Both cadre supervisors and on-site teacher educators fill out feedback forms as interns complete their experience. The on-site teacher educator's role in structured observation and detailed debriefing is documented in the Internship Handbook. During the first semester of internship, elementary teacher candidates spend no less than 300 hours at their internship sites, and secondary teacher candidates spend no less than 180 hours at their internship site. During the second semester of internship, candidates spend sixteen weeks at their sites. The internship handbook outlines the responsibilities of all three parties involved in the internship phases of the teacher education programs.
Communication is the key to a successful experience.
Since internships are the capstone of the teacher education sequence at Lewis-Clark State College, it is essential that the internship location be carefully supervised by the cadre leader. Teacher education faculty members are given extensive load credit for cadre leadership and take pride in the fact that each intern is observed no less than ten times during the semester, and most interns are observed more often. For candidates who complete part of their internship at distant sites, college supervisors are hired to monitor standards and indicators as shown by internship guidelines in the Handbook. The application form for admission to the teacher education programs states clearly that the number of students who can be admitted is contingent upon the availability of quality internship sites. To date, no student has been denied admission because a quality internship site was not available.