Student Teaching FAQs
If I don’t plan to student teach until a later semester, is it okay to complete my student teaching application now?
An application can only be submitted for either the fall or spring semester of the next academic year. Only one semester's application is open for completion at any given time. Please note, clicking Save and Continue allows further review and editing of the application. Once Final Submit is selected, the application is closed and submitted for approval.
If I am acquainted with a teacher who wants me to student teach with him/her, what should I do?
The teacher must contact the building administrator with this information. The building administrator then contacts the Professional Education Services office to make the request. Students are not to self-place.
If my placement request is not approved, will I be given a reason?
Sometimes the administrator or district contact shares a reason with our office and sometimes they do not. Our office will only share the reason if that person has given us permission to do so. Some reasons for non-placement include:
- Several universities “competing” for placements
- Low GPA or numerous grades of D or F
- Poorly written autobiographical information (spelling or grammar errors)
- Past bad experience with a teacher candidate in that building
- Districts that allow their teachers to take a teacher candidate only once during a school year
- “High stakes” standardized testing (especially in spring)
- A cooperating teacher that needs more experience before accepting a teaching candidate
Why might my department not approve my location requests for student teaching?
- A need for more diverse placements in your experiences (required by CAEP/DESE)
- Cooperating teacher doesn’t have enough experience
- Graduation from the same school that has been requested
- Relatives in the building or district that is being requested
When will I receive my student teaching placement information?
If all compliance documents are valid through the last day of student teaching, placement information will be shared with the teacher candidate via email as soon as a placement is confirmed,
What happens if I have issues that would appear on a background check during my student teaching?
Student teachers are held to the same standard of conduct as the regular classroom teacher, both inside and out of school. If conduct becomes a reason for concern, the university will follow the guidelines listed on our website. The consequences of such conduct may require that the teacher candidate's department do one or more of the following: change of placement, removal from student teaching, or disposition referral process.
What are my options if I have limited transportation?
Student teachers must arrange for their own transportation to and from the placement location(s).
What should I do if my student teaching experience isn’t going well?
Since this is highly confidential information, it should only be shared with the cooperating teacher and university supervisor. First, communicate any questions or concerns in a professional manner to the cooperating teacher. If the situation doesn’t improve, then share the information with the university supervisor, who will work with the teacher candidate and the cooperating teacher to keep lines of communication open and offer suggestions to make the situation better. If there are still concerns, the university supervisor will contact the education program coordinator for assistance/guidance.