annual Conference
Sponsor
Graduate Teaching Fellows
and Teachers-On-Special-
Assignment
Advancement Via Individual
Determination (AVID)
Twin Cities Partnerships
http://ed.mnsu.edu/csup/