Print

Residency (Student Teaching)

Residency (student teaching) is the capstone experience and final semester of all teacher licensure programs at UW-Parkside. During Residency, you will co-teach with a licensed mentor teacher for a full-day, full-time, full-semester classroom experience. You will integrate theory and method with practice as you refine and hone your skills. While practicing the methods that are effective tools in supporting student learning—the science of teaching—you will gain an understanding of when to use them and with whom—which is the art of our profession.

The Residency experience is a full-day, full-time placement for the duration of the semester of the district of the cooperating school. During Residency, the teacher candidate will follow the daily schedule and calendar of the school in which the placement occurs, which will be different from the UW-Parkside academic calendar. Teacher candidates are admitted to Residency after all other requirements for their major and licensure program have been completed.

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS

In order to be eligilbe for admission to Residency, teacher candidates must meet the following requirements:

  • Complete an EDU major or equivalent (ART, ECE, ELED, MUSE, SCED, or SPED), content major (if applicable), minor (if applicable), and Bachelor’s degree requirements (except for EDU 420 and EDU 425). All students must complete all degree requirements prior to the Residency semester; any exceptions to this policy must be approved by the Chair of Teacher Education and the Certification Officer.
  • Pass Praxis II Content Assessment for licensure area or meet requirements of the Content Knowledge Assessment Policy 
  • Have all clinical program hours completed and approved, with all assessments completed, reviewed, and approved 
  • Successfully complete the Pre-Residency Portfolio, assessed by two or more EPP faculty with a score of two or higher in each standard for minimum score of 20 (no 0s permitted)
  • Have a cumulative GPA of 2.75
  • Have an average EPP GPA of 3.0 or above in all required program courses, with no grade less than a C+
  • Have a passed background check that will remain valid for the duration of Residency
  • Complete and submit an Application for Residency by the stated deadline

All requirements for admission to Residency must be completed and confirmed no fewer than 30 days prior to the start of the Residency placement. A candidate may have to wait at least one semester to begin Residency if any required materials or documentation are submitted less than 30 days prior to Residency start date.

 

The following tasks must be completed by the conclusion of the Residency semester and prior to a teacher candidate’s application for licensure:

  • Complete and submit Residency Agreement to Clinical Coordinator (including Athletic Addendum for student athletes)
  • Write and maintain daily lesson plans in collaboration with mentor teacher (these should be available upon request by supervisor)
  • Participate in four formal observations. (Hours are not logged in our online system for Residency)
  • Engage in reflective practice with mentor teacher, university supervisor, and Residency Seminar
  • Attend Residency and Residency Seminar regularly per attendance policy

  • Meet all program requirements related to Residency and Residency Seminar (including a “CR” grade in both EDU 420 & EDU 425).

  • Complete Self-Reporting Statement

During Residency, teacher candidates are expected to be present every day. The maximum number of days a student teacher will be allowed to be absent is five days. After that, extension of the placement in the following term or termination of the placement will be considered. If a teacher candidate must be absent from Residency for any reason, they must inform the placement school, mentor teacher, university supervisor, and Clinical Coordinator as early as possible regarding an absence. Before the Residency placement begins, teacher candidates should confirm with the individuals on their team how best to communicate absences. In addition to communicating the absence, all teacher candidates must complete the Residency Absence Form and submit it to the Clinical Coordinator. Teacher candidates should keep the following in mind:

  • Absences are documented as half days (1-4 hours) or full days (4-8+ hours) only
  • Work schedules must be made outside of Residency placement hours, which include all professional development days, parent/teacher conferences, and other required teacher work
    days
  • Personal appointments must be made outside of Residency hours
  • Job interviews are a reasonable request for absence; however, be cognizant regarding the total days absent
  • Absences that are preventable or planned will not be considered excused and may result in the program rescheduling your Residency to a later semester
  • If a teacher candidate has two placements during the semester, it is important for the Clinical Coordinator to be informed of the collective absences over the course of the two placements if they exceed five days

Absences greater than five days in total during Residency will be reviewed by the Clinical Coordinator and Chair of Teacher Education to determine a plan of action where the impact of the absences on the ability of the teacher candidate to carry out Residency successfully will be discussed. A plan of action shall be developed, recorded, and shared with the teacher candidate. The plan of action may require an extension of the placement into the following semester or repeating the Residency assignment. The
decision to require the teacher candidate to repeat Residency will be the responsibility of the Clinical Coordinator in consultation with the university supervisor, the Chair of Teacher Education, and any
other teacher education faculty and/or staff as needed. Student athletes are expected to follow the same procedures as other teacher candidates when they are absent from Residency.

Student athletes will not be excused from Residency for practice schedules. A student athlete’s competition (game) schedule is a reasonable request for absence; however, student athletes should be cognizant regarding total absences from Residency. If a sport season will require the teacher candidate to be absent more than the five days allowed for absences, they should consider student teaching in a different semester.

RESIDENCY AGREEMENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Residency (student teaching) is the final experience as you prepare for a career as a professional educator. Residency is an unpaid, full-time, full-day, full-semester experience under the direction of a mentor teacher.

  • The Residency experience is a full-day, full-time placement for the full duration of the semester of the district of the cooperating school.
  • During Residency, the teacher candidate will follow the calendar of the school in which the placement occurs, which will be different from the UW-Parkside academic calendar.
  • The candidate will not be assigned to a classroom or school in which any family members are enrolled or employed, or a school that they have previously attended as a student. Any exceptions to this will be made by the Clinical Coordinator on a case-by-case basis.
  • The candidate’s Residency placement is determined by the university Clinical Coordinator and will not be changed unless initiated by the Clinical Coordinator, mentor teacher, and/or school principal.
  • The candidate may not work during school hours of Residency, including substitute teaching and/or full-time teaching employment begun prior to the completion of the full semester of Residency.
  • The candidate must follow the daily schedule and hours for contracted teachers of the school, including but not limited to conferences, professional development days, and teacher workdays.
  • The Residency requirement includes meeting the requirements of EDU 420, Residency Seminar, and meeting for seminar sessions on designated course dates.
  • The candidate must receive a grade of CR (Credit) on a Credit/No Credit scale in both EDU 420 and EDU 425 to be eligible for licensure.
  • The candidate must receive a score of two or higher from the university supervisor on all elements of the Final Residency Course Evaluation Rubric to be eligible for licensure.
  • The candidate must document all absences (planned and unanticipated) using the Residency Absence Form, with a maximum of five allowable absences during the semester. They must also acknowledge that any undocumented or excessive absences may result in a removal from the Residency placement and/or the educator preparation program.

 

REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSE ENDORSEMENT

The Teacher Education Certification Officer is responsible for ensuring that teacher candidates meet all requirements for licensure prior to endorsement for a teaching license. In order to successfully complete their Residency semester candidates must successfully complete the following:

  • Complete EDU 420 and EDU 425 with a grade of CR

  • Residency Absence Request filed in candidate’s clinical folder

  • Passed Foundations of Reading Test (FORT), if applicable

  • Degree(s) posted to SOLAR

Residency semester with a grade of CR in EDU 420 and EDU 425 and with the final Residency Course Evaluation Rubric from the university supervisor scoring two or above in all areas. In addition to this, in order to be endorsed for licensure, candidates must have all Residency absence logs filed in their clinical file (if applicable); have passed the Foundations of Reading Test and/or appropriate Praxis II exam (if applicable); and must have their degree(s) posted to SOLAR. All requirements must be met, degrees posted, and all required assessments passed with scores received by the EPP in order for the certificaiton officer to endorse a candidate for licensure.

Within one week after the completion of Residency, program faculty will submit final Residency grades to the Office of the Registrar. If your Residency school district’s fourth quarter goes beyond the date that grades are posted for the UW-Parkside semester, you are still expected to continue your student teaching assignment until final contracted day of the semester for district teachers. Grades and degrees may be rescinded in cases where a student teacher does not complete the full duration of the Residency semester.

Within two weeks after the completion of Residency, UW-Parkside’s Office of the Registrar will post degrees (after grades are entered). It may take a few days before they are all posted, and degrees must be posted in order to proceed to the next step.

Within three to four weeks after the completion of Residency, once all grades and degrees are posted, the EPP will verify final grades, all courses/assessment requirements (including Praxis II and Foundations of
Reading Test if applicable), degrees and new majors/minors, and all final Residency evaluations. All of these requirements must be met prior to endorsement for licensure.

Within four weeks after the completion of Residency, the certification officer will upload license endorsements to DPI’s website. This is a live upload. Once your license(s) is uploaded, we will email you at your UW-Parkside email address. If anything is missing, we will email you with any issues with your license approvals. After the first upload, licenses will be uploaded bi-weekly when necessary. It is the student’s responsibility to inform the certification officer when all requirements have been met after the first upload. 

CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK

All students must have a criminal background check completed prior to beginning Residency. The criminal background check mustbe valid for the full duration of the Residency experience. Criminal background checks are completed through Castlebranch. Criminal background checks are valid for two years.* It is the student’s responsibility to cover the cost of the criminal background check and the cost cannot be added to their tuition bill.  

Castlebranch login  (Initial cost $43)

Renewal (cost $19) 

*A previous Criminal Background Check will be accepted if it is valid through the end of the Residency experience and was completed through an approved vendor.  The student needs to either drop off a hard copy of the CBC to the IPED office or scan one to Melissa Andreoli at andreoli@uwp.edu.

 

The Institute of Professional Educator Development requires all teacher candidates enrolled in a course requiring a clinical placement in a school or community setting pass a criminal background check (CBC) prior to beginning the placement.

Teacher candidates will not be given their placement assignments before the educator preparation program receives the “passed” background check. Teacher candidates are responsible for all fees related to the CBC. Criminal background checks are valid for two years or prior to enrolling in Residency, whichever comes first. Teacher candidates are required to submit a Self-Reporting Statement each semester they are enrolled in a clinical field experience course during the period that the CBC is valid. 

Teacher candidates completing the Criminal Background Check or Self-Reporting Statement must answer all questions truthfully and honestly. Falsification, omission, and misrepresentation on either of the forms may constitute grounds for denying admission to the program, program progression (dismissal), or admission to Residency.

A “passed” background check is: 

·         A criminal background check response that has no records

·         A criminal background check that includes records that are not automatic denials by the Department of Public Instruction (see below)

·         A criminal background check that includes records, but, after further review are not deemed to meet the definition of immoral conduct (see below)

The existence of a criminal charges and/or record (misdemeanor or felony) does not automatically preclude candidates from admission to the program, program progression, and admission to Residency or endorsement of licensure. Each individual circumstance will be evaluated separately by the Chair of Teacher Education and the Certification Officer.

The following offenses will result in an automatic denial of a licensure application from the Department of Public Instruction as directed in Wisconsin Statute Chapter 118 and will be dismissed from the Educator Preparation Program immediately:

·         Applicant is certified “delinquent” by the WI Department of Revenue for paying taxes

·         A Class A, B, C, or D felony under ch. 940 or 948 for 6 years following the date of conviction

·         A Class E, F, G, or H felony under ch. 940 or 948 that occurs after February 1, 2003.

The following may result in denial of a licensure application from the Department of Public Instruction as directed in Wisconsin Administrative Code PI 34:

·         Applicant is “incompetent” 

·         Applicant has engaged in “immoral conduct” as defined in Wisconsin Statute Chapter 118. Immoral conduct means conduct or behavior that is contrary to commonly accepted moral or ethical standards and that endangers the health, safety, welfare or education of any pupil. “Immoral conduct” includes the intentional use of an educational agency’s equipment to download, view, solicit, seek, display, or distribute pornographic material.

The Chair of Teacher Education and Certification Officer in consultation with the university Provost will review all cases where “incompetence” or “immoral conduct” are a concern. A written decision will be issued to the teacher candidate within two weeks of receiving the background check results.

Self-Reporting of Criminal (Felony/Misdemeanor) Charges 

Teacher candidates are required to complete a Self-Reporting Statement during the first week of classes each semester. The forms will be distributed in the clinical seminar courses. Teacher candidates who do not complete the form within the first week of class will be administratively dropped from the course and will be required to meet with the Chair of Teacher Education if they wish to continue in the program.  

Teacher candidates must report any criminal misconduct charges and/or convictions that occur after a completed criminal background check or submitted Self-Reporting Statement. Charges/convictions must be reported to the Chair of Teacher Education and the Certification Officer as soon as possible, but no later than five business days, after the incident. Failure to report any incident may result in dismissal from the Teacher Education Program or failure of the candidate’s seminar course.  

Minor traffic incidents (speeding violations, parking tickets, etc.) are not required to be reported; however, any and all other legal violations should be reported to the teacher education program as soon as possible. When in doubt, it is better to report information than to find out later that it should have been reported.  

Who Are You?
Scroll to top