Field Placement

The in-person Master of Arts in Teaching program offers a comprehensive student teaching experience in public school classrooms throughout Central Oregon. The online MAT program allows for student teaching placements anywhere in Oregon. The student teaching component is a crucial part of teacher formation that offers students unique exposure to a diversity of school districts, policies, administration, staff, cultures, ethnic and economic groups.

Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission

Elementary Multiple Subjects Endorsement 

Offers teacher candidates placement opportunities throughout the program. Upon obtaining Preliminary Teaching Licensure, teacher candidates gain an endorsement to teach Multiple Subjects in self-contained classrooms at the elementary level.

Secondary Language Arts, Science (chemistry, biology, physics, integrated science), Mathematics (foundational or advanced), and/or Social Studies Endorsements

Offers teacher candidates placement opportunities in middle school (Grades 6-8) and high school (grades 9-12) classrooms throughout the academic year for endorsement(s) in either Social Studies, Language Arts, Foundational or Advanced Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or Integrated Science.

Online MAT students earn additional endorsements in ESOL or Dual Language. In-person MAT students can add the ESOL endorsement. 

Placement Information for Students*

  • Information related to your placement is collected from you upon acceptance into the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program.
  • In person MAT students will receive a placement form. This is the information used to initiate your placement in Central Oregon. We work with six school districts: in Deschutes (Bend-La Pine, Redmond, Sisters), Crook (Prineville), and Jefferson (Madras, Culver). You may be required to travel to any of these counties for your internship experience.
  • Applicants interested in the online MAT program should contact us before applying to arrange potential placements with your local school district. While we cannot guarantee a placement, we can work with you to find an appropriate match. 
  • Since placements are done on an individual basis, the timing for notification varies and is dependent upon multiple circumstances. Turning in the Internship Placement Form and your resume and profile early will give you the best opportunity to have your placement confirmed as soon as possible.

*Please note that upon admission to the MAT program, it is important that you maintain communication with our Placement Coordinator. Failing to do so may affect where and if you are placed. 

Teacher Candidate Placements Policy

  • K1体育-Cascades guarantees student teaching placements that meet the minimum placement requirements for each program (outlined below). This guaranteed placement will be in the teacher candidate鈥檚 primary endorsement area and will be within a 60-mile radius of the hosting K1体育 campus (Cascades or Corvallis). Placement in a district that is further than 60 miles from the hosting K1体育 campus will be considered upon request and must be approved by the program lead and the Director of Licensure. View the teacher candidate placements policy.

Please contact our Placement Coordinator, if you have questions about the internship placement processes.

Teacher Candidate Placement Timeline

  • February-April: Once the Graduate School has received all necessary admission documentation, the student teaching placement process begins. MAT students will receive an email from the College of Education Internship Coordinator, with directions to complete four steps: 1) a fingerprint background check; 2) a placement preference form; 3) a cover letter; and 4) an academic profile.  These four steps are essential for moving forward with student teaching placement decisions. Once complete, the Internship Coordinator connects with district superintendents and administrators, human resource personnel, and school principals and teachers. Each district has very specific instructions and protocols for placing student teachers. It is very important that students DO NOT make any contact with school district administrators, principals, or teachers concerning their student teaching placement.
  • April - June: The Internship Coordinator will email students about their assigned placement information and directions to initiate a 鈥淢eet and Greet鈥 with their Cooperating Teacher(s).

  • June: The Internship Coordinator will email students specific directions for all other placement requirements that include SafeSchools online training, National Education Association (NEA) membership, and school district registration.

  • August: Student teaching placement starts with school district in-service meetings and trainings before the actual first day of school. Your placement schedule follows the school district calendar and not the K1体育-Cascades academic calendar.

Note: Students in the extended internship pathway will work with the Clinical Partnership Liaison to coordinate their placements. If you have questions about this process, please reach out to Melissa Potter at melissa.potter@oregonstate.edu.

Student Teaching Placement Authorization and Locations

In accordance with Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission, your student teaching placement can only be in an accredited school that is most often a public school.

The MAT program has education partnerships with schools across the state. For the in-person program travel to Central Oregon school districts, including outside of Bend, for your placement is expected. Please plan accordingly.

Two Placements

First Placement: Part-time during the fall term.

Second Placement: Part-time during the winter term and full-time during the spring term.

The MAT program offers student teaching placement opportunities throughout the academic year in two different levels per endorsement.

Teaching endorsements include:

Elementary - Multiple Subjects, Social Studies, Language Arts, Mathematics, or Science

*An ESOL Endorsement is an optional endorsement.  For more information please see our website.

  • Elementary Placement Levels: Kindergarten, 2 and 3 鈥 5 grade
  • Secondary Placement Levels: Middle School (6 鈥 8) and High School (9 鈥 12)
  • Student Teaching placements are arranged and confirmed by our Placement Coordinator in collaboration with each school district administration.

Fingerprints and Background Checks

The safety of children is always our highest priority, and we are vigilant in assuring that the appropriate clearance has been given for each K1体育 student we place in a K-12 setting.All Teacher Candidates will be required to clear the fingerprint process through Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC). If you have not already completed this, please do so a minimum of 8 weeks before your placement is scheduled to begin.

If you have had a fingerprinting check within the past 3 years and have the TSPC clearance email, please contact the Program Coordinator.

Instructions

Throughout the process, save all emails and receipts, and check your spam folder regularly.

Please follow the instructions at the bottom of this webpage:
 (Link is external)

  1. Apply via this website:
    • Please note:
      If you do not have an account with TSPC, you'll need to create one.
      Select "Clinical Practices" for the licensing category, and K1体育 (not Cascades College).
  2. After about 5-7 days, TSPC will send an email with instructions and your code to schedule an appointment with Fieldprint - a company contracted by Oregon state agencies to provide fingerprinting services. Schedule your appointment at and get fingerprinted as scheduled.
  3. After approximately 4-6 weeks, eLicensing will email you your clearance. Save this email as a pdf and submit to the program as instructed. (TSPC does not notify K1体育.)

Questions

Please contact our Program Coordinator (Link sends email) if you have questions about the fingerprinting or background check processes.