Welcome to the Special Education Department
Table of Contents
- Overview of Student Teaching
What is Student Teaching?
(Please note: the terms “student teaching” and “student teacher” in this handbook apply to the culminating fieldwork experiences in both traditional & on-the-job placements.)
Student teaching is both a learning experience and a time when your professional competencies will be evaluated. During this supervised fieldwork assignment, you will be expected to develop and showcase your skills as a teacher until you are able to successfully plan and implement all the learning experiences for the students in your classroom or on your caseload.
It is important that you have a solid understanding of the expectations as you begin your student teaching assignment. The purpose of this handbook is to clarify the requirements for student teaching, and to delineate the roles and responsibilities of the student teaching team.
Please take the time to familiarize yourself with the guidelines and policies in this handbook.
Understanding these guidelines will help make your student teaching a positive and successful experience.
The Student Teaching Team
The student teaching team is typically made up of three members, each with a critical role to play in the success of the student teaching experience.
- The student teacher:
a special education credential candidate who has been cleared to student teach by the Credential Office; may be traditional or on-the-job. - The cooperating teacher (traditional) or on-site support provider (on-the-job):
a credentialed teacher who provides guidance, support, and reflective supervision to the student teacher. - The university supervisor:
a university faculty member who collaborates with the cooperating teacher (or support provider) and the student teacher to provide feedback, reflective supervision, and guidance to the student teacher.
Student Teacher
- Understands the requirements for successful completion of student teaching
- Works with the Cooperating Teacher and University Supervisor to improve practice
- Is responsible, prepared, and open to feedback
- Demonstrates professionalism and ethical behavior
Cooperating Teacher
- Provides meaningful feedback, guidance and support to the Student Teacher, and offers a variety of opportunities for participation
- Works collaboratively with the University Supervisor to improve the practice of the student teacher
- Encourages reflection and development of skills
- Models professionalism and ethical behavior
University Supervisor
- Collaborates with the Cooperating Teacher to support the development of the Student Teacher and to solve problems should they occur
- Supports the Student Teacher in understanding and completing all the requirements of SPED 580
- Provides meaningful guidance, support and feedback to the Student Teacher
Criteria for Selection of Placements for Student Teaching
The choice of an appropriate placement for student teaching is critical to your success. Every student teaching placement must be recommended or approved by a full-time faculty member in the Department of Special Education, and must meet department criteria according to specialization. For specific criteria, please see the Policy statement related to Criteria for Selection of Sites for Student Teaching (Section V).
Length and Time of Student Teaching
- DHH, M/M and M/S students:
Student teaching for DHH, M/M and M/S students is a minimum of one semester in length. A student who has notreached acceptable levels of competency by the end of one semester may be offered one of the following options:- extending the student teaching (length of extension to be determined by the university supervisor), or
- withdrawing from student teaching and reenrolling in a subsequent semester (may be done only once).
For more specific policies regarding these options, see the Policy statement related to Length and Time of Student Teaching (Section V).
- ECSE:
ECSE has two student teaching assignments, one in preschool-preK and one in early intervention. Students are required to complete a minimum of one semester in a preschool or preK program in the role of the early childhood special educator teaching young children with IEPs. Students are also required to complete a minimum of 100 hours of supervised fieldwork in an early intervention program (birth to 36 months) serving families and their infants and toddlers who have IFSPs. A student who has not reached acceptable levels of competency by the end of each assignment may be offered one of the following options:- extending the student teaching (length of extension to be determined by the university supervisor), or
- withdrawing from student teaching and reenrolling at a subsequent period (may be done only once for each required ECSE assignment).
Evaluation of Student Teaching
Student Teaching Competencies
The competencies for all California educators are based upon the California Teaching Performance Expectations (TPEs), and during the supervised student teaching assignment you will be evaluated on those competencies as outlined by your specialization. By the end of the assignment you will be expected to demonstrate effective knowledge and skills in planning instruction, creating meaningful learning experiences, using assessment, managing learning environments, and collaborating to meet the needs of diverse students with special needs.
Each specialization area has different forms that detail the specific way they use these competencies to evaluate their student teachers. Please refer to the student teaching forms (Section IV) to see the evaluation competencies for your specialization.
Video Capstone Assignment: Teaching Event
Every special education teaching candidate will be asked to complete an extensive video assessment documenting and reflecting on his or her proficiency in the California Teaching Performance Expectations. In order to successfully complete student teaching, you must meet expectations on all sections of the video assignment.