Office of Clinical Studies

Clinical Experiences - Student Teaching / Teaching Internship

Student Teaching Placement Information

  • The Office of Clinical Studies coordinates all fieldwork or clinical placements. Candidates are not allowed to make or coordinate their own placements by contacting districts, schools, school principals or teachers.
  • A representative from the Office of Clinical Studies is assigned to specific areas for placement. The Office of Clinical Studies places candidates in and out of the state of Delaware. Please note, out of state placements may require special requirements.
  • The clinical placement is 80 consecutive days within a setting that is aligned to your enrolled program.
  • Candidates are notified by email when school placements have been confirmed. The University makes an effort to confirm all placements early enough to permit contact with mentor teachers and partner schools well before student teaching begins.
  • Candidates are asked not to contact schools directly requesting information on the status of their placements. Several school districts have restrictive and punitive policies on this issue. Making such contacts can jeopardize placements. Pleas e note that school districts maintain absolute control over student teacher placements, and may not honor requests for specific schools and/or teachers.
  • Some districts also have policies that deny or restrict placements for applicants whose children attend district schools or who have family members working in those schools. In addition, Wilmington University does not place candidates in schools in which immediate family members are employed.
  • Student teachers are placed only in approved settings (accredited, board-managed schools), with certified mentor teachers, and are assigned to teach only those content areas and age groups that are appropriate for the candidates' areas of program concentration and certification. As noted above, Wilmington University does not place candidates in schools in which immediate family members are employed.
  • Candidates are expected to contact mentor teachers and placement schools as soon as the placements are confirmed. Student teachers and mentor teachers then need to establish communication strategies and begin planning for the transition into the classroom and school. Some districts and some building principals conduct personal interviews with student teaching applicants prior to placement. All students are required to be registered for student teaching before they begin their placement. You will be notified if interviews or additional application steps are required.

Student Teaching Clearance Requirements

To be eligible for Student Teaching placement in a K-12 setting, all candidates must obtain and provide at the time of application in TaskStream the following clearance items:

  • a new Federal and State of Delaware Criminal Background Check. The CBC must be delivered in its originally sealed envelope labeled To be opened by Wilmington University from the DE State Bureau of Identification. Candidates may deliver the sealed envelope to any one of the three locations - Dover (Building B), Georgetown or New Castle (Peoples Building). Candidates will receive a receipt notification of delivery. See locations and appointment times
  • a new PPD/TB (Tuberculosis Test) from a medical provider/physician’s office must be completed and uploaded into TaskStream during the application process. Click here to download the Download the PPD/TB form.
  • a new Child Protection Registry Form (CPR) must be completed, signed and uploaded into TaskStream during the application process. Download the CPR form.
  • • a Health Authorization Form (HA) from a medical provider/physician’s office must be completed and uploaded into TaskStream during the application process. Download the HA form.
  • For additional information regarding clearances and how to submit them, Download the Clinical Procedures Manual..

Student Teaching Placement Application

  • To obtain a placement, candidates provide notification by completing the Student Teaching Placement Application in Taskstream. This process is not registration. Candidates are completing the application to inform the Office of Clinical Studies their need to be placed in a K-12 setting.
  • This application is completed one semester in advance of the actual registration for the course itself.
    • Candidates wishing to register for Student Teaching in Fall (September), MUST complete the Student Teaching Placement Application in TaskStream by February 1st.
    • Candidates wishing to register for Student Teaching in Spring (January), MUST complete the Student Teaching Placement Application in TaskStream by August 1st.
  • Two months prior to the listed deadlines, the Student Teaching Placement Application will be opened for the semester in which a candidate will register.
  • Candidates MUST upload the new CPR, new PPD/TB and Health Authorization forms at the time of application. The new CBC must be delivered to one of three locations during the application timeframe. Incomplete applications will not be processed, which will lead to either a delay in placement or no placement awarded.

 

Student Teaching Course Registration

  • Students register and make payment arrangements for student teaching during the regular college registration period. A lab fee is charged in addition to normal tuition costs. No candidate may begin a clinical placement without proof of registration and a Wilmington University photo ID. This is an important legal and liability issue.
  • Registration for Student Teaching is based on candidate completion of all prerequisite coursework, passage of Praxis II, completed application and submission of all required clearance items. Registration will be denied until completion of all requirements.
  • All registrations requests for all sections of Student Teaching require Office of Clinical Studies Program Chair approval.
  • Student Teaching registration follows the Universities open registration timeframe.
    Major Course Credits
    Associates Degree ECE 216 6
    BS Birth to 2nd Grade ECE 450 9
    BS K-6 EDU 451 9
    BS Middle Level (6-8) EDU 451 9
    MAT - Secondary Education MAS 8801 9
    MEE K-6 MEE 8801 9
    MSE - Special Education MSE 8802 9

Student Teaching Description

This supervised field experience requires at least 80 full student teaching days. Teacher candidates are placed with individual cooperating teachers or with teams of cooperating teachers in approved clinical settings. Teacher candidates are monitored and supported by Wilmington University supervisors. Placement priority is given to settings that serve culturally, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse student populations. A minimum of 15 clock hours is scheduled by the Wilmington University supervisors to address professional issues related to the clinical semester and to provide support and assistance with the completion of the required professional portfolio. Student Teaching is graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory.

This information applies to students who enter this degree program during the 2018-2019 Academic Year. If you entered this degree program before the Fall 2018 semester, please refer to the academic catalog for the year you began your degree program.