Student Teaching Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are the requirements for admission to student teaching?
- Admission to Teacher Education
- Completed application to be admitted to student teaching
- Attainment of a cumulative grade point average of 2.75 or 2.75 based on the last 60 hours of coursework if candidate holds a bachelor's degree
- Attainment of a grade point average of 2.75 in coursework completed in content field(s) or meet departmental grade point average requirements
- No grade lower than "C" in professional education courses
- Approval for student teaching by the department in the student's area(s) of teaching
- Successful completion of all content and professional education courses and required GPAs prior to student teaching. If planning to student teach in the fall semester, these requirements must be met by the summer grade posting date (Tuesday following the final grade entry deadline in July). If planning to student teach in the spring semester, these requirements must be met by the fall grade posting date (Tuesday following the final grade entry deadline in December).
- Verification of proof of liability insurance effective through the student teaching semester
- Approval for admission to student teaching by the Council on Preparation of Teachers and School Personnel
2. Can student teachers teach in the same school where they completed all their internships?
The Office of Field Experience and Licensure allows for placement in the school/district that you have graduated from or that you may have completed a prior experience with. This is in line with our diversity of placement definition:
Diversity placement definition
In order to meet Kansas licensure standards as it relates to diversity, the college’s philosophy of diversity placement, is placement for “in-place” diversity. Recognizing that all schools have unique diverse characteristics, “in-place” diversity is defined as the diversity that is a natural part of the school system environment in which the candidate is placed. All candidates will be required to design, implement, & carry out practices for diverse students in their placement.
3. Can secondary majors student teach in a middle school? (English, SS, Math, Science, Business)
Secondary majors can teach in a middle school IF they only work with 7th and 8th graders, NOT 6th graders.
4. Can secondary majors who require both secondary and elementary placements student teach in a middle school in order to fulfill both requirements?
K-12 secondary majors must compete two of three placement “bands.” These bands are K-6, 7-8, and 9-12. If a second placement “band” cannot made due to qualified teaching shortage or potential job placement with a high needs district, the Dean of the College of Education may approve a request that allows the completion of one grade “band” for 16 weeks of student teaching.
5. How much time do elementary majors with special education minors spend student teaching in each area?
The regular education experience requires 12 weeks, and the special education experience requires 4 weeks.
6. How much time do elementary/early childhood unified majors spend student teaching in each area?
The elementary portion of student teaching requires 8 weeks in a kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, or 3rd grade classroom. The early childhood portion also requires 8 weeks in a Pre-K setting.
7. May candidates seeking endorsement in more than one area complete all of their student teaching in just 1 semester?
Candidates may only student teach in a maximum of 2 endorsement areas during one semester. Thus, candidates seeking endorsement in more than 2 areas must request approval from the Director of Field Experiences before applying for the additional endorsement areas.
8. Are virtual students required to attend on campus meetings in person?
All student teaching meetings are offered virtually using ZOOM.
9. Can a student teacher be placed in a school outside the state of Kansas?
The Office of Field Experiences and Licensure has a long history of placing student teachers nation-wide as well as internationally. With out-of-state placements, the Director of Field Experiences will likely include you in the placement process and in communicating with the school/district.
10. Are student teachers allowed to arrange their own placements?
The Director of Field Experiences often works with the human resources office and administrators from the desired school and/or district to confirm placements. For this reason, student teachers are not permitted to facilitate their own student teaching placement.
11. Are candidates allowed to work while student teaching?
Student teaching is a very time consuming experience. For this reason, it is recommended for student teachers to be mindful of additional responsibilities held while student teaching.
If you hold a paid position with a school, such as a coach or after school care, you will need to have approval from the school board to continue your paid position. It is not recommended for student teachers to volunteer as this may create a liability for the student teacher, the school district and FHSU.
12. Who evaluates student teachers and how often?
Student teachers are evaluated a total of four times a semester.
(2) times by your cooperating teacher
(2) times by your university supervisor
A university supervisor is hired by the Office of Field Experiences and Licensure and may be an FHSU faculty member, a retired or current administrator, or a retired teacher of distinction.
13. Can candidates request specific schools where they want to student teach?
Candidates may request specific schools. They will have the opportunity to identify their top 3 school choices. The Director of Field Experiences will attempt to place candidates within their top three choices. Ultimately, placement decisions are made by both the Director of Field Experiences and the requested district.
14. How are candidates informed of their assigned cooperating teachers and school placements?
All student teacher candidates will attend a ZOOM student teaching meeting the semester before student teaching. At this meeting, the Director of Field Experiences will go over the placement process and how you will be notified of your confirmed placement.
ALL student teaching candidate will be notified of their confirmed placement on or after the confirmation date.
For fall student teachers:
- Application deadline: February 15th
- Confirmation date: May 1st
For spring student teachers:
- Application deadline: September 15th
- Confirmation date: December 1st
15. If you:
(1) have been asked to work toward taking a teaching position; (2) have questions or concerns about stipend payments; (3) have questions as to how you can complete internship hours “on the job”, or have concerns about student teaching placement or compensation concerns, please contact Rachel Wentling at (785) 628-5902, rawentling@fhsu.edu.