Requesting Procedures for Field Experiences

Early and ongoing field experiences are crucial for initial and advanced licensure preparation. The continuum of field experiences required in Liberty’s program includes practicums in preK-12 settings and culminates in either student teaching or internship during the final semester. Field experiences are course-embedded requirements for designated courses in each program. Field experiences must include a variety of settings appropriate to the endorsement: multiple grade levels and interaction with diverse students (e.g., minority, at-risk, and exceptional students) to fulfill the requirements of the Field Experience Summary (FES).

As part of the documentation process of these field experiences, you may be required to collect picture or video evidence of your field experiences. You should obtain both school and parent/guardian permission before taking pictures or video of the classroom or students; when attempting to obtain permission, use the School of Education Video/Photo Release Form (pdf). You should work with the assigned classroom teacher/administrator in order to determine the best approach for distributing and collecting signed copies of this form. Videos and photos obtained through this process should be used for portfolio and coursework purposes only.

Artifacts involving the preK-12 students should not be posted on social media.

• Field Experience Descriptions (pdf)
• Field Experience Handbook (pdf)
• Field Placement Groups
• Requesting Placement: Policies and Procedures

Field Placement Groups

The School of Education Field Placement Office has three Field Placement Groups (pdf):

• University Contact– Central Virginia
  • The University Contact Central Virginia Placement Group consists of all schools (public and non-public) near the campus area in Lynchburg, VA.  Students are not permitted to contact schools in these areas for placement, even if they are already employed in the school system.  All placement requests must be processed through the Local Field Office.
    
• University Contact– Outside of Central Virginia
  • The University Contact outside of Central Virginia Placement Group consists of all schools around the country and internationally that have indicated students are not permitted to contact schools for placement, even if they are already employed in the school system. All placement requests must be processed through the Field Placement Office.
    
• Student Contact– Outside of Central Virginia
  • Any school systems not identified on one of the above two list have not yet communicated specific placement procedures to the university. You should contact the school system directly for more information about placement possibilities. You should contact the individual responsible for placements in the district.
    

The first two placement groups do not permit candidates to contact or communicate with the schools to arrange placements. This communication must go through the SOE Field Placement Office.

Requesting Placement: Policies and Procedures

It is recommended that you plan ahead for your field experiences, as you will need to spend time in the classroom, which may require adjusting your current schedule. Below you can review more information about the field experiences that you may complete throughout your program.

Also, review the requesting procedures for your field experiences, as our Field Placement Offices are ready to assist you in securing a placement. Licensure candidates may review more information about the field experiences through the Canvas SOE Licensure Resource Community