A chronic shortage of certified special education teachers has plagued rural West Virginia counties. This shortage is exacerbated by difficulties in teacher recruitment and retention. The highest priority of training must go to teachers currently employed in special education positions on temporary permits, since they are likely to continue employment. West Virginia University offers an on-the-job practicum experience for teachers pursuing certification or a master's degree in various areas of special education. The practicum is available to eligible teachers in their own rural classrooms. Through a collaborative practicum model, local cooperating teachers serve as trained field-based supervisors, substituting for university personnel who cannot physically reach the practicum students in their remote rural settings on a frequent schedule. During at least 10 observation sessions, the cooperating teacher evaluates the practicum student on 50 teaching competencies, particularly 5 competencies that the student has chosen to emphasize. The practicum project incorporates collaboration between the university and local school districts during the application process, participants' orientation session, cooperating teachers' training sessions, and debriefing of supervisors at the end of the school year. Available data indicate that well-trained field-based master teachers can provide quality supervision, and that the collaborative model is a cost-effective tool for improving the quality and accessibility of teacher training programs in rural areas. This paper contains 30 references. (SV)