I must complete a 4 to 5 page essay about my intership experience at Springfield Middle School in Jacksonville, FL. It is a B-rated school in Duval County Public Schools. The breakdown of the essay should go as follows:
Critical Task Essay Breakdown
When you complete your document, it must be organized in a logical, easy-to-follow manner that includes the following:
an introductory section that provides a guide to your paper,
body of your essay that is supported with
information about your internship,
your text/course materials,
current scholarly research,
the targeted FPLS Standard for each course,
and finally, a reflective conclusion that pulls it all together.- using “I” is appropriate for this section
My internship hours were limited because the end of school came so quickly and my mentor was insanely busy. This task requires me to tie internship experiences on campus to standard 5 of the FPLS matrix. The experiences will have to be made up unfortunately. The professor is looking to see that I understand how the tasks tie into the standard. The language of that Standard 5 domain is as follows:
Standard 5. Learning Environment: Effective school leaders structure and monitor a school learning environment that improves learning for all of
Florida’s diverse student population.
a. Maintains a safe, respectful and inclusive student-centered
learning environment that is focused on equitable
opportunities for learning and building a foundation for a
fulfilling life in a democratic society and global economy;
b. Recognizes and uses diversity as an asset in the
development and implementation of procedures and
practices that motivate all students and improve student
learning;
c. Promotes school and classroom practices that validate and
value similarities and differences among students;
d. Provides recurring monitoring and feedback on the quality
of the learning environment;
e. Initiates and supports continuous improvement processes
focused on the students’ opportunities for success and wellbeing; and,
f. Engages faculty in recognizing and understanding cultural
and developmental issues related to student learning by
identifying and addressing strategies to minimize and/or
eliminate achievement gaps.
Below are the instructions for the Essay from Canvas. I am a M.Ed students so we must follow the parameters listed for that.
CTE Internship (M.Ed.) / Case Study (M.A.): This internship/case study activity focuses on cultivating a supportive school community that promotes academic success and well-being. First, review district/building safety plans and protocols. Participate in or lead a safety drill (fire, intruder, weather) participate in preparation and reporting. Discuss what went well and what could be improved or expanded upon in the future. Next, review policies and procedures that address student misconduct in a fair, positive, and unbiased way. Observe the process for a discipline referral according to district procedure. Comment on how the process impacted the student and what could be improved for the future. Discuss how the school counselor and/or behavior specialist were or could have been involved in the process. Review the student code of conduct and compare its application to disciplinary statistics for race/ gender /attendance, if disparate, write an improvement plan. Next, observe a classroom and provide feedback about instructional strategies driven by standards-aligned content used to minimize or eliminate achievement gaps. This could include differentiated or specialized instructional techniques, life skills, social skills, and mental health / behavioral and culturally relevant instruction for all subgroups. Participants will analyze and report on instruction and support services (including the role of the School Counselor) that may be needed for all students to reach high academic standards while maintaining a safe school environment. This Critical Task Essay will incorporate the internship/case study, FELS Standard 5 (Learning Environment), scholarly research, and coursework.
Internship Selections: 1. Examine data for identification, placement, student services support (school counselor and/or behavior specialist) and discipline for a selected subgroup and examine whether or not differentiated instruction and/or support services could impact school/district data and the learning environment. Note strengths and make suggestions for improvement of instruction and support services for these students. 2. Participate in the development of an IEP or RtI/MTSS plan 3. Review and prepare 504 data to be shared broadly with faculty 4. Work with administration to enhance the written safety plan for the building 5. Help develop PBIS and social / emotional curriculum 6. Attend a school board meeting and note references to their focus on improving the learning environment for students.
This activity should incorporate a 30-hour internship experience for M.Ed. candidates in collaboration with the district mentor.
The point of the Critical Task Essay in each course is to explain your internship and how it impacted your understanding of the focus standard for the course. You must support your writing with scholarly research and what you learned in the course.
Your paper should be 4-5 pages double spaced. You must use APA style but can use “I” in this paper.
