University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC)
Department of Education
Placement Coordinator (UMBC employee)
Position Description
POSITION TITLE: Placement Coordinator
PERSONNEL STATUS: Nonexempt, Full-time, Contingent II
DEPARTMENT: Education
The position of Placement Coordinator assures increased quality control over practicum experiences and the implementation and assessment of interns’ mastery of departmental and program expectations and professional competencies as evidenced by their performance in clinical practice. Essentially, it is a combination of the current position of University supervisor and the former position of Professional Development School (PDS) placement specialist. The position is designed to enhance the supervision of PDS interns during the extensive internship of a minimum of 100 days over two consecutive semesters. The Placement Coordinator reports directly to the Director of the Office of Field Experiences and Clinical Practice (OFECP).
The Placement Coordinator is responsible for monitoring interns’ performance during Phase I and Phase II of the PDS Internship. The supervision workload will be the equivalent of three 3-credit courses which translates into conducting 108 classroom observations or supervising a combination of 18 interns per semester across the two phases of the internship. As the clinical supervision model diagram below depicts, the full-time supervisor will conduct a minimum of three observations during Phase I—one informal observation and two formal observations—and a minimum of five formal observations during Phase II. All formal observations will be aligned with the completion the Clinical Practice Performance Assessments (CPPA) in the UMBC Education Accountability System (EAS) via Tk20.
In order to implement the clinical supervision model, the Placement Coordinator will observe each intern and provide feedback on his/her performance by completing the following responsibilities:
· Conduct observations of and guide interns; provide constructive feedback to interns; provide assessment evidence on interns’ progress in collaboration with Program Director, mentors, and, as appropriate, school administrators
· Contribute to the ongoing and final evaluation of the intern, completing Clinical Practice Performance Assessment (CPPA) forms in the Education Accountability System via TK20 as scheduled and in consultation with the mentor teacher—especially in instances of a disparity between the assessors’ ratings
· Consult with mentor on various aspects of the internship on an ongoing bases
· Alert OFECP Director and Program Director of any observations that are less than proficient or other issues that jeopardize a successful outcome to the internship experience (ex. attendance, professionalism)
· Attend conferences with intern, mentor, and Program Director or other meetings scheduled by the Program Director
· Participate in periodic professional development sessions at UMBC to maintain and develop skills in mentoring, supervision, and assessment (ex. CPPA, SPAs, Tk20)
· Supervise mentors and interns in the completion of required documentation, as appropriate to the program
· Complete the program survey in Tk20 for each assigned intern
· Attend intern orientation, action research presentations, and end-of-internship celebration
Since clinical supervision will account for 75% of the Placement Coordinator’s workload, the remaining 25% and the summer will be devoted to fulfilling the duties of the IHE Placement Specialist which include:
· Coordinating internship and field experience placements in consultation with IHE Director of OFECP, appropriate IHE Program Director, IHE PDS Liaison, and PDS Site Coordinator doing the following:
o Secure lists of students needing placements from Program Directors or from course instructors in consultation with appropriate Program Director, along with special circumstances for placement consideration; confirm school, mentor/host teacher, contact information, and other pertinent details related to each placement with the Program Directors
o Exhaust all placement possibilities in the UMBC PDS Network before placing an intern outside the PDS structure; attempt next to place interns in a PDS operated by another institution; communicate such cases to the OFECP Director
o Secure any updated program requirements for internships and field placements (ex. days of week, hours in school, time of day, anticipated outcomes/course assignments)
o Collect and review fingerprinting/criminal disclosure information for interns and field placement students and records receipt in data base prior to passing on paperwork to OFECP Director
o Provide OFECP Director with database of interns, field placement students, and contact information prior to the start of each semester
o Use information from course registration database and methods instructors request forms for the assignment of field placement students
o Communicate promptly with Program Directors regarding problematic placement cases and refer calls from interns for placement changes to OFECP Director
o Work with OFECP Director and Program Directors on reviews/edits of internship applications
o Build ongoing relationships over time with school personnel in regard to placements
· Establishing, maintaining, and extending relationships with IHE PDS liaisons/Professor-in-Residence (PiR), PDS site coordinators/liaisons
· Serving on UMBC PDS Network Leadership Team
· Participating in the monthly IHE PDS Liaisons/professors-in-residence meetings
· Performing other duties as necessary
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE: Requires an earned Master’s Degree in Education or related field, prior teaching experience, prior experience working with public school systems, knowledge of the teaching and learning process, and prior supervisory experience, preferably in an academic setting. Strong oral and written skills, interpersonal and workplace skills, and technological skills required. Prior experience working with professional development schools, interacting with the Maryland State Department of Education or working with institution(s) of higher education desirable.
SALARY: Annual salary commensurate with qualifications and experience
TO APPLY: Submit letter of interest, current curriculum vita, and letters from three professional references.
[Optional Information for the Position Announcement]
Supervisor’s workload displayed by semester and month:
Fall / Spring / SummerAugust December / January May / June August
Supervise 18 interns/conduct 54 classroom observations—combination of Phase I and II (75%) / Supervise 18 interns/conduct 54 classroom observations—combination of Phase I and II (75%) / Complete placement process; revise handbooks and other internship documents; assist with planning and conducting pre-internship orientations (100%)
Make placements; conduct orientations; issue and receive internship applications for next cohort; conduct/facilitate interviews; engage in troubleshooting as needed (25%) / Make placements; conduct orientations; issue and receive internship applications for next cohort; conduct/facilitate interviews; engage in troubleshooting as needed (25%)
Clinical Supervision Model:
Phase IInformal Observation / Formal Observation 1 / Formal Observation 2
Phase II
Formal Observation 3 / Formal Observation 4 / Formal Observation 5 / Formal Observation 6 / Formal Observation 7
Placement Coordinator Position UMBC Education Department Page 1 of 4