This is student teaching in an infant/toddler placement that takes place in a Birth to Three/Early Intervention program (serving infants and toddlers in their natural environments). Each student will be placed in a Birth-to-Three Program during a full semester (for 15 weeks), twenty hours a week for a total of at least 300 hours. A university supervisor will observe each student two times.
This is student teaching in a preschool setting that offers inclusive or integrated programming (for children with special needs and children without diagnosed special needs). This placement is a full semester placement (during 15 weeks) in which the students will be in the preschool for two mornings a week (for at least 10 hours per week) for a minimum of 150 hours. A university supervisor will observe each student at least one time (often two times) with an introductory visit.
Directed Teaching C is focused on working with specialists and providing consultation in inclusive settings and functional interventions for children with disabilities who are three years and older. This placement is during one quarter (half of the student teaching placement).
Directed Teaching D is focused on teaching children ages five through eight years old. Student teachers spend one quarter (or one half of the student teaching placement) working with children in Kindergarten through third grade.
Students will begin their placements on the first day of the cooperating teacher's contract and assist with beginning of year preparations and attend in-services where applicable. The division of the semester into two should begin on the first day that the pupils are in attendance.
Students can begin in Directed Teaching C or D and may teach in an inclusive classroom the whole semester as long as the focus on teaching children with disabilities and working alongside a specialist is possible. Sometimes students will be placed in teams of two to four in the schools and will rotate through the placements.
A university supervisor will observe each student teacher four times with at least two observations in each of the settings.
Cooperating teachers will fill out the evaluation form available at the above website at the mid-point and towards the end of each placement. Students complete the form as a self-assessment at the mid-point of the placement. University supervisors complete the dispositions section of the form towards the end of the placement.
For all student teaching placements, students keep the original and give a copy of the evaluations to their university supervisor, who will file it with the Office of Field Experiences.
Students need to keep the original of each completed evaluation instrument for their records. The Office of Field Experiences will not release copies of these instruments.