Information and Procedures

Elementary, Secondary, and All-level Student Teaching

General Information

All students in Elementary, Secondary Education, and NK-12 programs are required to complete student teaching. In order to student teach, you must:

For the spring semester, the deadline is October 1; for the fall semester, the deadline is March 1.

Please note: You must make an appointment in person in Barnard 334 in order to submit your completed application. We are not obligated to honor late applications.

Answers to Some Frequently Asked Questions

Student teaching involves the entire semester. Some of the semester may be for observations or for gradual introduction to student teaching. You also may be taking courses concurrently with student teaching; only those courses that are listed as concurrent requirements are permitted during the student teaching semester. You will have at least 10 weeks of student teaching experience. You will also be expected to attend seminars on campus, before, during, and after this period.

The placement will be at an appropriate grade level or levels in line with your certification requirements. The actual grade, level, or setting to which you are assigned will be determined on the basis of the availability of CORE-trained teachers in the district and the number of teachers who are willing to accept a student teacher. We ask that you NOT contact a teacher and request that he/she accept you as a student teacher. Student teachers may not make their own student teaching placements.

What is the Process To Set Up A Placement For Student Teaching?

The process begins when the Office of Field Experiences receives and approves a student teaching application. The director reviews the request of the student teacher and confers with others involved in the teacher preparation process, e.g., department chairperson, university teacher educator in content area. Many factors are taken into account before the director sends out a request to the district facilitator. The district facilitator’s role is to coordinate placements within the district. This is done through communication with the building principals, the directors of instruction in the district, and the teachers who are BEST trained. BEST trained teachers have been trained to identify indicators that show that a teacher demonstrates the teaching competencies necessary for certification in the state of Connecticut. BEST trained teachers also serve as mentors for teachers who are in their first year of teaching at the school. Typically, BEST trained teachers cannot serve as mentors and cooperating teachers at the same time. In addition, when a teacher commits to being a mentor, it is a year-long process. Districts also have established a policy that a teacher cannot have more than one student teacher in a year (unless there are extenuating conditions). Therefore student teachers may not arrange their own placement.

In the past, some student teachers have attempted to set up their own student teaching experience directly with the teacher. This practice is greatly discouraged and in many of these instances, the district has been highly displeased with this practice. The policy for setting up a placement for student teaching was established in Connecticut in the late 1980's as part of the BEST assessment program. We expect to work within this process and for our student teachers to also act in a professional manner by respecting this process.

What Calendar Do I Follow—the School District's or the University's?

The student teaching calendar of days conforms to the cooperating school and not to the university calendar. Dormitory accommodations are not available during the university vacation periods. Please be sure to keep this office informed of any change of name, residence or telephone number. You must also inform the Registrar's Office of any changes.

How Long Do I Need to Wait After I Hand in My Application to Hear About My Placement?

Districts process the student teaching application forms at various paces. Some are quick to respond while others take a month from the request before they assign tentative interviews. Some districts wait until they have completed all their placements before they inform the Office of Field Experiences. We understand that you may get anxious waiting to hear about your placement. The best advice we can offer is that you trust that we are working on the best possible placement for you. Do make sure the address you gave us is the one at which you currently are living. Sometimes, student teachers have not received their placements on a timely basis because they gave only the address where they would be living during the student teaching semester, e.g., their family's home address. During the time you are waiting to hear about your placement, make sure you are preparing for this experience: put together a mini collection of artifacts that demonstrate your teaching experience (e.g., lesson plan, students’ work); update your resume; and develop your philosophy of education.

What Do I Do When I Receive My Assignment?

As placements are completed, you will be notified of your tentative assignment. You are then asked to call the cooperating teacher or the principal to arrange an interview. You will be sent the name of your tentative placement, a tip sheet for interviewing, and forms for you and for the teacher to verify that you had an interview and the outcome of the interview. Final placement is contingent on a successful interview. Those planning on student teaching in the fall will interview before the end of the spring semester. Those planning on student teaching in the spring will interview before the end of the fall semester. It is important that you set up an interview soon after you receive your confirmation of a tentative placement. Placements have been lost because the prospective student teacher did not contact the teacher in a timely manner. Upon completion of your interview, you are to return the “Interview Confirmation Form” to the Office of Field Experiences.

Reminder - Registration for Student Teaching

Once an application has been accepted, student teachers are required to register for student teaching as usual via the Web. Registration for student teaching is dependent on permission of the Department of Teacher Education. Student teaching courses (EDEL 430, EDSC 413, 414, 415, 417, 419, 420, 429, 435) may not be repeated without permission of the Director of the Office of Field Experiences as well as the chairs of the student’s major departments and teacher education.

How Do I Register For Student Teaching?

Please register in the usual way on the Banner system. If you have any questions, see your advisor.