For those who work in education, we know grades alone don’t define us, but they can help guide our focus and learning. The National Council for Teacher Quality (NCTQ) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, research and advocacy organization whose mission is to ensure that every child has access to an effective teacher.
One facet of their work is the Teacher Prep Review in which teacher preparation programs receive letter grades (A+ through F) in various areas related to their programming. Clinical practice, often synonymous with student teaching, residency, internship, or other classroom-embedded learning experiences, is the experience an aspiring teacher is often required to undergo in pursuit of a teaching certification. The clinical practice component of teacher preparation programs has proven to be one of the most formative experiences for a teacher and if matched properly it can produce new teachers with the skill set of a third-year teacher.
NCTQ has released the Clinical Practice grades in 2013, 2016, and 2020. The next release will be in 2026, so now is the perfect time to explore if your program is going to make the grade. In this blog, we are going to dive deep into the Clinical Practice grade, how it’s scored, and what you can do to improve yours.
What is the Clinical Practice Grade?
The Clinical Practice grade consists of three areas of evaluation: 1) length and intensity of the experience, 2) written feedback based on observations, and 3) selection of cooperating/mentor teachers. The evaluation is based on information from student teaching handbooks, syllabi, and program policy and practice documentation. In addition, applications, forms, correspondences, and contracts between preparation programs and school districts are also reviewed when they are provided.
Length and Intensity: This area is evaluated by the amount of time an aspiring teacher spends in an experienced teacher’s classroom.
Written Feedback Based on Observations: This area is evaluated by the number of times an aspiring teacher is observed by a program supervisor followed by written feedback.
Selecting of Cooperating/Mentor Teachers: This area is evaluated by determining if a preparation program collects enough information on mentors and their relevant skill set. Preparation programs are given additional credit for screening mentor teachers for mentorship abilities and instructional skills as they are related to student outcomes.
How is the Clinical Practice Grade Scored?
A team of analysts are trained to ensure interrater reliability before officially rating the programs and some programs are randomly selected for additional evaluations to ensure consistent scoring. The Scoring Rubric can be found on the NCTQ website and it is summarized below.
Do candidates spend ten or more weeks in an experienced teacher's classroom, including at least four days per week or the equivalent in the classroom each week?
Evaluation criteria:
Yes
No
How often are program supervisors required to give student teachers written feedback based on observations?
Evaluation criteria:
At least four times
Fewer than four times or no clear minimum is set
What qualities does the program confirm that both new and returning mentor teachers possess?
Evaluation criteria:
Mentorship skill and/or instructional effectiveness as measured by student learning, among other skills.
Relevant skills other than mentorship skill and instructional effectiveness (as measured by student learning).
Basic criteria, such as having appropriate certification and years of experience.
In summary, to get an A in Clinical Practice, a preparation program would have to provide evidence that the clinical experience lasts 10 or more weeks, that mentor teachers are screened for mentorship skills and/or instructional effectiveness as measured by student learning, and program supervisors observe and provide feedback to candidates at least four times.
How Can You Improve Your Clinical Practice Grade?
By better understanding the criteria and scoring rubric for the Clinical Practice grade, preparation programs can take action now to ensure their programming is properly captured in documents that will be reviewed by analysts.
Using the Clinical Practice Action Guide
In 2024, NCTQ published the Clinical Practice Action Guide to support programs with strengthening their clinical practice. There are 6 focus areas and case studies to learn from. Sample documents and additional resources are also available to help guide programs.
Using Torace
Torace’s suite of products: Torace mentor matching platform, Torace Training Center, and Torace Data Insights can support all 6 focus areas outlined by the Clinical Practice Action Guide (see the infographic below).
More specifically, the Torace platform’s profile questions allow mentor teachers to share more information about their mentorship skills, instructional effectiveness, and basic professional criteria. This information supports the efficient and thorough screening of mentor teachers by approvers in the system, and helps you match them better to your teacher candidates, which are all aligned to the criteria for “Selecting of Cooperating/Mentor Teachers.”
To learn more about Torace can you make the grade, schedule a demo today!
To download the infographic, click here.
