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Survey of Clinical Practice in Teacher Preparation

Dear Teacher,

Thank you for agreeing to participate in our study of recent graduates of teacher preparation programs. The study is examining the characteristics of the 

clinical practice components of teacher preparation programs. Results will be used to describe variation within and across programs and to inform future 

research that examines the effectiveness of program components.

The following survey contains questions about the program or course of study that you participated in to become certified or licensed to teach (referred to 

in this survey as "your teacher preparation program"). Your participation is voluntary and you may choose to stop participating at any time. There will be no 

penalty if you do not participate or choose to withdraw from the study. We will make every effort to keep the information we collect confidential, and you will 

not be identified by name in any report. We expect the online survey to last 20 to 30 minutes.

IIf at any time before, during, or after the study you have questions about the study, you may contact me at RMC Research Corporation, 633 17th 

Street, Suite 2100, Denver, CO 80202, (800) 922-3636. If you have any questions about your rights as a research participant, you may contact Liberty 

IRB, 2024 Larchmont Drive, Deland, FL 32724, (386) 740-9278. Thank you for your attention and help

Sincerely,

Stephen Meyer

Principal Investigator

Research and Evaluation Director, REL Central

By signing your name below, you indicate that you understand the conditions of this 

study and your agreement to participate.

The following questions focus on the field experiences in your teacher preparation program. By "field 

experience," we mean activities in which you participated in PreK­12 classrooms and schools (and other settings 

in which you may have worked with PreK­12 students) as part of your teacher preparation program prior to 

becoming a classroom teacher. These include activities such as student teaching, observing or assisting in 

classrooms, tutoring, or conducting research.

1. How many courses did you have to take as part of your program of study toward

certification (not including all courses taken for your degree; just those that were 

specifically required to gain a teaching certificate)? 

Introduction

*

First Name:

Last Name:

Date:

Section A: Field Experience Characteristics

Number of courses
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Survey of Clinical Practice in Teacher Preparation

2. Among the courses you took that were required for certification, how many had field 

experience associated with them (e.g., observation of classroom instruction, tutoring 

school children)?

3. Please estimate the total number of hours (clock hours, not credit hours) that you spent 

in field experience that were part of your teacher preparation program.

4. In how many schools did you have field experience?

5. In how many classrooms did you have field experience?

6. In how many other sites (outside of PreK­12 schools and classrooms) did you have field 

experience?

7. With which student grade levels did you have field experience? (Choose all that apply)

8. During your field experience (thinking about all your experiences in PreK­12 schools 

and classrooms as part of your teacher preparation program), how frequently did you 

work with the following types of students? 

Number of courses

Number of hours

Number of schools

Number of classrooms

Number of other sites

Never or 

Almost Never

Rarely Occasionally Often

Always or 

Almost Always

Don't Know

a. Students from varied cultural backgrounds nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

b. Students with varied levels of socio­economic status nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

c. Students with varied levels of English proficiency nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

gfedc Pre­K

gfedc Kindergarten

gfedc 1st

gfedc 2nd

gfedc 3rd

gfedc 4th

gfedc 5th

gfedc 6th

gfedc 7th

gfedc 8th

gfedc 9th

gfedc 10th

gfedc 11th

gfedc 12th
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Survey of Clinical Practice in Teacher Preparation

9. Thinking about the school(s) in which you had field experience, to what extent do you 

agree or disagree with the following? 

Now, we'd like you to focus on the student teaching aspect of your field experience. By your "student teaching experience," we mean your 

placement as a classroom teacher in a PreK­12 school to practice instruction under the supervision of an experienced teacher. 

10. Did you have student teaching experience? 

11. Did you have more than one student teaching placement? 

If you have had more than one student teaching placement, please answer the following items based on your experience across placements.

12. Please identify the subject area(s) and grade level(s) you taught in your student teaching experience. 

Strongly 

Disagree

Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Don't Know

a. You received sufficient support from the school 

administration.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

b. Adequate resources and materials/ equipment for your 

classroom were available.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

c. School procedures for student discipline were 

effective.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

d. The principal was an effective leader. nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

e. Teaching staff were collegial. nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

f. I was able to have intellectually rich discussions about 

teaching and learning with my colleagues.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

g. Parent/family involvement was strong. nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Section A: Field Experience Characteristics

nmlkj No

nmlkj Yes

nmlkj No

nmlkj Yes (Please specify how many different student teaching placements you have had)
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Survey of Clinical Practice in Teacher Preparation

Subject Area(s) Taught

(Choose all that apply)

gfedc English/Language Arts

gfedc Mathematics

gfedc Science

gfedc Social studies, history, and/or government

gfedc World language

gfedc Special education

gfedc Art, music, and/or drama

gfedc Computer science and/or technology

gfedc Vocational and/or business

gfedc Health and/or physical education

gfedc Other (please specify)
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Survey of Clinical Practice in Teacher Preparation

Grade Level(s)

(Choose all that apply)

13. For how many total weeks did your student teaching experience last? (Please exclude 

any breaks, such as winter or spring break)

14. How many hours per week was your student teaching experience, on average?

15. During your student teaching experience, approximately what percentage of time did 

you spend as a teacher with complete responsibility for classroom instruction? 

16. How well did your student teaching experience match your: 1) career teaching plans, 

and 2) first teaching position in terms of the following? 

Number of weeks

Number of hours

Percentage of time

Career Teaching Plans First Teaching Position

a. Grade level 6 6

b. Subject matter 6 6

c. Student population characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity, 

income, academic performance)

6 6

gfedc Pre­Kindergarten

gfedc Kindergarten

gfedc 1st

gfedc 2nd

gfedc 3rd

gfedc 4th

gfedc 5th

gfedc 6th

gfedc 7th

gfedc 8th

gfedc 9th

gfedc 10th

gfedc 11th

gfedc 12th

Average 

Average 
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Survey of Clinical Practice in Teacher Preparation

17. During your field experience (again, thinking about all your experiences in PreK­12 

schools and classrooms as part of your teacher preparation program), how often did you 

do the following? 

Section B: Field Experience Curriculum and Timing

Never or Almost 

Never

Rarely Occasionally Often

Always or Almost 

Always

a. I applied the subject matter knowledge that I learned 

in my teacher preparation program courses.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

b. I applied the pedagogy that I learned in my teacher 

preparation program courses.

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c. I tried out strategies and techniques that I learned in 

my teacher preparation program courses.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

d. I designed daily lessons. nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

e. I set up the classroom for daily lessons. nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

f. I planned extended blocks of instruction. nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

g. I applied my knowledge of state or district curriculum 

and performance standards.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

h. I applied my knowledge of Common Core State 

Standards.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

i. I engaged students in test preparation activities to 

prepare for the state learning assessment (e.g., review of 

test items, discussion of test­taking strategies).

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

j. I used a variety of classroom management strategies. nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

k. I developed strategies for managing student 

misbehavior.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

l. I implemented the schools' protocol(s) to address 

student discipline.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

m. I used computers in classroom instruction. nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

n. I used technology to communicate with parents or 

community members.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

o. I used technology to communicate with other teachers 

or administrators at the school.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

p. I used a variety of instructional strategies. nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

q. I allowed students to select and/or direct their own 

activities.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

r. I adapted instruction to meet the unique learning 

needs of students (e.g., to address special needs, levels 

of challenge, and interests).

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

s. I interacted with parents. nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

t. I participated in instructional activities that involved 

families and/or community members.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

u. I participated in non­instructional activities that 

involved families and/or community members.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj
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Survey of Clinical Practice in Teacher Preparation

18. Please indicate the extent to which you disagree or agree with the following 

statements.

The next questions are about the cooperating teacher with whom you worked during your field experience. By 

"cooperating teacher," we refer to the PreK­12 school staff member assigned to oversee your student teaching 

and other field experiences. If you worked with multiple cooperating teachers during your field experience, 

please respond based on the person with whom you spent the most time.

v. I developed strategies for engaging parents or 

community members.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

w. I assessed students formally (through tests, etc.). nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

x. I assessed students informally through daily 

monitoring.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

y. I designed formative assessments. nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

z. I used data from formal student assessments to guide 

my instruction.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

aa. I used data from informal assessments of students to 

guide my instruction.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

bb. I participated in professional development activities 

offered at my school.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

cc. I participated as a member of an instructional team or 

discipline­based department in the school.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

dd. I collaborated with another teacher(s) to plan or 

deliver lessons.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Strongly 

Disagree

Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Don't Know

a. My field experience was well timed with the 

instructional schedule of the Pre­K­12 school(s) where I 

was placed.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

b. I was able to focus on my field experience, without 

being distracted by other commitments or expectations 

associated with my teacher preparation program.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Section C: Cooperating Teacher Characteristics
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Survey of Clinical Practice in Teacher Preparation

19. Please indicate the extent to which you disagree or agree with the following statements 

about your cooperating teacher.

My Cooperating Teacher . . . 

The next questions are about the supervising faculty member with whom you worked during your field 

experience. By "supervising faculty member," we refer to the individual from your teacher preparation program 

who oversaw your student teaching and other field experiences. If you worked with multiple supervising faculty 

members during your field experience, please respond based on the person with whom you spent the most time.

Strongly 

Disagree

Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Don't Know

a. Had good knowledge of subject area content nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

b. Understood goals for student learning nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

c. Understood effective instructional strategies nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

d. Understood how to accommodate different student 

learning styles

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

e. Effectively managed the classroom nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

f. Was regarded as a "master teacher" at the school nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

g. Had good communication skills nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

h. Modeled good professional practice nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

i. Gave me useful feedback nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

j. Was an effective mentor to me nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

k. Was able to provide needed support nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

l. Was available to answer my questions or address my 

concerns

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

m. Taught in ways that were consistent with what I 

learned in my courses

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Section D: Supervising Faculty Member Characteristics
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Survey of Clinical Practice in Teacher Preparation

20. Please indicate the extent to which you disagree or agree with the following statements 

about your supervising faculty member.

My Supervising Faculty Member. . . 

The following questions are about the nature of collaboration between your teacher preparation program and the 

school(s) in which you had your field experience (thinking about all your experiences in PreK­12 schools and 

classrooms as part of your teacher preparation program).

Strongly 

Disagree

Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Don't Know

a. Had good knowledge of subject area content nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

b. Understood goals for student learning nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

c. Understood effective instructional strategies nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

d. Understood how to accommodate different student 

learning styles

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

e. Had good communication skills nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

f. Modeled good professional practice nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

g. Gave me useful feedback nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

h. Was an effective mentor to me nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

i. Was able to provide needed support nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

j. Was available to answer my questions or address my 

concerns

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Section E: Collaboration between Your Teacher Preparation Program and PreK­

...
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Survey of Clinical Practice in Teacher Preparation

21. For each of the following activities related to your field experience, please indicate the 

extent to which they were done exclusively by faculty or staff from your teacher 

preparation program, by faculty or staff at the school(s) where you were placed, or done 

jointly.

22. Please indicate the extent to which you disagree or agree with the following 

statements.

The following questions are about the communication you had and feedback you received from your 

cooperating teacher and supervising faculty member during your student teaching experience

Done Exclusively by Teacher 

Preparation Program 

Faculty/Staff

Done Exclusively by School 

Faculty/Staff

Done jointly by Teacher 

Preparation Program AND

School Faculty/Staff

Don’t Know

a. Deciding where I would 

be placed for my field 

experience

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

b. Selecting my 

cooperating teacher

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

c. Designing my field 

experience

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

d. Monitoring my field 

experience

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

e. Assessing my teaching 

performance during my 

field experience

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Strongly 

Disagree

Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Don't Know

a. Expectations for my field experience were effectively 

communicated by my teacher preparation program to 

faculty/staff at the PreK­12 school(s) in which I was 

placed.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

b. Expertise was shared among faculty/staff from my 

teacher preparation program and faculty/staff at the 

PreK­12 school(s) in which I was placed.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

c. My cooperating teacher and supervising faculty 

member worked together as a team to support my field 

experience.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Section F: Evaluation and Feedback
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Survey of Clinical Practice in Teacher Preparation

23. Thinking about your interactions with your cooperating teacher about issues related to 

your teaching practice (e.g., curriculum and instruction, classroom management/behavior, 

students, assessment, materials) during your student teaching experience, how often did 

each of the following occur?

24. Thinking about your interactions with your supervising faculty member (related to your 

teaching practice and during your student teaching experience), how often did each of the 

following occur?

25. If you met with your cooperating teacher and/or supervising faculty member to discuss your teaching during your student teaching 

experience, please indicate the average length of these meetings.

a. Average length of meetings with your cooperating teacher to discuss your teaching.

Never

Less than Once 

per Month

Once per Month

Twice per 

Month

Once per Week

2­3 Times per 

Week

Daily

a. Your cooperating teacher 

observed your classroom 

teaching.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

b. You observed your 

cooperating teacher's 

classroom teaching.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

c. You received written 

feedback about your teaching 

from your cooperating 

teacher.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

d. You met with your 

cooperating teacher to 

discuss your teaching.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Never

Less than once 

per Month

Once per Month

Twice per 

Month

Once per Week

2­3 Times per 

Week

Daily

a. Your supervising faculty 

member observed your 

classroom teaching.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

b. You observed your 

supervising faculty member 's 

classroom teaching.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

c. You received written 

feedback about your teaching 

from your supervising faculty 

member.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

d. You met with your 

supervising faculty member 

to discuss your teaching.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

nmlkj I did not meet to discuss my teaching

nmlkj Average number of minutes
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Survey of Clinical Practice in Teacher Preparation

b. Average length of meetings with your supervising faculty member to discuss your 

teaching.

26. Please indicate which, if any, of the following types of procedures or tools were used 

during your student teaching experience to document and/or provide feedback about your 

teaching practice. (Choose all that apply)

27. We are interested in the extent to which your teacher preparation program evaluates 

the effectiveness of its field experiences. Please indicate whether or not you were asked to 

provide feedback about the quality of the following elements. (Choose all that apply)

I Was Asked to Provide Feedback

I Was Not Asked to Provide 

Feedback

Not Applicable

a. The overall quality of my field 

experience

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

b. The overall quality of my student 

teaching experience

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

c. The quality of the school in which I had 

my student teaching experience.

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

d. The quality of my cooperating teacher nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

e. The quality of my supervising faculty 

member

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

nmlkj I did not meet to discuss my teaching

nmlkj Average number of minutes

gfedc Professional portfolios

gfedc Assessments of video­recorded lessons

gfedc Self­assessment or reflective analysis

gfedc Assessments by peers in your program

gfedc Oral feedback provided by your cooperating teacher after your classroom teaching

gfedc Oral feedback provided by your faculty supervisor after your classroom teaching

gfedc Written feedback provided by your cooperating teacher after your classroom teaching

gfedc Written feedback provided by your faculty supervisor after your classroom teaching

gfedc Feedback provided by your cooperating teacher or faculty supervisor during or immediately after your teaching
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Survey of Clinical Practice in Teacher Preparation

28. All of the information you provide will be used only for the purposes of the study and 

will be reported only in summary form along with responses from other participants. We 

may wish to follow up with you in the future. Would you be willing to allow the research 

team to contact you?

The research team requests your contact information in case we have follow­up questions or to discuss possible 

participation in future research about teacher preparation programs. REL Central has developed a Teacher 

Preparation Research Alliance to support research on this topic with the goal of providing information to 

improve teacher preparation programs.

If you are willing to be contacted, please provide the information requested below. Your 

information will not be shared beyond the research team.

Thank you for completing this survey. 

Contact Information

First Name

Middle Name

Last Name

Email address

Mailing Address

Home Phone Number

Mobile Phone Number

Work Phone Number

Employer Name and Location (City, State)

End of Survey

nmlkj No

nmlkj Yes