Director of Field Experiences, STEM Initiatives, and Magnet Program
Student Teaching
The culminating activity of the teacher education programs is student teaching. Having satisfied the prerequisites for student teaching courses, candidates are assigned to placements or classrooms in public schools for the first or second semester of their senior year. Student teachers are placed based on the availability of qualified cooperating teachers in their subject area and the willingness of schools to affiliate with us.
It is the College of Education policy that all agreements and affiliations with school districts be conducted through the Office of Field Experiences ONLY. Students, or anyone on their behalf, are NOT permitted to contact any school district regarding placements. Students may be prohibited from student teaching for one or more semesters if they contact a school for placement purposes.
A student teaching semester is designed to ensure students have a variety of experiences. Eligibility for student teaching will be determined during the scheduling period prior to the student teaching semester. Student teaching eligibility is contingent upon:
- Completion of the admission to teacher education process
Spring Student Teachers – Deadline 2nd Friday in September
Fall Student Teachers – Deadline 2nd Friday in February - Possession of an overall cumulative grade point average of 2.8 or higher
- A grade of C- or better in all professional education and specialty courses, and appropriate methods courses specified by each teacher education certification program.
- Continuation of professional liability insurance. The policy shall be a minimum of $1,000,000 per claim and $3,000,000 aggregate. This policy must remain in full force and effect for the duration of the practicum or student teaching assignment
- Obtain current background clearances: ACT 34 (PA Request for Criminal Record Check), ACT 151 (PA Child Abuse History Clearance), ACT 114 (FBI Federal Criminal History Record — requires fingerprinting) and Act 24 Arrest/Conviction Report and Certification Form (Student Teaching Eligibility)
- Obtainment of results of a tuberculosis screening (administered the semester prior to the student teaching semester) that will be valid throughout the student teaching semester
- Submission of test scores that prove all necessary Pennsylvania Certification tests have been attempted
To assess competency in student teaching, all teacher education candidates must have:
- Written evaluations by cooperating teachers
- Written evaluations by university supervisors
- Grades of C or better (The grade of C- (minus) does not satisfy this criterion)
- Two evaluations during student teaching using the PDE430 form: Pennsylvania Statewide Evaluation Form for Student Professional Knowledge and Practice, with satisfactory or above ratings
Teacher education students may not complete student teaching in any school district they attended. Business education and special education student teaching assignments are located within an approximate 50-mile radius of Bloomsburg. The majority of student teachers in early childhood, elementary, and secondary education programs are placed within a 35-mile radius of BU, with some placed in Lehigh, Bucks, and Montgomery county areas and the School District of Philadelphia. As per affiliation agreements, the school district will provide a cooperating teacher who must meet the following criteria, as defined by the Pennsylvania Department of Education:
- At least three years of teaching experience, one year of which has been in the district to which the teacher candidate is assigned
- A teaching assignment appropriate to the teacher candidate's area of certification
- Completion of cooperating teacher education, which includes review of the Student Teaching Handbook and attendance at cooperating teacher workshops.
Next Steps
Student Teaching Contact
