Student Teaching

Student teachers are paired with a Cooperating Teacher who supports and mentors daily. Cooperating Teachers have at least three years of teaching experience and a clear credential in the same credential area as the student teacher they are supporting.

Student teachers get the opportunity to observe their Cooperating Teacher and other teachers at the school site. Student teachers will learn from these experienced teachers who model different styles and strategies.

Student teachers work closely with their Cooperating Teacher. Student teachers must develop skills to collaborate professionally, engage in healthy debate, and navigate difficult conversations. Doing so in the student teaching environment prepares student teachers for the collaborative relationship required when working with fellow grade level teachers, subject specific teams, or classroom support staff.

Student teachers ease into the process of teaching beginning with observation, followed by practice lessons, part-time teaching, and then solo teaching. This stepwise approach will support the establishment of comfort and confidence in the classroom.

Student teachers will have at least 4 weeks of co-teaching/solo teaching. During this time, student teachers will have the opportunity to experience the full scope of teaching from beginning to end of the day including tasks such as grading.

In addition to the daily feedback given by the Cooperating Teacher, student teachers are assigned a University Supervisor. University Supervisors are current or retired teachers, professors, and administrators who visit the Student Teacher on site every other week for support and feedback.

CTC's Subject Matter Competency Requirement must be met in order to apply for student teaching. See the methods to meet Subject Matter Competency.

For students using examination to meet Subject Matter Competency, all CSET exams must be passed prior to the student teaching application deadline for the semester that they plan to student teach. We do not make exceptions for CSET exams or extend the application deadline because CSETs have not been passed. Students should be aware of CSET test release dates and plan accordingly so that CSET results are received prior to the application deadline.

Students can take a Leave of Absence (LOA) until they are able to pass their CSETs. Students can remain on an LOA for up to one year. If students are gone for more than one year, they have to be readmitted to the school. This is a good option for students who are struggling to balance the load of coursework and the additional time to study for CSETs. It will give them a moment to pause from the program and focus on their exams. This option will extend their program length. If a student plans to take an LOA, they should contact their designated academic advisor.

TB skin tests expire after 2 years, and chest x-ray exams expire after 5 years. The TB needs to remain current during student teaching/interning and when applying for the Preliminary Credential.

All student teachers must have a valid CPR certificate that covers infants, children, and adults. It needs to remain current during student teaching and when applying for the Preliminary Credential. Students should check the expiration date on the CPR card to ensure that it will not expire while they are in the field. If it will expire, it needs to be renewed for the student teaching application.

After the student teaching application closes, the Office of Licensures and Credentialing (OLC) will review the applications to determine if students meet the requirements to advance to student teaching.

It is the student's responsibility to ensure that all required documents have been submitted. Late documents will not be accepted, and incomplete applications will be denied.

Once applications are reviewed, OLC will send student teaching placement requests to the preferred districts indicated in the application. Districts will then contact schools/principals, who will then reach out to individual teachers. This is a slow process. OLC is typically securing placements for 150+ student teachers each semester, and the placement process takes months. OLC will provide all students with placement status update emails. Once a placement has been confirmed by the district, the OLC will notify the student of their student teaching placement details via email.

Students may not coordinate their own student teaching placements. All student teaching placements are coordinated through the Office of Licensures and Credentialing with partnered schools/districts. Every effort will be made to place a student in a preferred district indicated in their student teaching application.

Student teaching placements will not be made where there is a potential conflict of interest. This includes being at a school site where a relative works, children attend, or where students have been previously employed (not including substitute teaching). The conflict of interest policy does not apply to substitute teaching positions.

Students need to indicate any conflict of interest with the districts they are requesting on their student teaching application. Having a conflict of interest at one school site does not mean a student can't be placed in that district. OLC will seek a placement at a school site in the district where there is not a conflict of interest.

No. The Office of Licensures and Credentialing expects that all student teachers benefit from diverse training and education that is not based on previous relationships. This is to assure that previously established biases (positive or negative) would not impact student teachers during their fieldwork.

OLC will not place students in a virtual student teaching placement.