STAR RESIDENCY PROGRAM
SCHOOL BASED TEACHER ACADEMY OF RACINE
The University of Wisconsin-Parkside and Racine Unified School District have partnered to offer the School-Based Teacher Academy of Racine (STAR) Residency Program.
The STAR Program is a post-baccalaureate, initial teacher licensure program leading to a provisional Wisconsin license in cross-categorical special education at the middle childhood-early adolescence level. Following a residency model of teacher preparation, the STAR Program places participants in RUSD special education classrooms as teachers of record for the two-year duration of the program.
In Summer 2021, the STAR Program expanded to include BSTAR, a licensure program for certified teachers seeking to add a supplemental Bilingual-Bicultural teaching license. Participants in the BSTAR Program are teachers in RUSD classrooms for the one-year duration of the program.
The third cohort of the STAR Program will begin in Summer 2023, with applications accepted beginning in January 2023.
Applications for the first cohort of the BSTAR program have closed. The second cohort of the BSTAR Program will begin in Summer 2022, with applications accepted beginning in January 2022.
For more information about the STAR Program or to be added to the contact list, please email Teacher Education at teachereducation@uwp.edu
Highlights of the STAR Program:
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Full-time, salaried teaching position in an RUSD school
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Release time every Friday (STAR) or Wednesday (BSTAR) during the school year for coursework and clinical experiences
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Cohort model of no more than 20 participants
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Designated additional mentor for each participant
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Professional development and mentoring both during and beyond the program
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50% tuition waiver from the district, along with one-time licensure test costs
A five-year minimum commitment to teaching in RUSD schools is required of STAR Program participants (two years during the program and three years after program completion); six successful semesters of teaching experience will lead to a Wisconsin lifetime license.
Application Requirements
Applicants to the STAR Program must meet the following minimum requirements:
- Hold a Bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited institution of higher education
- Be eligible for at least one PK-12 teaching license in the state of Wisconsin
- Pass a satisfactory criminal background check, background check addendum, and all related requirements for employment by RUSD
- Meet one option of the Communication Skills Requirement (see Applicaiton Process for more details)
Application Process
STAR Residency Program Application Process
The STAR Program is open to college graduates who hold a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited institution of higher education who are eligible for at least one PK-12 teaching license.
A complete application for the program will include all of the following:
- A completed application for the STAR Residency Program through WECAN. To apply, please visit http://wecan.education.wisc.edu and search for Vacancy #80507.
- Official transcripts from applicant’s degree-granting institution
- Current resume or vita
- Satisfactory Criminal Background Check (through RUSD) and completed Addendum
- Evidence of negative TB Skin Test
- Evidence of meeting one of the required Communication Skills Assessment options (listed below)
- In-person panel interview
- A completed Special Student Application to UW-Parkside as non-degree seeking student (after successful acceptance into the program)
To meet the Communication Skills Assessment requirement, you must meet ONE of the following prior to program admission:
- Pass all three sections of the Praxis CORE, with official score report sent to UW-Parkside (School Code 1860)
- ACT - must have a composite score of 23 or higher with a minimum score of 20 on English, Math and Reading AND the score is within the previous 10 years.
- SAT - must have a composite score of 1070 or higher with a minimum score of 450 on Math and Verbal AND the score is within the previous 10 years.
- GRE Revised General Test - must have a composite score of 298 or higher with a minimum score of 150 on Verbal and 145 on Math AND the score is within the previous 10 years.
- Alternative Option – must have obtained a grade of C+ or higher in ENGL 101 and MATH 102 or MATH 111 from UW-Parkside, or the equivalent as determined by UW-Parkside (course syllabi must be provided and course grade must be included on official transcript)
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