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Office of Field Experiences
1122 W. Campus Rd.
Joseph R. Pearson Hall, Rm 214D
Lawrence, KS 66045-3101

phone: (785) 864-9601
mherm@ku.edu

Student Teaching/Internship Experience

Student Teaching and Internship Experiences Each education program requires the pre-service teacher to complete a student teaching and/or internship experience. These must be secured through the Field Placement Office. For more information on these experiences, please review the Student Teaching/Internship Handbook.

Professional Year students must graduate and be admitted to Graduate School before they can student teach. All students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75 and you must have a 2.5 GPA in their major to student teach. They also must have earned no grade lower than a C in any professional education course.

The Student Teaching Experience

Student teaching is the first of two extended field experiences for traditional teacher education students and occurs during the first semester of the student's professional year. Student teachers have completed a baccalaureate degree (BSE) and have been accepted into the University of Kansas graduate school. The student teaching experience is designed to last eight weeks. During that time, the student teacher should gradually assume all teaching duties. The student should exit the eight-week field experience with a clear understanding of the expectations of the teaching profession and have a substantial number of hours of hands-on classroom experience.

Music Education and Music Therapy (MEMT) students and Health & Physical Education (HPE) students complete a four-year program. MEMT students complete a five-week student teaching experience and a 13-week internship during the last semester of their program. HSES students complete two eight-week experiences during their final semester. Each experience is completed at a different grade level.

The Graduate Licensure Program (GLP) student teaching experience is designed for the non-traditional student. All GLP students have completed an undergraduate degree in a field other than Education. They have also completed the standard sequence of teacher education courses and have fulfilled course requirements in their subject area(s). The GLP student has only one major field experience and is required to be in the field for 13 weeks. The GLP student should gradually assume all responsibilities of the clinical supervisor. At the conclusion of the field experience, the GLP student should have a realistic understanding of the nature of the teaching profession. GLP students are almost always math, science or foreign language students. However, we occasionally have an HPE or VAE student who completes this program.

NOTE: The fifth year begins in the fall ONLY for students in the C&T, VAE or UEC program with student teaching in the fall and internship in the spring. Students in the HPE, GLP or MEMT program may complete their experiences during either semester.

The Internship Experience

The Internship is the second field experience for a Professional Year student and occurs during the second semester. During this period, the intern should assume all teaching duties of the clinical supervisor. The Internship should provide the student with a realistic and rigorous view of the teaching profession.

Visual Art Education and Unified Early Childhood education students complete a professional year, but their internship experiences look a bit different from a traditional education student. VAE students complete two eight-week experiences in their final semester at different grade levels. UEC students complete two seven-week experiences at two of three levels – Birth to age 3, Preschool or Kindergarten.

How to submit a Student Teaching/Internship request:

Attend the Intent to Student Teach meeting to obtain important application information. All students need to attend this meeting in the spring before the academic year they intend to complete their experience(s). This meeting is usually held in early February, and you should receive an email about it. If you do not receive an email by January 1st, please contact the Placement Office (mherm@ku.edu) for day/time details.
If you are a School of Education student, set up an appointment to meet with Belinda Reynolds (belindar@ku.edu) for a graduation check. You should have a check completed before you apply to student teach so you will know what requirements you may lack. School of Fine Arts students should contact their faculty advisor.
Make an appointment with your advisor immediately to discuss both student teaching and internship placement requests and obtain the necessary signatures on the Assignment Request Form.
It is your responsibility to request the appropriate subject(s) and grade level(s). Since student teaching requirements are closely aligned with State Department of Education certification requirements, errors in your request may jeopardize your chances of being licensed for the subjects and levels you are seeking!
Immediately arrange for a TB test and brief physical. Allow three days for reading the test and completing the Health Certificate. Both sections of this form must be signed by a licensed physician, or nurse practitioner.
Complete all other required paperwork and the Student Teaching/Internship Online Request Form. Submit everything to the Field Placement Office by the due date.
All arrangements for student teaching must be made through the Field Placement Office. You may not initiate discussions with public school personnel about a student teaching assignment. Where you will be assigned for your student teaching and internship depends on your advisor's approval, an opening in a school district, and your acceptability to a prospective principal and clinical supervisor. Additionally, you may not student teach at any school you attended or one where you have family attending or working. It is not guaranteed that the district will be able to arrange the placement of your choice. This is the district’s prerogative. Interference on your part will not only complicate matters, it may also result in the district denying your request entirely.

How your request is processed:

After you correctly submit your application materials, the Field Placement Office will contact the school district you specified and request your placement. Once your request has been sent to a district, changes will be made only in emergency situations.

Every effort is made to secure the placement you have requested. If the preferred placements are not available, we will contact you for another location. It takes us about two weeks to process your request, and districts take about another six weeks. Usually placements are not finalized until the end of the semester; some last minute placements are always made just before school starts. Please be patient!

When the district has found a placement for you, the confirmation will be sent to the Field Placement Office and the placement information will be updated directly on the Web site. You may check the Placement Status Check periodically to find out the status of your placement. When your placement is confirmed, please contact your clinical supervisor(s) immediately to introduce yourself and thank them. Many teachers like to meet their student teachers before the first day or they ask the students to come in a couple days before school officially starts. Be prepared to do this.

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