Required in Indiana and North Dakota
American Board’s Clinical Experience
The Clinical Experience gives new teachers even more support by ensuring they have access to qualified coaching and evaluators during their first year in the classroom.
Anyone who enrolls in our program for Indiana or North Dakota certification must complete a Clinical Experience after passing American Board’s Professional Teaching Knowledge (PTK) exam and subject area exam.
1 year
In your own classroom
6
Formal observations
3
Check-ins with American Board
The basics
What it is, and what it isn’t
What it is
The Clinical Experience is a year-long program where new teachers are monitored and evaluated to provide feedback on their teaching skills and style while helping them adjust to leading the classroom.
What it isn’t
The Clinical Experience is not an unpaid internship, student teaching job, or substitute teaching job.
Step by step
How it works
1
Pass your exams and get hired
You must pass American Board’s certification exams before starting your Clinical Experience. Once hired as a teacher, you’re eligible to begin this final phase of certification.
2
Select your evaluator
If you’ve already been assigned a mentor, they may serve as your evaluator. If not, work with your school’s administration to choose one. Your evaluator should be:
- A current teacher (preferably in your subject area)
- Not an administrator
They’ll support your professional growth during your first year in the classroom.
3
Use the provided resources
You’ll receive helpful documents to guide your experience, including an observation rubric to prepare for classroom evaluations.
4
Participate in support and check-ins
Your evaluator will check in with American Board at the start, midpoint, and end of the Clinical Experience. They will also provide coaching and feedback as needed to help you improve your teaching practice.
5
Complete six observations
Your evaluator will conduct six formal in-class observations over the course of your first year. These evaluations are designed to assess your performance and support your development.
6
Earn your Professional Certificate and upgrade your license
Once all Clinical Experience requirements are met, American Board will issue your Professional Certificate. This document allows you to apply to upgrade your state teaching license.
Before you begin
The fine print
Adds a year
The Clinical Experience adds a year to the program in states where it is mandatory, making the entire American Board program two years instead of one.
No overlap
The testing year and Clinical Experience year may not overlap. You must complete both exams and get a teaching job before beginning your Clinical Experience.
Institutional Recommendation
Once you successfully complete your Clinical Experience, you will be issued an Institutional Recommendation, which signifies that you have completed the American Board program.
Important: the three-year deadline
After passing all required exams, you will be issued a certificate stating that you are able to begin your Clinical Experience. If the Clinical Experience is not completed within three years of the date on your certificate, you will not be able to participate without re-enrolling and re-testing.
Read that last one again. It’s that important.
Start your path to certification today.
Enroll online in minutes, study on your own schedule, and sit for your exams when you feel ready. Our team is here for every question along the way.
