In order to student teach, candidates must submit an online application for admission to student teaching and have an up-to-date electronic portfolio approved by the director of field experience. The application is linked below and should be submitted online no later than聽February 1 for the fall semester and September 1 for the spring semester.
The application must be approved by the director of field experiences before the student may engage in student teaching. Student teachers must have evidence of professional liability insurance coverage and an approved background check administered through the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) on file. Procedures for obtaining the background check are linked in the navigation panel on this website.
Before a student may be admitted to student teaching, all courses within the program with an EDU, PSY, RDG, or SPE prefix must be completed with a minimum grade of 鈥淐.鈥� Also, the student聽must聽have an overall GPA of聽at least 2.75 in all coursework and teaching subject-matter endorsements. Additionally, the student聽must聽submit passing Praxis/NES assessment scores appropriate for the licensure area.
Students submitting applications for student teaching are required to also submit a digital photograph that will become a part of the student teaching application, which is to be shared with the university supervisor and school district cooperating teacher. The applicant may come to the Department of Education Undergraduate Office and have the photograph taken at no charge or submit a digital photograph to the Director of Field Experience by e-mailing the photograph to聽[email protected]聽The photograph should meet the following criteria to be considered acceptable for the student teaching application:
