Relay students enrolled in clinical practice courses will complete multiple cycles of observation and reflection each term. Each Clinical Practice course has approximately four short observations and two longer observations per term. These longer observations, referred to as term observations (or gateway assessments for Relay Teaching Residency or NY Teacher Pathway students), are opportunities to receive comprehensive feedback on development of the foundational knowledge, skills, and mindsets of a culturally responsive and inclusive teacher. Short observations provide an opportunity for formative feedback and reflection aligned to the term observations/gateway assessments. Individual faculty members may also choose to observe more often to provide additional coaching and feedback.

If a student earns below “emerging” on a gateway assessment or term observation, they will earn an “F” in the Clinical Practice course in which the gateway or term observation was assigned. Students may retake the Clinical Practice course in a future term, allowing them to re-do the associated gateways or term observations. Failure of Clinical Practice courses will be the same as failure of any Relay course and will follow what is outlined in the Relay Student Academic Progress guidance. 

Additional observations may be conducted by field supervisors based on state- and/or program-specific requirements for qualifying clinical experiences. After each observation, faculty members share data collected during the observation and debrief students’ strengths and areas of growth in person, over the phone, through video conference, or in writing. Observations may be conducted in person, via video recording, or synchronously online, depending on program modality and state requirements for observations of clinical experiences.

For students enrolled in a program leading to certification/licensure, state-required observations conducted during a students’ qualifying clinical experience will be documented in Anthology Portfolio. Failure to participate in state- and/or program-specific observations may result in additional coursework requirements, additional charges, and/or ineligibility for certification/licensure. State- and/or program-specific observation requirements can be found in the corresponding EPP Handbook.
 

Residents and NY Teacher Pathway students may also be required to secure a lead teaching/teacher of record position by the first day of the second fall term in order to continue in the Residency or NY Teacher Pathway program. Some state- and/or program requirements may include verification of the student’s instructional role on an earlier timeline. In some states, students’ lead teaching experience in the second year of the program counts as their qualifying clinical experience for educator preparation program completion, and students must ensure that their teaching positions are aligned with their certification/endorsement areas and meet state- and/or program-specific requirements for qualifying clinical experiences.