Field Experience

Providing teacher candidates an opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in real-world settings while gaining hands-on experience.

Field Experience

During the professional education common-core coursework, teacher education candidates are required to observe and teach in selected classrooms, interview teachers and reflect on lessons taught. Learning about effective teaching, developing professional dispositions and participating in field-based experiences provide candidates the opportunity to work directly with practitioners and school students at varying grade and developmental levels.

Field experiences begin during the teacher education candidate’s sophomore and/or junior year, continue throughout the program and culminate with the student teaching experience. Teacher education candidates must have diverse placements for their field experiences. Candidates will be placed in schools identified as Network of Professional Schools sites (NPS). More information can be found in the Undergraduate Handbook.

In accordance with Mississippi law, all School of Education candidates enrolled in courses that require field experience or clinical practice hours in the K-12 public schools must have a background check performed and be cleared prior to entering the school facilities. The fee for this process is $47.99.

Student Ordering Instructions:

  1. Visit www.CastleBranch.com and click on “Place Order”
  2. In the Package Code Box, enter the package code: UB68
  3. Enter your payment information – Visa, Mastercard, or Money Order
  4. Follow the online instructions to complete your order

All teacher candidates entering their senior year practicum must purchase liability insurance. The following options are available:

  • American Federation of Teachers (Mississippi)

    1-800-227-MAFT or maftpres@aol.com

  • Mississippi Association of Educators (MAE)

    https://maetoday.org/
    1-888-294-0159 or tmcclay@nea.org

    Note: By joining MAE you automatically become of member of UM organizations Teachers of Tomorrow, Teachers of Tupelo & DeSoto, SAME, and the National Education Association

  • Mississippi Professional Educators (MPE)

    1-800-523-0269 or www.mpe.org

  • National Education Association

    www.nea.org

All students are must contact the your assigned school before starting your field experience. You should have your Ole Miss ID with you when you enter the building.

If you do not have an assignment or have a question about your assignment, please email the SAFE Office.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

We understand the importance of ensuring you have all the information you need to succeed. View our FAQ's to find answers to your questions!

The School of Education Assessment System is used for multiple purposes, including logging field experience hours. For more information, see the Assessment System website here.

If you run into issues with the Assessment System, Help Guides are available here.

Log in to School of Education Assessment System using your Ole Miss Go email address and password set up when you registered during EDCI 352.

Students can view Spring 2024 placements by clicking the "Personal" tab in the assessment system drop-down menu and clicking "View Overview".

Once on your overview page scroll down to the section called Enrollments Information.

Uncheck the Show Current Enrollments Only box.

To schedule your initial visit, email your Clinical Instructor (CI) to coordinate a suitable schedule. Should you encounter delays in receiving a response, please contact the school's front office to verify your Clinical Instructor's contact information. If the details are accurate, please leave a message with the front desk for your CI.