Student Teaching Application
OVERVIEW
Candidates pursuing initial teacher certification in Kentucky are required by state regulation to student teach in a P-12 classroom. Educator Preparation Providers (EPP), including the UofL College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), are required to establish and follow a formal application procedure for each teacher candidate’s admission to student teaching. All CEHD student teaching placements are arranged through the Office of Educator Development and Clinical Practice (OEDCP). University students should not contact the district, school or other education personnel for student teaching placements.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Applying to student teach is a multi-step process that ensures UofL teacher candidates meet state, school district and university requirements prior to entering the P-12 classroom as a student teacher. Upon notification, and at the appropriate time, teacher candidates on track to student teach in the next scheduled fall or spring semester submit requirements for student teaching. These requirements are posted on the OEDCP webpage and in the Blackboard Organization – Student Teaching Application. The teacher candidate will have access to the Blackboard Organization once they are deemed eligible to apply for student teaching.
In submitting documentation, teacher candidates must adhere to the Professional Code of Ethics for Kentucky School Personnel and "shall not knowingly falsify or misrepresent records of facts relating to the educator's own qualifications." Any candidate found to have falsified information or forged required signatures will not be eligible to student teach and will be cited for academic dishonesty in compliance with university policy.
All electronic documents submitted in Blackboard must be readable. Digital images that are out-of-focus, distorted, taken from a distance or have illegible signatures will be returned to the candidate for resubmission, which may delay the student teaching start date. Unless specifically requested by OEDCP staff, candidates should not send materials via email. The OEDCP asks teacher candidates to use Camscanner or a similar free application to combine multiple digital files into one or two scrollable PDF files for submission.
Requirements
The Student Teaching Placement Form collects information necessary to the OEDCP’s coordination of optimal placements for student teachers. Estimated completion time for the form is 10-15 minutes.
Instructions: Use the link above to access the form. An email with this link will also be sent directly to teacher candidates scheduled to student teach in the forthcoming fall or spring semester. Respond to all questions on the form and click "Submit" upon completion.
The Sharing of Student Teacher Contact Information Permission Form informs the OEDCP of your choice to allow or deny permission to share your contact information with school districts that wish to recruit you for hire. By default, failure to submit the form by the deadline posted in Blackboard will indicate that you do not want your information shared with school districts.
Instructions: Upload an electronic copy of the completed, signed and dated form to the Blackboard Organization assignment. If you submit the form with an electronic signature, it will be considered the legal equivalent of your handwritten signature.
Complete this mandatory training using the instructions provided here or in Blackboard. Then, navigate to the “Positive Behavior in Schools” assessment and upload your certificate. Those student teaching in JCPS will also need to upload this certificate to their Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) portal account.
Read the Student Teaching Handbook in its entirety. Then, complete the Student Teaching Handbook Verification Form to confirm that you have read the handbook. You must check or initial each item listed on the form before submitting.
Instructions: Upload an electronic copy of the completed, signed and dated form to the Blackboard Organization assignment. If you submit the form with an electronic signature, it will be considered the legal equivalent of your handwritten signature.
Upon receiving confirmation of student teaching placement(s), incoming student teachers in Kentucky schools* must complete a criminal records background check that includes FBI fingerprinting. Registration for a background check appointment and payment is to be completed online through IdentoGo: https://uenroll.identogo.com. Locate the most convenient site for your fingerprinting appointment by city or zip code from the IdentoGo dashboard: https://www.identogo.com/. Refer to the IdentoGo website for more information on the cost of the background check.
After registering for a fingerprinting appointment, teacher candidates upload an electronic copy of their IdentoGo registration payment receipt in Blackboard Organization. The digital copy serves as proof of initiation of the background check.
*Student teachers placed in states other than Kentucky will follow the background check regulations of the placement state and district. The OEDCP will provide instructions.
Criminal records background checks cannot be initiated until district placements are confirmed.
Instructions: Upload an electronic copy of receipt of payment from IdentoGo to the Blackboard Organization assignment.
Kentucky State Regulation 16 KAR 5:040 stipulates that all candidates enrolled in student teaching after September 1, 2013 complete a minimum of 200 hours in multiple and focused field experiences prior to student teaching. The OEDCP ensures compliance with the regulation by requiring teacher-candidates to submit electronic copies of the following documentation:
- The Field Log Checklist and Calculator is a mechanism for teacher candidates to tally field hours and ensure completion of multiple and focused experiences across defined activities.
- The Record of Field Experiences is the teacher candidate's field experience history as recorded on field logs from coursework prior to the student teaching semester.
(Field Experiences log sheet - Instructional Video) - The Kentucky Educator Credentialing System (KECS) Detailed Summary is a report of an individual teacher candidate’s field experience history as self-reported in the Kentucky Field Experience Tracking System. Log in to Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB) for access to KECS.
Instructions: Upload three documents as separate attachments to the Blackboard Organization assignment.
- File A: Upload an electronic image of your completed Field Log Checklist and Calculator (do not upload the functional Excel file). Before uploading, make sure that your total number of hours show a minimum of 200 and that all field experience and placement types are indicated in the checkboxes. By checking the boxes next to experience and placement type, you are attesting that this information is also written on your field logs. See how to complete the Field Log Checklist and Calculator.
- EXAMPLE of completed Field Log Checklist and Calculator:
- File B: Combine digital images of your Record of Field Experiences field logs into one document using a free app such as Camscanner. Make sure your logs are complete. Then, upload your field logs to the Blackboard Organization assignment. Digital images that are out-of-focus, distorted, taken from a distance or have illegible signatures will be returned to you for resubmission and could delay your student teaching.
- File C: Upload a document showing your total KECS hours. You should copy and paste all screenshots into a document and save it as a PDF. Then, upload that single file to the Blackboard Organization assignment. You will need to show evidence that your KECS has a minimum of one example of each of these items:
- Screenshot of the bar at the top of your “Field Experience Page”, totaling 200 hours minimum.
- A screenshot of one example of at least one (1) hour of field experience in activity type B - Observations
- A screenshot of one example of at least one (1) hour of field experience in activity type C – Student Tutoring
- A screenshot of one example of at least one (1) hour of field experience in activity type D – Interactions with Families of Students
- A screenshot of one example of at least one (1) hour of field experience in activity type E – School Board
- A screenshot of one example of at least one (1) hour of field experience in activity type E– School-Based Decision Making (SBDM) Meeting
- A screenshot of one example of at least one (1) hour of field experience in activity type F – Observe Professional Learning Circle (PLC)
- A screenshot of one example of at least one (1) hour of field experience in activity type G– Other opportunities to assist
- EXAMPLE of screen capture of KECS Detailed Summary
You are required to attend a student teaching orientation that is usually held at end of fall and spring semesters. Attendance is required and will be taken by the OEDCP. We hold these orientations on the University Reading Day, which happens after classes end and before finals week each semester.