Clinical experiences 

Clinical experiences are the first exposure to observation, tutoring, assisting, small group and whole class instruction in schools and other agencies. A minimum of 100 clinical hours are earned before student teaching and at least 50 of these hours are completed in diverse settings.

Clinical experiences are completed in coursework before student teaching starting as early as freshman year. 

Clinical Checklist: Before starting a clinical experience

1. Submit an Illinois State Police fingerprint Criminal Background Check (CBC) to the TEC. 
   • CBC's expire one year from the date the CBC was processed by the state police.
   • Complete CBC at least 2 weeks before start of clinical to allow for processing.
2. Check with your course instructor for information about your site. See clinical options below:
   • Secondary & K-12
   • SED: Deaf & Hard of Hearing | Learning & Behavior | Low Vision & Blindness
   • TCH: Early Childhood | Elementary | Elementary Bilingual/Bicultural | Middle Level
3. Complete district/agency requirements for your assigned site.
   • District 87 - No self-placement allowed.
   • Unit 5 - No self-placement allowed.
   • Metcalf & UHigh - No self-placement allowed.
   • Other school placement
   • Chicago Public Schools
   • Bus trips
   • Community Center or Non-School Agency
4. Make sure to have appropriate Insurance Coverage.
5. Review the Site Code of Conduct and Rights and Responsibilities. 
6. Know that transportation to all sites are the student's responsibility.

Resources: After completing a clinical experience

1. Complete your clinical experience.
   • While completing your clinical experience, document the dates, hours, name of teacher(s) and school where you are completing your experience
   • Please keep a record of each visit until you officially record your clinical hours using the online “Pre-Student Teaching Form,” formerly known as the “blue doc.” 
2. Submit the online clinical experience document form, formerly known as "Blue Docs," through your student portal at My.IllinoisState.edu.
   • Your clinical experience hours must be submitted in the correct term and class, using the resources below, and then approved by your course professor before it can be counted towards your accumulated total.
   • To ensure timely submission to your professor, please complete and submit your form as soon as possible.  This will also allow the Cecilia J. Lauby Teacher Education Center to assist you with any issues that may arise.
   • If your school or cooperating teacher is not in the system, please e-mail ClinicalQuestions@illinoisstate.edu and include the following: cooperating teacher name, school, district, town, and grade level.
3. Instructional resources for document completion:
   • Instructional video, designed for first time users, is approximately 8 minutes in length and will give you details about how to access, enter information, and submit your form.
   • Have you already logged clinical hours from a previous semester?  Use this flowchart to ensure you enter your hours correctly.
   • For extra information about the documentation page, please use this handout and the tips to successfully completing the online form.
4. Viewing your hours - you can view all clinical hours that have been documented within your student account.  Please use the following handout to assist you with navigating the clinical hours page's terms and classes.
5. Problems - if you encounter documentation issues (i.e. school or cooperating teacher is missing, etc.), please e-mail ClinicalQuestions@IllinoisState.edu.  For other questions about signing up to attend a site, please refer to course information, wiki pages, and/or course instructors.