Fieldwork Information and Forms for Current LSEE Students

Click here to download the Live Scan directions

Click here to download the Live Scan form

Click on a link below to view each section, or scroll down the page:

• Live Scan Information
• Will I need to complete another Live Scan?
• Live Scan through HSU vs. Certificate of Clearance
• Certificate of Clearance Instructions (PDF)
• How do I find a school site's contact information?

Live Scan Information

Before observing at your school site, you will be required to be cleared via Live Scan. This can be done one of two ways. The first is to complete a Live Scan that is processed through the HSU School of Education. What this entails is having your fingerprints scanned at a Police Department. Once your fingerprints have been scanned, the results are electronically sent to the Department of Justice, which then does a background check. If your background check is clean, an email is sent to the HSU School of Education, and you will be cleared to observe. Once we have received the information from the Department of Justice, Kristin Mack will make you an ID Card with your name on it, which you will need to show to your school site to verify your clearance.

The second option for receiving clearance to observe in schools is to obtain a Certificate of Clearance through the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. See below for details.

Will I need to complete another Live Scan?

If your Live Scan clearance through the HSU School of Education is 2 or more years old, we ask that you complete the Live Scan process again to update our records.

If you were cleared through another department at HSU or through a school district, keep in mind that you will need to complete a Live Scan for the School of Education in order to observe and participate in fieldwork classes. This is due to the fact that schools and agencies cannot share information, so the information from any previous Live Scans you may have completed cannot be given to us.

Live Scan through HSU vs. Certificate of Clearance

There are a few differences between a Live Scan completed through the HSU School of Education when compared to the Certificate of Clearance offered by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC). First, a Certificate of Clearance is a higher level of clearance, which is processed through both the Department of Justice and the FBI. A Certificate of Clearance is required prior to entering a credential program here at Humboldt State or at any other California university. If you are entering a teaching credential program, you will need to acquire a Certificate of Clearance even if you have previously completed a Live Scan through the School of Education. With this in mind, if you know that you will be entering a credential program and receiving your credential within the next 5 years, it can save you some money to complete a Certificate of Clearance instead of a Live Scan through HSU. We can use your Certificate of Clearance to clear you to observe in your LSEE fieldwork classes.

Keep in mind that Certificates of Clearance take significantly longer to process than a Live Scan through HSU. A Live Scan generally will clear you in around a week from the date your fingerprints were scanned. A Certificate of Clearance may take anywhere from a week to a month or more to process. Thus, if you know that you need to be cleared to observe at your school site ASAP, you will want to complete a Live Scan through the HSU School of Education and not go the Certificate of Clearance route. If you are planning ahead and have time to spare, obtaining a Certificate of Clearance may be a good choice.

A Certificate of Clearance is also more expensive than a Live Scan through HSU. If you are a student or HSU employee, a Live Scan is $47 ($52 for non-students or HSU employees). A Certificate of Clearance, on the other hand, costs about $83.

Click here for instructions on completing a Certificate of Clearance.

How do I find a school site's contact information?

School and district information is easy to find. The Humboldt County Office of Education (HCOE) has a list of school and district websites here: http://www.humboldt.k12.ca.us/schdist/index.php. Find your school's website, and their contact information should be listed there. If you are trying to find contact information for an individual person, HCOE also has a personnel directory where you can search by name, located here: http://internet.humboldt.k12.ca.us/hcoedirectory.php.