Clinical Education

A grade of Incomplete (I) may be given if the candidate has completed a minimum of 10 weeks but cannot complete the field experience for medical reasons or extreme extenuating circumstances. Each program or department will determine what constitutes extreme extenuating circumstances.

A grade of Unsatisfactory (U) or Failure (F) will be given if the candidate cannot complete the field experience due to the candidate's inability to perform the duties as prescribed by the program or department. There will be no refund of tuition and costs.

A candidate who receives an unsatisfactory grade or withdraws when performing unsatisfactorily in any field experience may re-enroll in that course one additional time for a total of two attempts. In the event that a candidate must repeat the field experience, the candidate must request permission to do so by completing a written appeal to the appropriate department or program. If permission is granted, the candidate must meet with designated College of Education personnel to develop an action plan for the experience that may include enrollment in a course(s). There is no guarantee that the request will be approved for the semester for which the request/appeal is made.

If a candidate receives an unsatisfactory grade or withdraws when performing unsatisfactorily in any field experience two times in the same experience, the candidate will be removed from the College of Education. If a candidate re-applies for admission to the College of Education he/she must indicate he/she was once in the College and dismissed. If the candidate is admitted and it is determined that he/she did not disclose the dismissal the student will be dismissed immediately.

Before a candidate drops or discontinues attending a field experience, he/she must communicate his/her intent to drop the course with the professor/university supervisor and the cooperating teacher. The candidate should not stop attending the experience without first discussing it with appropriate personnel. If a candidate does not follow the appropriate procedure, he/she must make a written request for a future placement. The request must include an explanation as to why the candidate stopped attending without first discussing it with appropriate personnel. Upon receiving the request the program or departmental faculty will make a determination as to whether or not the candidate may enroll for the field experience.

If an intern is removed from a field experience site by the hosting school/agency or the College of Education, the candidate will be required to meet with the appropriate College of Education personnel and develop an action plan for remediation. There will be no refund of tuition and costs.

Upon successful completion of the remediation plan, the intern may apply for placement in the next semester. However, the College of Education cannot guarantee placement since the school district or agency must approve all placements.

Interns will be required to have a minimum of one placement in a diverse school setting. The placement may be in a field experience, practicum, or final internship. If an intern has not had an experience in a diverse setting through a required course in the College of Education at the University of South Florida by the time of final internship, the intern will be placed in a diverse setting for final internship.

The College of Education does not offer guest internships. A guest internship is defined as a field experience that occurs outside of our service area. Students should be made aware that each program determines within which county(ies) a student can conduct their clinical experience. Student should contact their Program Coordinator with questions regarding the county(ies) that are appropriate for their major.

Any student who has an arrest record and who seeks admission to an initial certification program must disclose the arrest record on the Application for Admission to the College of Education. This includes, but is not limited to, juvenile arrests, dismissed charges, and/or sealed records. If the student does not disclose the information and it is later determined that the candidate was not truthful, he/she shall be administratively dismissed from the College of Education. Read more about Disclosure of Arrest and/or Conviction.