Secondary Education & Youth Services (SEYS)

 

BULLETIN

Spring 2008 Semester

I.          Background Information

Permission for student teaching is given to those students who have been approved by their Major Department for scholarship in subject matter and by the Education Department for work in the professional sequence, and who have a satisfactory medical and tuberculin test.

Since the Teacher Education Program at Queens College is officially approved by the NYS Department of Education, students who complete the program with a satisfactory grade (3.0) in student teaching meet academic requirements for recommendation for certification in NY State.

II.        College Regulations

Students are required to spend 4 hours (approximately 6 periods) a day in an assigned school every school day for a minimum of fifteen weeks.   (See “Minimum Hours Required” for detailed definition of “hours.”)

In NYC schools students must teach both a 9th grade class and an upper grade class.  [Exception: If a particular Science is not offered on both grade levels (i.e. Chemistry may not be offered in MS or 9th grade) then Science students can teach two classes on one grade level.]

Students assigned and accepted by Long Island Districts may follow this same (9th/upper grade) model OR may follow the typical Long Island District model of ½ semester in a middle school and ½ semester in the high school (still 6 periods a day). 

The K-12 subject areas (Art, Music, Family & Consumer Science, and Physical Education) are included in the above requirements but these placements must be fulfilled in the following two grade levels: Pre-K through 6, and 7 through 12. 

Holidays/Absences:  The student teacher has the same responsibilities for reporting and attending as does any employed teacher.  With regard to holidays, students are to follow the calendar of the public school where they are assigned.  The only excused absences are for illness and when this occurs, the student is required to notify both the cooperating teacher and college supervisor.  All absences must be made up prior to the final transition week of the experience.

Minimum Hours Required:  The student's total preparation must include at least 160 hours of supervised instructional experience (80 hrs. on each grade level).  Please note that for the purposes of State Certification, school clock hours may not be calculated by school periods, unless those periods extend for 1 hour. Accordingly, since most secondary schools maintain periods ranging from 37-45 minutes, every 3 periods for which you are in attendance and actively participating in an approved activity, will be considered as 2.5 hours toward the required hours.                          

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III.       Experiences in the Classroom

Each student is to be assigned a teacher, designated as the "Cooperating Teacher," who will take responsibility for the student teacher's day-to-day supervision.  The student will teach two classes each day, observe the Cooperating Teacher teaching another class, and spend time conferencing, planning and other activities related to teaching.

This supervised instructional experience is to include such activities as:

1)     Actual classroom teaching with follow-up conferences

2)     Working with groups of students under the teacher’s direction

3)     Working with extracurricular programs

4)     Working with homeroom activities                                                                                                                            

 
IV.       Supervision

Supervision of student teacher is the mutual responsibility of the Cooperating Teacher and the College Supervisor. The College Supervisor will do a minimum of three formal observations, observing each student in both the 9th grade class (or middle school) and in the upper grade (10th, 11th, or 12th grade) class.  The College Supervisor will confer with the Cooperating Teacher to discuss the student’s progress and will be available for additional conferences if special problems develop.

V.        Role of Cooperating Teacher

A Cooperating Teacher is a reflective practitioner who can provide day-to-day mentoring to a student teacher helping him/her to put theory into practice and to reflect upon their performance. The College Supervisor supports that role by helping the student gain insight into teaching concerns of a broader nature than those of a particular school. The College Supervisor’s and Cooperating Teacher’s comments and evaluations may, therefore, emphasize differing phases of preparation for teaching.

VI.       Evaluation

The SEYS Department, Queens College, New York State Department of Education, and National Accreditation Organizations, such as NCATE, which oversee our instructional programs, may ask individuals to validate important documentation concerning required certification experiences.

Consistent with this accreditation process, the Cooperating Teacher and the College Supervisor complete evaluation forms as a record of the student's progress during the semester. These forms will serve both as statistical support for accreditation and as a worksheet from which the final evaluation is made. Although every College Supervisor is responsible for consultation with the Cooperating Teacher in arriving at final evaluation for the student teacher, college regulations stipulate the College Supervisor is responsible for making the final determination.

VII.     Tuition Waiver

The Cooperating Teacher with major responsibility for supervising a student teacher will be issued a waiver of tuition for one 3-credit course at any CUNY school.  The tuition waiver may be used within the subsequent three academic sessions (including the Summer session) and only by the person to whom it is issued (CUNY policy). 

If a student is assigned to two distinct Cooperating Teachers on two different grade levels, each Cooperating Teacher is entitled to a waiver.  If the student is assigned to the same Cooperating Teacher at two different grade levels, that Cooperating Teacher is entitled to a waiver for each grade level supervised.

September 2007