Clinical Information

In alignment with accreditation standards for teacher preparation programs, candidates are expected to complete a logical progression of clinical experiences (i.e., “field” or school-based) that are connected to their coursework and prepare them to teach in P-12 classrooms.

To meet this requirement, all teacher education candidates participate in early clinical experiences, interacting with teachers and students in various schools within the area.

Non-employed candidates within 50mi of campus

Students will sign in to the clinical portal in Sonia using their UNC Charlotte account. All available clinical sites are visible in the Sonia portal. Instructions to sign up are available on the Signing Up for Your Clinicals Page. If you experience difficulties with Sonia, please email Sonia Student Placements at sonia-placements@charlotte.edu.

  • The Sonia portal shows an up-to-date list of sites that have availability to host students for clinicals.
    • If students get the message “No more slots are available,” it means someone signed up for the last available slot at the school.
    • Students should not contact a school or try to arrange clinicals at schools where we do not have existing slots available in the portal. If your preferred clinical site is not available in the portal, you must select another site.
    • Students are expected to complete field experiences in more than one setting throughout their program. Please plan ahead with this in mind.
    • Once you have signed up, log in to Sonia to see your assignment.

The Sonia Clinical Portal is only available:

  • Fall Semester: Open August 25 (8:00 am) until November 21
  • Spring Semester: Open January 20 (8:00 am) until April 18

Students: Review Clinical Information and Sign Up for your Clinicals Here

Employed or distance education candidates

Candidates who are:

  • In their own classroom as an employed teacher/TA (i.e., a residency teacher, graduate teacher of record, teaching assistant) 
  • In a distance setting (i.e., in a district that is not considered a local district partner). Local district partners include Cabarrus, Catawba, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell-Statesville, Kannapolis, Lincoln, Rowan-Salisbury, Stanly, and Union Counties.
  • Requesting placement in the following districts: Avery, Buncombe, Guilford, New Hanover, Randolph, Wake, and Winston-Salem Forsyth

will complete a different clinical enrollment process than non-employed students in the 50-mile radius around UNC Charlotte. Complete this Google Form (using your UNC Charlotte email @charlotte.edu to indicate where you would like to complete your clinicals, so that OSCP staff can confirm if a partnership agreement is already in place and if the school meets the requirements for the clinicals you need to complete.

Please note that partnership agreements can take up to 6 months to complete. This may delay the completion of your course requirements. You may NOT begin your clinical requirements unless your private/charter school or district is on the current partnership schools and districts spreadsheet.  Please email oscp-coed@charlotte.edu if you would like to complete your clinicals in a charter/private school or district not currently on the list. 

Students requesting placements in Avery, Buncombe, Guilford, New Hanover, Randolph, Wake, and Winston-Salem Forsyth should also email oscp-coed@charlotte.edu with the following information: Preferred School and grade level/content, number of hours required for class and activities (e.g., 3 hours of observation).

COMPLETE SIGN-UP FORM
Faculty structured clinical (to be completed by faculty only)

Faculty can also arrange placements for their students in certain cases. Faculty who are completing this process should visit this spreadsheet and complete all fields to have their clinicals vetted by OSCP. These students should not complete anything in the Sonia portal or in the employed/DE process.

Please Note: Students who are currently completing their internship semester or student teaching experience do not need to sign up for a clinical site. Your field experience site will be secured when you complete your student teaching application. All other candidates (not completing their internship or student teaching) will need to sign-up for their clinical site.

Clinical Resources: