Our senior Teacher Candidates have one full semester of student teaching and enroll in EDU 403 and either EDU 455/456/458/459 for 4.5 units of credits. This is typically done during fall or winter terms of the senior year, but some students complete an additional semester to complete this requirement in the fall term following graduation in order to study abroad or due to the time constraints of participation in athletics or other reasons. Please discuss this with your Education Advisor early in your career so you may make the best decision for your personal situation and goals. Additional information is available in our Education Program Handbook and Student Teaching Handbook under "RESOURCES". Please note that candidates are required to have a 3.0 minimum GPA in their major Decision Point 2 in order to be approved for a student teaching assignment as well as having attempted their content area Praxis licensure exams. Further information is available from your Education advisor.
Student Teachers have several choices when it comes to their student teaching assignment. Juniors are asked to begin the process by completing the Student Teaching Placement assignments in TEVERA. While every effort is made to grant requests, the final decision for the student teaching assignment rests with the Education Faculty based on staffing and candidate needs and for ensuring success.
Student Teaching options
- Local Student Teaching Placement
A local Student Teaching placement would be at a school no farther than a 30 minute driving drive from Campus. Students would live on campus or be local commuter students. - Urban Student Teaching Placement
An urban Student Teaching placement would be in a school system we have an established relationship with in an urban location. These include Indianapolis (not Indianapolis Public Schools), in or near Louisville, KY, or near Cincinnati, OH.. Student teachers have the option to live off campus at home of with a nearby relative or friends.
Financial assistance is available for student in an urban placement that meets certain criteria of the Spicer Phillips Endowment. Application is made on MY HANOVER under Academics.
Student Teaching requirements
Student Teachers should be aware of the following requirements that must be met and documentation provided to the Education Student Services office prior to being allowed into your assigned classroom for Student Teaching!!! Not having documentation on file will cause you to be removed from your assignment!!!
1. Background check as required by the host school system. It is your responsibility to ensure this is done and a copy or confirmation letter sent to our office. Keep in mind that depending on the school system, this can take up to six weeks and cost $100 or more. Again, the student teacher assumes all costs and paperwork responsibilities with their host school. If the host school does not have a background check requirement, then a current background check from Safe Hiring Solutions is required. A new one is required for the current academic year. These average about $22, but can be more depending upon locations where the student has previously resided. Please see Background Checks under the Resources and Documents tab for more information.
2. Student Membership in the National Education Association (NEA) provides members with liability coverage as included with the membership. Student teachers are required to forward a copy of the NEA confirmation email to the Student Services Coordinator before the first day of Student Teaching. *NEA membership cards take a few weeks to receive so joining NEA online and then forwarding the email is the best bet! The national NEA membership includes Indiana state membership and HC Chapter (ISEA) membership and has several discounts and other bonuses for membership. NEA Student Membership Application
3. Attendance at the Student Teacher Orientation and Student Teaching Seminars is mandatory - you will be notified of the dates and times that this session is held - these may be in person on campus or virtually.
These seminars are designed to provide a chance for discussion and feedback from each other in order to better prepare you for becoming a profession educator. This includes all urban placement student teachers Under dire circumstances, contact your Student Teaching faculty instructor for issues with this, as well as any other issues during Student Teaching.
Student Teaching documents: Current documents for Student Teaching are found under the RESOURCES tab and choose Student Teaching or Mentor Teacher, as needed.