When do I apply for Student Teaching?
Applications
for student teaching are taken by the Office of Field Experiences (OFE)
at a meeting held in the first month of the semester preceding the one
when you plan to student teach. Watch for posted dates and places. In
the meantime, you are welcome to stop by our office at 464 CPS with any
questions.
Where are policies and procedures published?
The Handbook for Student Teaching is also on-line
here.
It is also for sale at the University Bookstore. You may
get a copy whenever you wish. The more familiar you are with its
contents, the greater your chances of success in carrying out student
teaching, preparing professional credentials, obtaining a license and
pursuing a teaching position.
What are the prerequisites?
To apply for student teaching, you must
have a GPA of at least 2.75 in every program for which you would be
seeking certification. To student teach for initial certification, you
must have completed 100% of the pedagogical methods courses in your
major, 100% of the courses in any minor (or minors) for which you plan
to apply for certification, as well as passing grades in Praxis II
test(s). For adding endorsements to an existing license, rules vary
depending upon program area.
How many assignments must I have?
You must student teach in your major in
order to graduate and obtain initial certification, in most cases. If
you have completed all requirements for a certifiable minor, you may
choose to pursue certification in that additional subject area by
requesting either a split assignment during a single student teaching
semester, or an additional assignment before or after full-semester
student teaching. For a full-semester student teaching for initial
certification, you may request a split assignment; however, such
assignments are sometimes difficult to obtain and complete.
The OFE does not guarantee the availability
of initial student teaching assignments beyond the minimum range of
grade levels in your major. For minors or extended ranges of
grade-level, you have choices, not obligations for initial
certification. As you explore various options, please bear in mind that
quantity of experiences does not replace quality of experience. It is a
policy in some programs that student teachers can assume only two
assignments per semester, including coursework and work-study as well as
additional endorsements. For all student teachers, one or two good
experiences are better than many mediocre ones.
If you are eligible for additional license
endorsements, you may request them after your assignments have begun by
writing to the OFE. You must have written approval from an appropriately
licensed cooperating teacher as well as your supervisor and program
area chair or area director.
What is lobbying?
Under no circumstances does UWSP condone
actively seeking a student teaching assignment through unwelcome
contacts with cooperating school administrators, teachers, or staff. If
you do not appropriately meet with cooperating professionals, any
contacts you pursue by such so-called "lobbying" could lead to denial of
your application for student teaching as well as refusal by a
cooperating school or agency, not only of your application but those of
others.
What are conflicts of interest?
Student teachers may not be assigned in
cooperating schools and classrooms where the following conflicts occur:
the student teacher has a child in that school building; the student
teacher has a direct relative in that school building in a teaching or
administrative capacity, or a direct relative in that school district in
an administrative capacity; the school district has explicitly stated a
policy regarding former students of that district's schools returning
as student teachers. It is the policy of the OFE to defer to UWSP
program area policies and local school district policies regarding
assigning former students as student or intern teachers. The OFE may
terminate any student teaching assignment in which a conflict of
interest is found to occur, in accordance with the termination clause in
the Handbook for Student Teaching and the affiliation agreements under
which it is implemented in cooperating districts.
What locations can I request for my student teaching?
For student teaching assignments, the UWSP service area ranges
from Interstate Highway 90-94 in the south to Rhinelander in the north,
Greenwood in the west to Appleton/Neenah/Menasha in the
east/southeast. Any requests for assignments outside that range or
outside the state must be made in person to the Director of Field
Experiences (DFE), whose approval may depend on clearance from other
teacher education programs in the area of the request. If the DFE and
cooperating programs approve, there will be a fee for supervision
services rendered, to offset unanticipated costs assumed by UWSP at the
student's choice. Supervision fees are entailed for urban teaching in
the Milwaukee Public Schools, for which it is strongly recommended that
student teachers have prior experience in urban living and teaching.
Some student teaching assignments may be overseas, which also entail
supervision fees. Such requests will be considered only in conjunction
with at least one-half semester of student teaching in Wisconsin. For
information about overseas student teaching, ask the OFE.
What are internships and how are they assigned?
Internships are assignments in which
student teachers are given temporary certification and partial
contracts. Following guidelines made by the Wisconsin Improvement
Program (see http://www.dpi.wi.gov/tepdl/wip.html
) internship requests originate from school districts to meet various
needs such as staff development or temporary staff shortages. As such,
they may be posted anytime. Applications for internships may be
submitted anytime. Nominations may also be taken anytime by the OFE from
program areas. If you wish to apply for an internship, you should have a
cumulative g.p.a. of at least 3.0; upon applying, you may have an
interview with the Director of Field Experiences, followed by interviews
at one or more schools or agencies. There are many uncertainties about
internships. We at the OFE cannot be sure of the content and timing of
any such assignment, but will make every effort to assure you that your
application will be fully considered and fairly handled.
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