Professional Development Schools

America Reads 62.496/596.91 (3 credits for practicum)

America Reads is a tutoring program designed to provide high-quality literacy tutoring for struggling readers in grade 1-3. On Mondays, the tutors meet in the Reading Center to plan their lessons and organize their materials. On Wednesdays, the tutors work with children at Central Columbia Elementary School or Danville Elementary School. Tutors are paired with a graduate assistant from the M.Ed. in the Reading Program. The graduate assistants serve as mentors and provide on-going training throughout the semester.

Participants must enroll in 79.301/501 (Teaching, Learning, and Assessment) and 62.496/596 (Practicum). A bus will transport pre-service teachers to and from the school on Wednesdays, 11:30-3:00 p.m.

Bloomsburg Area School District

The Bloomsburg Area School District PDS Spring Internship takes place during the spring semester. This K-12 field-based experience is designed for any education major wishing to complete an intensive pre-student teaching experience. Students are matched with a Cooperating Teacher in their area of study. Students complete 120 hours of supervised classroom experience under the direct guidance of their Cooperating Teacher and University Supervisor. A Internship Contract is developed to specify the objectives, schedule and desired outcomes for completion of the internship. Students will return to the same classroom for their initial student teaching placement. (Preference will be given to students who will be student teaching during the Fall semester). District staff will provide four afternoon seminars to highlight critical content for pre-service educators. This 3 credit -internship experience will serve as a bridge to a successful student teaching semester. Elementary, Secondary and Special Education majors are welcome.

Applications are available in the Dept. of Ed. Studies and Secondary Education (MHSC 1210) and the Dept. of Exceptionality Programs (Navy 104). Contact Dr. James Krause or Dr. Mary Alice Wheeler for more detailed information and scheduling assistance. If accepted, students will be registered for 79.320, a 3 credit course.*

Danville Area School District

Danville Area School District's Professional Development School (PDS) is a K-12 program designed to provide both undergraduate and graduate students in any education major with practical school-based experiences during the fall semester prior to spring semester student teaching. An emphasis is on the inclusion of students in the regular class. Bloomsburg University PDS students spend the fall semester in Danville schools on Tuesdays and Thursdays of each week. School district teachers and administrators teach modules in technology, ethics, classroom management, instructional support and inclusion, adaptations, curriculum-based assessment, differentiated instruction, flexible instructional groupings, peer coaching, guided reading, recording and reporting progress, problem-solving and assessment, and portfolios, resumes, and interviews. Each BU student also spends time working closely with one mentor to observe, plan and teach lessons in his/her classroom. This mentor becomes one of the BU student's co-operating teachers during spring semester student teaching. A university faculty instructor is assigned to assist BU students during this school-based experience.

Obtain an application from the Dept. of Ed. Studies and Sec. Ed., MHSC 1210 and the Dept. of Exceptionality Programs 104 Navy Hall. Contact Dr. Darlene Perner for more detailed information for early childhood and elementary education, special education, and elem./special education (dual certification) majors. Contact Dr. Robert Gates for more detailed information and assistance with scheduling for: secondary education majors; special education majors interested in a special education practicum for Grades 7-12; or dual elem./spec. education majors interested in Grade 6. If accepted, BU students will be registered for 79.320, a 6-credit course.*

Central Columbia School District

Central Columbia School District's Professional Development School is a K-12 program open to both undergraduate and graduate students in any education major during the fall semester prior to spring semester student teaching. BU PDS students spend the fall semester in Central schools on Tuesdays and Thursdays of each week. School district teachers and administrators teach modules in technology, ethics, classroom management, instructional strategies, inclusion, assessment, balanced literacy, brain-based learning, time management and writing. BU students will also spend time working closely with two mentors in classrooms to observe, plan and teach lessons. These mentors will be BU students' co-operating teachers during spring semester student teaching. A university faculty instructor is assigned to assist BU students during this school-based experience.

Obtain an application from the Dept. of Ed. Studies and Sec. Ed., MHSC 1210 and the Dept. of Exceptionality Programs 104 Navy Hall. Contact Dr. Darlene Perner for more detailed information for early childhood and elementary education, special education, and elem./special education (dual certification) majors. Contact Dr. Robert Gates for more detailed information and assistance with scheduling for: secondary education majors; special education majors interested in a special education practicum for Grades 7-12; or dual elem. ed./spec. education majors interested in Grade 6. If accepted, BU students will be registered for 79.320, a 6-credit course.*

Berwick Area School/BU PDS 62.496.92 (3 credits of practicum)

This practicum is designed to provide undergraduate students with experiences involving children from kindergarten to grade five in the elementary school under the direct tutelage of university faculty, school district administrators and teachers. All students spend a full semester, two days per week, working with school personnel and university faculty designing lessons and activities to enhance the knowledge and skills of the students enrolled in the district classrooms. Special emphasis is placed upon students completing two of their university courses during one-half of each of the two days on the school site. The other half of each day is spent under the direct tutelage of university faculty, and the district's administrators and the teachers working with the district students in the classrooms. University students participating in this PDS model will be placed for the fall practicum in two classrooms, which will also be the two classrooms to which they will be assigned for their student teaching experience the following spring.

Students will register for 62.497-3 credits (special section); 62.310-3 credits (special section); and 62.496-3 credits. Special note: Students must plan with their advisor to reserve 62.497 Literacy in the Diverse Classrooms and 62.310 Teaching Fine Arts for the Fall semester before their Spring Student teaching experience. Inquiries may be directed to Dr. Sharon Solloway X4987.

Hazelton Practicum 62.496/596.93 (3 credits for practicum)

The Hazelton Practicum is located in Heights-Terrance Elementary-Middle School in Hazelton which is 35 minutes from Bloomsburg. The school has 28% minority students from Europe, Central America, and the Ukraine. Pre-service teachers are immersed in the school culture with PA standards and ESL standards, computer-assisted learning, IST, and exemplary literacy programs. The practicum is offered each semester. Participants should have all updated clearances and TB test. Hours are scheduled by appointment. The practicum is open to all education majors (early childhood, elementary, secondary, and special education).

Summer Session Practicum

Central Columbia Area School District Practicum

The Blue Jay Basics Program is a remedial program offered during Summer Session 2. The Practicum is a partnership with education majors (Special Ed, Elementary, Ed, and Secondary Ed) from Bloomsburg University teamed with faculty from Central Columbia Area School District. Blue Jay Basics is a program that promotes learning for students in a fun, relaxed environment. It uses fieldtrips, arts and crafts, and special events to enhance the learning experience. BU students work collaboratively with Central Columbia teachers and administration to offer assistance to middle school students who need extra time to become proficient. The program integrates reading, writing, and math into a thematic approach. The program offers a student/teacher ratio of no more than 5/1. The goals of the program are to help students build confidence in their learning abilities, to maintain and advance their skills so that regression will not take place over the summer, and to present reading, writing, and mathematical strategies that will truly help them during the following school year.

Contact: Dr. Michael Patte-Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education-McCormick 3207 (389-4026) or Jeff Groshek -- Assistant Middle/Elementary School Principal Central Columbia School District (784-6103).

Southern Columbia Area School District Practicum

Entering its fifth year, the summer practicum at Southern Columbia Area School District allows BU students (Special Ed, Elementary, and Secondary) the opportunity to team with SCA faculty to present to SCA students a hands-on, theme-centered alternative to the traditional classroom. Offered during Summer Session 2, this practicum invites creative, energetic, student-focused individuals to plan, teach, and develop their teaching skills in a program that has steadily grown in numbers and to which BU and SCA students return summer-after-summer. The Southern School District describes the program as: The SCA Fun-da-mentals Program is open to all students grades K-to-12 during the whole month of July. Thematic units are utilized to enrich as well as remediate, based on student achievement data. Instruction begins where each student is functioning and progresses as far as possible. The summer theme, developed at each grade level by the teaching team (BU students and SCA teachers) is woven through fine arts, language arts, mathematics, and field trips. Student-to-teacher ratios are very low to make this a true tutorial.

For further information: Dr. Gary J. Doby, Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education, McCormick 2127 (389-4277) or Roy Clippinger, Director of Curriculum, Instruction at SCA (356-3508)