    |
FAQs
Where is the STEP Office located and how is it organized?
The STEP Office is located in room 115, on the first floor of Forcina Hall, adjacent to the elevator. The director, Dr. Robert Bartoletti, overseas the STEP Office services, and is assisted by the project specialist, Ms. Vikki Allen Edwards, who works directly with the faculty and school districts in placing students in their field placements. Two secretaries support the office. Ms. Ginny Brown facilitates the placement of senior student teachers and follows up on student, faculty and school district questions concerning placement while preparing all correspondence and contracts with the partner school districts. Ms. Josephine Miller also supports the work of the office and is directly responsible for facilitating the travel reimbursement of supervisors and the payment of cooperating teachers.
Is the Certification Office part of the STEP Office and what is the role of the Certification Office?
Yes. The Certification Officer, Ms. Roberta Conjura, and her assistant, Ms. Rita Coculo, process all applications for certificates issued by New Jersey Department of Education to graduates of TCNJ’s New Jersey-approved teacher preparation programs. The office also directs the students with regard to the scheduling of Praxis Examinations which are required for teacher certification and is the liaison to the NJ Department of Education and Commission of Higher Education. Ms. Conjura is available to advise the faculty and departments of changes in certification policies and regulations, and coordinates the state approval of TCNJ courses and programs of study.
How does the STEP Office facilitate field placements of teacher candidates?
Faculty must consult with the STEP Office before making any commitment to schedule students for field placements in the school districts. The STEP Office is an integral part of all field placements. The STEP Office is the direct liaison to the 21 Professional Development School Districts working collaboratively with TCNJ in the placement of teacher candidates.
The STEP Office is not the sole decision maker in the placement of teacher candidates especially in placing students in the sophomore and junior year field placement programs. These placements are made based on their DIRECT consultation with the department faculty working in the field placement programs. Additionally, school district central office staff and board of education must approve placements. Therefore consultation with the STEP Office and faulty/department must occur no later than a semester prior to placement (by November 15 for spring semester and by May 15 for fall semester). This provides ample time for the placement to be formalized with the school district/school and provides time for the STEP Office to complete all of the necessary documentation. Faculty members must not unilaterally arrange placements.
- Freshman Field Placements—the professor should inform the STEP Office that they have directed students to contact schools to complete observations.
- Sophomore Placements—the professor must consult with the STEP Office a semester prior to placement in order to make the necessary arrangements.
- Junior Placements-the professor must consult with the STEP Office a semester prior to placement in order to make the necessary arrangements.
- Senior Student Teaching and MAT II Placements are completed directly by the STEP Office. Registration occurs approximately one year prior to placement.
(Also see The Culminating Clinical Experience Handbook.)
Does the STEP Office facilitate the placement of Master of Arts in Teaching students in field experience for Internship I and Internship II?
Yes. In June the STEP Office staff meets with the MAT students during which time the role of the STEP Office is explained along with an explanation of the Internship II placement procedures. Students are given directions in completing their “on-line” Internship II placement applications. Students begin their semester-long internship II programs during the second semester and teacher candidates are informed of their placements by January 10 each year.
Internship I faculty members must consult with the STEP Office regarding the identification of a school site for the interns during the summer prior to the semester that placement is needed.
How does the STEP Office oversee the registration and payment of honoraria to cooperating teachers?
Senior Student Teaching and Internship II Programs
Senior student teachers and Internship II students will provide their cooperating teachers with the necessary paperwork which must be completed by the cooperating teacher and returned to the STEP Office. Upon the conclusion of the cooperating teachers work with the students, the cooperating teachers’ names will be sent to the Office of Budget and Finance which will authorize the stipend payment directly to the cooperating teachers. As this publication goes to press the procedure may be changed to a web-based format for registering the cooperating teacher. Senior student teaching and Internship II cooperating teachers are paid an honorarium of $200 for a full semester of responsibility and $100 for one half of the experience. Global Student teaching coops are paid at the same rate.
Other Field Experiences
The faculty members assigned to teach the other field placement courses must collect their students’ cooperating teachers’ information or direct the cooperating teacher to return it to the STEP Office. However, because the cooperating teachers are paid on a per student basis and per semester basis, it is extremely important for the college faculty member to identify the name of the students assigned to each teacher and amount of time the teacher spends with the students (i.e. ½ semester or full semester). This information is important for the STEP Office because the honorarium is based on that information. The typical rates for sophomore field experiences are $25 per student per semester and $50 for junior field experiences and Internship II students per semester.
The clerical work associate with payment of honoraria is managed by Ms. Josephine Miller at extension 771-2261 or jmiller@tcnj.edu.
How does the STEP Office facilitate the travel expense reimbursement of supervisors?
TCNJ full time faculty and adjunct faculty supervising students in the field are compensated for their automobile travel to supervise students in the field. Currently, the rate of reimbursement is $.31 per mile from the TCNJ to the school or, from the supervisors’ homes, WHICHEVER IS THE SHORTEST ROUTE, plus tolls. The STEP office provides a listing of several of schools and the mileage from TCNJ to the schools based on Map Quest. The mileage forms are provided by the departments. If supervisors travel to more than one school in a given day, they should add the mileage from school to school. Should the supervisors encounter detours which add mileage from the direct route, they should note that on the forms.
The Travel Reimbursement Forms must be submitted to the STEP Office for review, and then they are reviewed in the dean’s office and ultimately sent to the Office of Budget and Finance for payment.
The clerical work associated with payment of honoraria is also managed by Ms. Josephine Miller at extension 771-2261 or jmiller@tcnj.edu
If it appears that there may be a need to make a change in a student’s placement or the student is not performing at a level that will lead success, as a supervisor what do I do?
It is very important that you get to meet all of your students and their coops as early in the semester as you can. Be sure to extend an open door to the student and coop with regard to any difficult issue they may have as they work together. As one would expect, we want students to work out routine, minor issues because it is all a part of problem solving. However, if there seems to be a big problem brewing, that may become irreconcilable, then be sure to inform your coordinator, chair and STEP Office. These major issues are better addressed through our combined efforts. Change in assignment is usually the last resort. Check out this process in the Culminating Clinical Experience Handbook.
