Student Teaching & Certification
- Admission to Teacher Education
- Educator Profile DESE
- Initial Application Instructions
- Professional Education Courses
- Field Experience Observation Credit Form
- School District Classification List
- Fingerprinting / Background Check
- Areas of Educator Certification
- Alternative Pathways to Certification
- Student Teaching
- Meet Our Staff
Student Teaching
Admission to the Professional Education Semester and Student Teaching
Student teaching is the primary component of the professional education semester. The following minimum requirements must be met prior to student teaching placement:
- Admission to the Teacher Education Program.
- Submission of a completed Request to Student Teach by December 1st for the fall semester or May 1st for the spring semester. Applications received by the Office of Clinical Services and Certification after the May 1st or December 1st deadline will be charged a late fee of $100.00. No late application will be accepted if the student has not attended a Preliminary Meeting for Student Teachers. Those meeting dates are posted in the semester calendars located below.
- Completion of a minimum of 90 semester hours of university credit prior to the beginning of student teaching; meeting all prerequisites for professional semester courses and student teaching.
- A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.50 on all university work attempted, on all courses taken at UCM, and in the field or fields for which teacher certification is being sought (determined on the basis of courses approved for the teaching area, whether taken at UCM or elsewhere).
- A satisfactory appraisal for student teaching from each department or area in which student teaching placement is requested.
- Evidence of computer proficiency. (A computer course may be taken for credit or the requirement may be met by other coursework).
- Students using UCM for certification must have earned a minimum of six semester hours of credit at UCM before qualifying for student teaching.
NOTE: The Teacher Education Council requires the PRAXIS II be taken prior to the student teaching semester.
Background Checks and Additional Requirements
Additional requirements that must be met by the student for certain school districts currently include:
- Blue Valley: Certificate of Health, TB test, FBI Background Check, Kansas Student Teaching Certificate, OSHA Bloodborne (done by district)
- Fort Zumwalt: FBI Background Check, Substitute Certificate, Transcripts
- Francis Howell: Teacher InSight Survey
- Hazelwood: FBI Background Check and DFS Background Check
- Independence: Electronic student teaching application submitted by the student through district website and Transcript
- Lee’s Summit: FBI Background Check, Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above, No grade below “B” in either the core areas or area of certification specialty, Transcript
- Liberty: Interview, FBI Background Check, Transcript
- North Kansas City: FBI Background Check
- Olathe: TB test, FBI Background Check, Kansas Student Teaching Certificate, OSHA Bloodborne (done by district)
- Park Hill: FBI Background Check, Resume, Transcript
- Parkway: Transcript, Two Letters of Recommendation, TB test, Resume, FBI Background Check
- Rockwood: FBI Background Check, Child Abuse Check, TB test, Transcript, Teacher InSight Survey
- Shawnee Mission: Interview, Certificate of Health, TB test, FBI Background Check, Kansas Student Teaching Certificate, Transcript, Statement of Introduction
- St. Charles: Gallup Teacher Survey and FBI Background Check
- Webster Groves: Letter of reference from a professor in your certification area, FBI Background Check, Child Abuse Check, TB test, Transcript
- Wentzville: FBI Background Check, Substitute Certificate, TB test
Preliminary Meetings for Student Teaching
Preliminary meetings are held each semester for students planning to student teach the following semester. Students receive information from Testing Services, Career Services, and the Assistant Director of Clinical Services and Certification. Interviews are scheduled with the Assistant Director of Clinical Services and Certification during this meeting. Attendance is extremely important for placement purposes.
Documents Available Online
Document Grid
Documents for District Supervisors
Documents for Students
Documents for University Supervisors
Student Teacher Handbook
Student Teaching Syllabi
Waiver of Student Teaching
Scholarships
Voncile Bowen Huffman Scholarship Application (Word or PDF)
Huffman Faculty Recommendation Form (Word or PDF)
Dr. William Bell Scholarship for Student Teachers Application (Word or PDF)
Calendars
Spring 2013
Fall 2013
Special Dates to Remember for 2013
March 11th: Mid-Term Conference for Spring 2013 Student Teachers in the Union room 240 at 9:30 a.m.
For Further Information: Contact us by phone: 660-543-4880 or by e-mail: student_teaching@ucmo.edu