Preparation and Expectations for Student Teaching & Internship Experiences

The Internship Experience

The Internship is the second field experience for the traditional education student and occurs during the second semester of the student's professional year. 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.

The Graduate Licensure Program (GLP) 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.

Music Education, Music Therapy and Health, Sport and Exercise Science Student Teaching/Internship Experiences

MEMT and HSES 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.

Process for Requesting your Student Teaching/Internship placement

1. Attend the Intent to Student Teach meeting to obtain important application information. All students need to attend the meeting in the spring before the academic year you intend to complete your experience(s).
2. If you haven't already done so, set up an appointment to meet with Belinda Reynolds (belindar@ku.edu) to begin your graduation check. You should have a check completed before you apply to student teach so you will know what requirements you may lack.
3. 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 make sure that you are student teaching and interning in the appropriate subject at the appropriate level. 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!
4. Immediately arrange for a TB test at Watkins Hospital or with a physician of your choice. Allow three days for reading the test and completing the Health Certificate. This form MUST be signed by a licensed physician, or nurse practitioner. You also must provide a completed Intent To Student Teach Form, a completed Emergency Contact Form, proof of Liability Insurance and Bloodborne Pathogen Training results, but all of this additional paperwork and information will be provided at the Intent To Student Teach Meeting.
5. During your experience(s), you will be assigned to one of two centers: Lawrence Campus or Edwards Campus. Your assignment is based on the district in which you are assigned. Student teachers and interns in the Kansas City area (Blue Valley, Bonner Springs, Gardner-Edgerton, Kansas City, KS, Olathe, Piper, Shawnee Mission, Spring Hill, or Turner) must enroll in Edwards Campus line numbers for their courses, and student teachers in the Lawrence area must enroll in Lawrence Campus line numbers. Be aware that tuition and campus fees vary between the two campuses. Please be sure to be well-informed about information regarding tuition, campus fees, and in-state and out-of-state status.  Furthermore, student teachers and interns enrolled in Edwards Campus line numbers may obtain health care at Watkins Student Health Center; however, please note that you will be charged an additional "user's fee" for any services you receive.
6. Special permission is required to complete an experience outside the Edwards or Lawrence Campus areas. Visit Courtesy Placement/DoDDs for more information about these kinds of placements. If you are interested in this, contact the field experience coordinator and schedule a meeting to discuss details.

How Your Request is Processed

After you submit your application materials, the Office of Field Experiences will determine whether all requirements to student teach have been met. If so, we 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.

When the district has found a placement for you, the confirmation will be sent to the Office of Field Experiences 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.

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.

All arrangements for student teaching must be made through the Office of Field Experiences. 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.