The Field Placement Office manages all practicum placements (including finding a placement site, if need be). The field orientation is held at the start of each academic year. At this point, students are given an overview of the experience and will have the chance to meet their university supervisors

If your application is incomplete or has errors, because of how the system works, we have to cancel the whole application and you have to resubmit the whole thing from the start. Please read the instructions carefully and reach out to soefield@salemstate.edu if you have any questions.

Plan on the application taking 30-45 minutes to complete. Make sure you have that time available before you start.

Review Practicum Policies and Procedures:
1. DESE Practicum Policies and Procedures
2. SSU Practicum Policies and Procedures

Practicum Application (materials you likely need to gather in advance)

Remember, the form may take 30 MINUTES or more to complete.

This form is only for students in an initial teacher licensure program, Masters in Reading, School Counseling, or Early Education and Care (Pre-School Lead Teacher) programs.

Students in professional, administrative, personnel, or educator programs that do not lead to licensure should reach out to their lead faculty or coordinators to inquire about that program's internship/capstone process. If you are unsure who to contact with questions, please post your question in the portal.

Directions:

Before you begin to fill out the form, read it through to see what is required, scan/save all needed documents, and assemble all the following information and records.

If needed, please take a picture of the documents and save them as PDFs so that they can be uploaded. You will not be able to save and return to the online form, so have ALL the information ready when you begin your form. To avoid losing progress in the form, please make sure to right-click and open in new tab/window for ALL hyperlinks. If you fail to do so, you will lose all input information and must restart the form.

What you need:

Please have ALL of the following information when you begin your submission.

Graduate students need the following materials to complete this form:

SSU ID Number
SSU Email Address
Massachusetts Education Personnel ID (MEPID)
Know the title of your program. For example, Licensure Only in Moderate Disabilities or M.Ed. in Elementary Education. If you are not sure, log into Navigate and look at the program name listed on the landing page.
Approved, signed plan of study. If you do not have a copy, reach out to your Lead Faculty to request one.
The address and zip code of where you will be living for the semester you plan to pursue practicum.
Status of MTEL scores required for your license area
Information regarding your Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) requirement [e.g., coursework while in your program or documentation of SEI endorsement earned outside of your coursework for programs requiring SEI].

Additional requirements if you are planning to use your workplace as a practicum site:

Complete a copy of the Employer Practicum Form and attach it at the end of this form.

Additional requirements if you are planning to continue in a current fellowship:

Attach a copy of your signed fellowship form to the end of this form.

Remember:

To be eligible for practicum, you need to be an active student in the program/degree that matches the license you are seeking (i.e. if you are seeking a Biology license, you must be actively enrolled in a Biology program).
We encourage early submissions, so apply as soon as you have everything ready.
All correspondence will be sent to your Salem State Email Account only.

If you have any questions about what these items are, contact the Student Services Office at the portal.

ADJUSTMENT TO PRACTICUM: Please speak with your lead faculty if you wish to be considered for a reduction of required practicum hours based on professional experience or prior coursework.

If you are going to complete your practicum where you currently work as a teacher or paraprofessional, you will also need:

An uploaded form signed by your building administrator (employer permission form)
Copy of your supervisor’s license

No extensions will be given. If you do not meet the deadline, you forfeit your right to complete the practicum in the coming term.

Avoid Common Reasons Why Student Applications are Cancelled or Delayed

Students often experience problems with their practicum applications. You can avoid/reduce the possibility of problems with your application by ensuring the following:

Be sure that you select the correct academic program you are actually admitted to; this will ensure you get the correct questions in the application process.
If you have not passed all your MTELs, then you must complete the Special Agreement acknowledgement:

Student/Program Type

Instructions for how to complete the Special Agreement

Undergraduate students in Combined Bachelors/Masters Students (4+1) Only

Be sure you have completed the Canvas assignment: https://elearning.salemstate.edu/courses/1334557/assignments/8674215

Graduate students in MEd, MAT, or Licensure Only Programs

Fill out the Special Agreement for Education Licensure due to COVID Form

3. Ensure that you have submitted all of your pre-practicum field placement documentation using the format appropriate to your program.