Criteria and Procedures for Permission to Student Teach

Only applicants who have been admitted to the Teacher Education Program may be approved to student teach. According to its mission and goals, the Education Department considers each candidate’s ability to take on the challenge and honor of serving students in our schools. To make decisions on who is ready to student teach, we use the following criteria.

All candidates must:

Complete 100% of all required licensure and content courses offered prior to the student teaching term and/or receive the approval of the Education Department. Minors must also receive the endorsement of the major Department. Note: Candidates should consult Department advising sheets for a full listing of all required education methods and content courses.
Complete all program licensure courses with at least a grade of C- and with a total education GPA of at least 2.75.
Attain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.50 at the time of student teaching.
Display knowledge, skills, and dispositions appropriate for teaching, including a satisfactory level of competence on the performance outcomes assessed in the education program.

Middle School candidates must:

Attain a 2.50 GPA in each teaching/licensure field and a grade of C- or above for each course in each teaching/licensure field.

Adolescent-Young Adult and Multi-Age candidates must:

Have a GPA of 2.50 in the teaching field and a grade of C- or above for each course in the teaching field. The teaching field includes all courses in the student’s major plus subject content courses required for licensure.
Have recommendation of the candidate’s major department affirming a competent level of preparation in the teaching field according to the approved Ohio Academic Content Standards.

No courses required for licensure can be taken pass/fail without the permission of the Education Department Chair and the Director of Teacher Licensure.

Student teaching is scheduled during spring semester. Candidates enroll in education coursework the first five weeks of the semester and then proceed on to eleven to twelve weeks of full-time student teaching. Since student teaching is a full-time load, no other coursework may be scheduled during the weeks of student teaching unless permission is granted by the Director of Student Teaching. In planning for spring vacation, candidates must follow the calendar of the school system in which they are assigned to student teach and plan their Spring break in line with the school’s vacation schedule. Travel to and from the student teaching site is the responsibility of the candidate.