Selection of Cooperating Teachers and School Sites
The Program Coordinator will work with the Director of Teacher Education to design a request for all counties and school districts for student teaching placements. Teacher candidates will complete an information sheet and request form in the semester preceding student teaching.
Teacher candidates must have graduated at least seven years prior to requesting placement their hometown high school. In most instances, the Program Coordinator will place student teachers in districts other than home districts.
Minimum Qualifications for Cooperating Teachers
- Must be fully certified to teach in the areas that the student teacher will be teaching.
- Must have a minimum of five years of full time teaching experience and abide by Policy 5100 requirements.
- Must have taught in the school system and the specialization for at least one year.
- Must have been recommended by the county or district administration and the school principal.
- May not be a friend or relative of the potential student teacher. (Relatives include: spouse, parent, stepparent, child, stepchild, mother-in-law, father-in-law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, etc.)
Absences
There are two make-up days for each placement built into the semester schedule during student teaching. Candidates must make-up any absence from student teaching excluding Teacher Education Program approved professional development. This may include national speakers hosted on campus, teacher candidate attendance at state, regional, or national conferences, and the PERC job fair.
Athletes should make all attempts to schedule student teaching in the semester that is least likely to impact participation in the varsity sport and negatively impact attendance during student teaching.
Any teacher candidate missing more than three days must meet with the Director of Teacher Education and the course instructor for Senior Seminar and Student Teaching. More than three absences may result in removal from the student teaching placement.
Removal and/or Failure of a Placement
Removal from the student teaching placement may result when the teacher candidate displays unprofessional conduct or behavior. When this occurs, the Director of Teacher Education will notify the teacher candidate of the removal. The teacher candidate may appeal the decision utilizing the Teacher Education appeals process detailed within this manual.
Teacher candidates must earn an “Acceptable” rating on all elements of the numerical rating scale; the rating scale is administered at the conclusion of both student teaching placements.