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A program motto is "Common Targets, Different Paths".  The common targets include projects, such as teaching units; lead teaching where the mentor teacher and intern switch places in the classroom; and review of the teaching standards.  The Common Targets are completed by every intern.  The Different Paths acknowledges that interns progress at varying rates and that they work in schools in various local settings with different educational programs.  Team planning by school staff, program staff, and the intern is necessary to determine how job responsibilities and program requirements will be blended.  The planning document is the Individual Internship Plan (IIP).  The IIP provides a format for the team to schedule deadlines and document progress. 

The program curriculum and the recommendation for certification rests upon twelve teaching standards.  The teaching standards are formally reviewed and feedback given four times in the two years as part of an internship assessment system providing ongoing support for improvement and evaluation throughout the year .  The work of the internship centers on the preparation of the following major intern projects:  An individual study case study, interdisciplinary units in general education and special education, videotaped teaching episodes and reflections, a dialogue journal, a personal vision of teaching, a professional portfolio and presentation, and lead teaching experiences in both general education and special education.  The criteria for the major projects and exemplars are shared with interns.  Regular feedback on the projects and the outcomes is shared on a continuing basis.  The culminating project for the Master's degree is a research project completed during the year two spring's Directed Study course on a topic proposed by the candidate.   The teaching standards' reviews, program courses, intern projects, cooperating teacher and supervisor judgments, observations of teaching, and intern presentations of their portfolios serve as a multi-faceted body of evidence of the intern's accomplishments and readiness to enter the teaching profession.  Professional improvement, using assessment to guide instruction, and differentiating instruction for students with varied needs and talents are the cornerstones of the program.

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