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The University of North Carolina at Chapel

Hill

School of Education

Elementary Education Student Teaching

Internship Handbook

2016-2017

For Student Teachers, University Supervisors,

and Cooperating Teachers

http://soe.unc.edu/academics/elem/

University Lead Supervisors:

Kristin Papoi, papoi@email.unc.edu and

Katie Baker, kaphelps@live.unc.edu

Elementary Coordinator:

Dr. Catherine Scott, catherine.scott@unc.edu

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Introduction and Welcome

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill teacher education programs are built on research-based best

practices, provide early and extensive clinical experience, and engage practicing teachers in collaborative

inquiry. The internship provides candidates for licensure with an opportunity to integrate theory and practice,

to demonstrate skills in a structured, supportive environment, and to enhance their strengths and improve upon

their weaknesses. It is the most important component of the program and is a requirement for state licensure.

STUDENT TEACHING INTERNSHIP CALENDAR

2016-2017

FALL SEMESTER 2016

Dates

Responsibilities

Week of August 22-26

Teacher workdays in CHCCS, Durham, and Orange County-

Attendance highly recommended

CT/ST Orientation Meeting –

Location: School Sites

Date/Time: TBD (approx. 45 min).

Responsibilities, expectations, and paperwork will be

covered at this meeting, as well as pay for CTs.

Tues. August 23

First Day of UNC Classes- Attend Methods Block

Weds. August 24 Attend School Placement- Required

Monday, August 29th – Friday,

September 3rd

First Week of School in CHCCS, Durham, and Orange-

Attend School Placements Required

STs will be excused from all School of Education (SOE)

courses to attend first week of schools. STs should make

arrangements with US/CT to attend courses if outside of the

SOE.

September 6th Methods classes begin on regular schedule

September 7th– December 7

(Wednesdays)

Attend School Placements

(NOTE: STs must attend placement on Oct. 19, Fall Break

begins at 5pm).

October Possible Methods Field Experience at New Hope Elementary-

Dates and Experience TBA in methods

November 23- 25 Thanksgiving Holiday

December 7 Last day in School Placement

NOTE: ST=Student Teacher; CT=Cooperating Teacher; US=University Supervisor

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CALENDAR

SPRING SEMESTER 2017

Dates

Responsibilities

January 11 First Day of Classes UNC – Begin Attending Placement Full

Time

(Note: Classes begin on January 3rd in CHCCS, Durham, and

Orange)

January 16 Dr. MLK Jr. Day - No School

January 23 Teacher Workday in CHCCS, Durham, and Orange-

Attend edTPA workshop at CCEE

February- April Full Time Student Teaching Experience – The ramp up to the

4-6 week full time experience should be arranged with CT and

approved by US. STs will teach all subjects for this period;

co-teaching with CT should be utilized.

February 3 edTPA Learning Segment Preliminary Draft Due to US by Feb

3rd (Once learning segment is approved by US, the ST may

begin Planning Commentary.)

February 17 edTPA Task 1- Planning Commentary draft – Due to US

February 20 – March 17 Window for Teaching edTPA Learning Segments -

STs may take TWO (2) writing days following completion of

their learning segment – Must be arranged in collaboration

with CT and US

STs work on Task 2 and Task 3 of edTPA throughout month

of March. STs should review tasks & videos with US before

submission.

March UNC Job Fair (excused) – date TBA

Spring Breaks:

March 27-31 & 14th –CHCCS & OCS

April 10-14 & 17th – Durham

Spring Break for CHCCS, Durham, and Orange – See

individual school district calendars for exact dates/workdays,

etc.

April 13 Completed edTPA Portfolio Submitted on Taskstream and

uploaded to Pearson website by 11:59pm.You should plan to

upload and review your files at least 5 days prior to the

submission date.

April 10th-28th edTPA portfolio revisions and resubmit (if needed)

April 28 Last Day of Classes UNC – Last day in placement.

Friday evening, May 12 and May 13,

2017

Reception for families and grads and Commencement

NOTE: STs should consult district calendars for Teacher Workdays and Early Release Dates.

Revised: October 6, 2016 4

FALL STUDENT TEACHING INTERNSHIP

Fall Student Teaching Load and Internship Expectations

UNC licensure program interns are required to be in their placements on Wednesdays throughout the fall

semester (see calendar on page 2). Interns will coordinate with their cooperating teachers in order to

attend summer teacher workdays (highly recommended). Required attendance in placement begins on

Wednesday, August 24. Interns are also required to attend placements for the first week of school

(Monday, August 29th – Friday, September 3rd). For this week, interns are excused from all School of

Education courses in order to attend their school placements full time. Attendance on Friday, August 28 is

highly recommended. Interns will resume attending placements on Wednesday, September 7th- December

7th.

Cooperating Teacher Observations

The role of the cooperating teacher is to be the intern’s professional mentor. We know that our cooperating

teachers will be observing the vast majority of lessons the intern conducts and will be providing ongoing

feedback which is vital for the intern’s development. For the fall internship, the School of Education would

like for cooperating teachers to perform at least one formal observation of the intern teaching a lesson –

planned using the Literacy edTPA Lesson Plan Template or the Math/Science Lesson Plan Template – and

document her/his observation and feedback using the Elementary Education Formal Observation Template.

Formal observations will be shared with the intern during a post-observation conference and the formal

observation document(s) will be uploaded to Taskstream. After interns plan and teach the lesson, they will

write a brief reflection (reflection form and lesson plan template found in Appendix). Completing this

reflection right after the lesson is highly recommended.

Supervisor Observations

The university supervisor serves as the intern’s School of Education liaison and advocate. For the fall

internship, the supervisor will perform at least one formal observation of the intern teaching a lesson –

planned using the Literacy edTPA Lesson Plan Template or the Math/Science Lesson Plan Template – and

document her/his observation and feedback using the Elementary Education Formal Observation Template.

Formal observations will be shared with the intern during a post-observation conference and the formal

observation document(s) will be uploaded to Taskstream. After interns plan and teach the lesson, they will

write a brief reflection for each lesson plan (reflection form and lesson plan template found in Appendix).

Completing this reflection right after the lesson is highly recommended.

Summative Evaluation/Three-Way Conference

One 3-way conference (cooperating teacher, university supervisor, and intern) will be conducted the last

week of the fall semester. At the conference the NC Teacher Candidate Evaluation Rubric will be discussed

and rated, and the document will be uploaded to Taskstream. Interns may be rated below proficiency, and

this score does not impact course grades. This evaluation serves as a pre-assessment for spring student

teaching.

Methods Course Connections

Interns are expected to become an integral part of the classroom. Active participation – including

observing and reflecting on disciplinary practices discussed in methods, and teaching small or whole

group lessons when appropriate – are ways to connect with the students and cooperating teacher. Interns

Revised: October 6, 2016 5

will be tasked to plan and execute lessons connected to the methods block. University supervisors will

observe interns formally at least once in the fall semester. The lesson taught for this observation may be

one of the lessons taught for the methods block. Interns may also choose other lessons for their

supervisor and cooperating teacher to observe for feedback.

edTPA Connections

Interns will use either the Elementary Math Handbook or the Elementary Literacy Handbook. Interns at

Morris Grove Elementary and New Hope Elementary will use the Elementary Math Handbook. Interns at

Club Boulevard Elementary and Northside Elementary will use the Elementary Literacy Handbook.

Handbooks and other support materials are available online at sakai.unc.edu. Instructors in the methods

block will engage interns in tasks associated with edTPA. The lesson plan and reflection templates

include edTPA components. The university supervisor will be the instructor for EDUC 493, Senior Fall

Practicum, and topics for seminar classes and assignments will include edTPA components.

SPRING STUDENT TEACHING INTERNSHIP

Teaching Load and Internship Expectations

UNC licensure program interns are required to be in their placements for the entire spring semester. Interns

will begin in their placements on the first day of UNC classes, January 11, 2017, through the last day of

UNC classes, April 28, 2017. Interns will take responsibility for one content area at a time, ramping up to

full-time teaching for 4-6 weeks as approved by the cooperating teacher and university supervisor. While

teaching full-time, interns are responsible for all of the planning, teaching, assessing, and other classroom

duties that the cooperating teacher would normally perform. However, CT/ST may continue working in a

co-planning and co-teaching manner according to school protocols. During the semester, interns will follow

the school system’s calendar, including spring break. Interns will be formally observed each week either

by the cooperating teacher or university supervisor. After interns plan and teach the observed lesson, they

will debrief with the cooperating teacher or supervisor.

Cooperating Teacher Role and Observations

Internship Notebook

During the fall semester, interns should set-up a notebook/binder to use throughout the year.

Supervisors will do an informal notebook check-in around the mid-term and at the end of each

semester. Consider the following in setting up the notebook:

Intern Timesheet (available on Sakai)

The notebook should utilize some organizational structure that is useful to the intern during

the practicum and in the future. For example, plans, resources, and assessments should

organized be easily accessible. For example – you should keep lesson plans in chronological

order. You might also consider creating sections for each content area.

Include printed observation feedback from cooperating teacher and supervisor, as well as

reflections.

Include school info – routines, emergency procedures, etc.

Revised: October 6, 2016 6

The role of the cooperating teacher is to be the student teacher’s professional mentor. We know that our

cooperating teachers will be observing the vast majority of lessons the intern conducts and will be providing

ongoing feedback which is vital for the intern’s development. The School of Education would like for

cooperating teachers to perform four or more formal observations of the intern teaching lessons – planned

using the Literacy edTPA Lesson Plan Template or the Math/Science Lesson Plan template – and document

her/his observation and feedback using the Elementary Education Formal Observation Template. These

formal observations will be shared with the intern during a post-observation and the formal observation

document will be uploaded to Taskstream.

University Supervisor Role and Observations

The university supervisor serves as the student teacher’s School of Education liaison and advocate. The

supervisor will perform four or more formal observations of the intern teaching lessons – planned using the

Literacy edTPA Lesson Plan Template or the Math/Science Lesson Plan template – and document her/his

observation and feedback using the Elementary Education Formal Observation Template. These formal

observations will be shared with the intern during a post-observation conference and the formal observation

document will be uploaded to Taskstream.

Three-Way Conferences:

Two 3-way conferences (cooperating teacher, university supervisor and intern) will be conducted twice

during the spring internship: at the end of February/first of March, and the last week of student teaching.

At each conference the NC Teacher Candidate Evaluation Rubric will be discussed and rated, and the

document will be uploaded to Taskstream. Student teachers must be rated proficient in every rubric at the

final conference to pass student teaching.

University and School of Education Expectations and

Regulations Governing the Internship

As with any professional preparation program, the regulations and policies pertaining to student teaching

are continually evolving due to the dynamic nature of professional organizations. General regulations and

policies that govern undergraduate and graduate internships may come from local public schools and the

UNC-Chapel Hill School of Education. Questions regarding the undergraduate and graduate internships

may be directed to the Office of Student Affairs in Peabody 103.

UNC-Chapel Hill and the School of Education have established certain regulations that will help interns

work more effectively with mentor teachers. Regulations require interns to adhere to the following:

Observe the same hours required for teachers while on assignment in schools.

Follow the local school calendar during the semester in place of the university's calendar.

Become a member of the faculty throughout the student teaching internship. Participate in official

school functions such as faculty meetings, in-service training programs, teacher workdays,

parent meetings, etc.

Interns may NOT sub for cooperating teachers without a licensed employee in the room. They

may do the actual teaching, but cannot be paid if the University is in session.

Revised: October 6, 2016 7

Policies Governing Student Teaching Absences

Absences for valid reasons are excused only by the university supervisor. Excessive absenteeism, even

if excused, is not permitted (see below).

If an intern is sick and unable to attend school, s/he must contact the university supervisor and the

cooperating teacher before the start of the school day or the day before. In order for the cooperating

teacher to cover for the intern, all plans and materials for the period of the absence must be available

in the classroom.

Interns who anticipate being absent for a medical appointment, religious holiday, or some other valid

reason must receive prior approval from their university supervisor and their cooperating teachers.

Interns are encouraged to make ALL non-emergency appointments outside of school hours.

Regardless of reasons for the excused absences, interns are required to make up any days over three

days in the semester. The cooperating teacher and the supervisor will arrange for the intern to make up

the missed days. Grades will be held until these days have been made up.

An unexcused absence is cause for termination of the internship. The School of Education will

automatically terminate the internship for any students who miss more than a total of five days

during the internship, without making up these days at the end of the internship, whether or not the

absences are excused. Students must follow the University appeals process in order to be readmitted to

the applicable Licensure Program.

Intern Expectations and Professional Conduct

Act in a professional manner at all times including wearing professional attire. Interns are strongly

advised to avoid wearing jeans or t-shirts, even if this is the common attire for the experienced teachers

at the school.

Arrive at the school at the same time as the teachers and expect to spend the full school day and any

additional planning or meeting time as the mentor teacher requests.

Follow instructional calendar for the district in which you are placed. Interns are expected to follow the

vacation calendar of the school, not UNC.

Conform to the same professional standards as the regular staff members of the cooperating school. If

unforeseen circumstances should cause the intern to be late, the intern must contact the mentor teacher

and the university supervisor. The same applies if the intern is going to be absent due to illness. S/he

must contact the mentor teacher and the university supervisor the night before or as early as possible.

In addition, when absent, the intern must provide plans and other materials necessary to the mentor

teacher.

Adhere to attendance policies.

Comment favorably on the good things happening in the school. Everyone likes praise. This applies to

teachers and principals as well as students.

Respect the confidentiality of all students. Recognize the potential in all students.

Teaching

Make revisions or improvements to lessons used previously by your cooperating teacher. While it is

not an expectation that interns will create entirely original lessons, it is not appropriate for the interns

to simply use their mentors’ lessons. The intern must revise instructional strategies to make them their

Revised: October 6, 2016 8

own and/or improve them. Improvement can focus on aligning lessons with criteria included in the

lesson analysis rubric or suggestions from the mentor teacher.

Be involved in every step of the teaching process including grading assignments, posting grades, lunch

duty, IEP meetings, parent contact, parent meetings, open house, PLC meetings, teacher workdays,

professional development, etc.

Make the moment-to-moment teaching and discipline decisions called for during teaching (i.e. the

students should not see you consult with the mentor teacher about what to do during a lesson).

Consult with mentor teacher on significant curriculum, policy and discipline decisions.

Be available to help students as needed.

Observe other teachers in the school when not teaching.

It is strongly suggested that student teachers attend different extracurricular activities (such as school

plays, musicals or sporting events).

NC Licensure Requirements: Kindergarten – 6th Grade

To be recommended for licensure the following are required:

Successfully passing student teaching using the NC Teacher Candidate Evaluation Rubric

Successfully passing edTPA (Teacher Performance Assessment – see below)

Successfully passing the following tests:

o NC Foundations of Reading and General Curriculum (Pearson)

o General Curriculum: Mathematics

o General Curriculum: Multi-Subjects

o (See http://soe.unc.edu/services/student_affairs/licensure/praxis_tests.php and

http://www.nc.nesinc.com/)

Passing score for edTPA will be as follows:

All candidates must pass the edTPA teacher performance assessment to be recommended for

licensure. The edTPA must be completed during the student teaching internship and the passing

criteria are as follows:

Note: all assessment rubrics are scored on a 5-point scale where 5 is the high end of the scale.

All candidates must pass the edTPA teacher performance assessment to be recommended

for licensure. The edTPA must be completed during the student teaching internship and

the passing criteria are as follows:

For all edTPA portfolios with 15 assessment rubrics, a candidate must receive a

minimum total score of 42 points with the proviso that a candidate may receive No scores

of 1 on any rubrics.

Candidates will have one opportunity to revise and resubmit portfolio items and will be granted

10 days from the time they are contacted by the portfolio evaluator(s) to upload revisions to

Taskstream. Revisions may include portions of the edTPA portfolio or a complete re-do,

depending on the scores received. Time in placements after the last day of UNC classes may be

needed for revisions. If the portfolio is deemed inadequate after the revision, it is assigned to a

second reader. The second reader’s evaluation – pass or fail – is final.

Students must pass the edTPA in order to be recommended for licensure. Not passing edTPA will

not prevent students from graduating.

Revised: October 6, 2016 9

Termination/Modification of the Student Teaching Internship

Circumstances other than poor performance may require termination or modification of the student

teaching internship. It is important for the university supervisor to inform the Elementary Program

Coordinator and the Office of Student Affairs, in writing, when a student teacher is unable to follow

the regular student teaching schedule. The university supervisor must include in a letter the reasons for

termination or modification of student teaching. The student, supervisor, cooperating teacher and

program coordinator must sign and date a copy of the letter, which will be filed with the Office of

Student Affairs. The student will receive a copy of the letter for his or her files.

If a student is terminated from their placement and earns an F in student teaching they will be sent

back to Arts and Sciences for determination of a replacement major so the student can graduate. Once

an F is earned in student teaching, it is not repeatable for credit. If a student qualifies for a medical

withdrawal from the university during the student teaching internship, it may be possible to return in a

future term and finish the remainder of their internship. All requests to do so will be reviewed by the

Elementary Education Program Coordinator and the Office of Student Affairs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Following are answers to four of the most frequently asked questions regarding the student teaching

experience.

Can a public school system hire a student teacher to serve as a substitute teacher and can the

student teacher receive pay for serving in this capacity?

No. According to the state statutes, as contained in G. S. 115C-309, a student teacher is defined as

working "under the direction and supervision of a regularly employed licensed teacher.” Student

teachers must always serve under the direction of regular classroom teachers, and therefore CANNOT

serve as substitute teachers during their internship. If asked to be a substitute and the teacher is

not present, report to the principal's office and refer him or her to this statement.

Does the student teacher have the same legal standing as a regular teacher?

Our attorney advises us that although student teachers do not have the same legal standing as regular

teachers, many of their responsibilities and protections are the same. G. S. 115C-307 imposes upon

student teachers the same responsibilities and grants them the same authorities in regard to discipline

as regular teachers. G. S. 115C-309 grants to student teachers the same legal protection as a regular

teacher. It provides that the student teacher under the supervision of a licensed teacher or principal

shall have "the protection of the laws accorded the licensed teacher.”

What are the health requirements for student teachers?

ALL student teachers and graduate interns are required to file a completed Health Examination

Certificate with the Student Teaching Placement Coordinator prior to visiting the schools. Additionally,

Criminal Background Checks are required for each school system.

Important Online Links:

NC Foundations of Reading and General Curriculum (Pearson)

http://soe.unc.edu/services/student_affairs/licensure/praxis_tests.php

http://www.ets.org/praxis/nc

https://www.unc.edu/sakai/ (Student Teachers and Fall/Spring Courses)

Revised: October 6, 2016 10

http://edtpa.aacte.org/

http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/effectiveness-model/ncees/instruments/teach-eval-manual.pdf

(Includes NC Teacher Evaluation Rubric)

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

OBSERVATION FORM WITH DESCRIPTORS

2016-2017

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Name:

Observation #:

Date:

Lesson/Subject:

Time:

Time Observation Running Record

In this section, the observer (Cooperating Teacher or Supervisor) will keep a running

record of the lesson noting direct statements/actions. Sub-bullets can be used to

denote feedback including considerations and suggestions.

10:13am Student teacher says, “Does everyone understand?”

o Consider rephrasing questions that only lead to yes/no responses.

Restructure to “What do you best understand about today’s topic? What is

still shaky?” Or, this could be the time to utilize a quick formative

assessment in which students rate their understanding of the learning on a 1-

4 scale or a thumbs up/thumbs down.

10:18am Students transitioned smoothly to their seats after getting guidance about the

transition procedures.

o Nice routine to have in place, well done!

Overall Successes Next Steps/Goals

In this section, the observer should include two specific

successes observed in the lesson. These can be related

to goals from a prior observation, or new points that

have been noted.

Be sure that the two successes are separate points.

Content Goal: Here, the observer should record a

goal or next step specifically related to pedagogical

best practices for the lesson content area. This may

include sequence of the lesson, checking for

understanding, questioning, clarification, etc.

Management Goal: Here, the observer should record

a goal or next step specifically related to classroom

management. These goals may include concerns about

pacing, transitions, student on-task behaviors or

participation, and classroom tasks.

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

OBSERVATION FORM WITH DESCRIPTORS

2016-2017

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In evaluating the lesson, place an “X” or a check mark in a box if the observed lesson meets the criteria.

It is not a requirement that student teachers have every box checked for every lesson, though all criteria

in the chart are considered as part of the NCTE assessment and edTPA. Student teachers should consider

each of these criteria in planning, teaching, and assessment. The observer may provide further

information on any of these criteria in the “Additional Commentary” section below.

Additional Commentary:

In this section, the observer will record any relevant comments that were not covered in the above

Running Record or Successes/Goals. Additionally, the observer may comment on any of the items

checked in the chart above.

Assessment of student

understanding

Avoids deficit

language

Classroom presence-

tone, volume,

mannerisms

Content is accurate

and thorough

Differentiated

instructional

methods/product

expectations

Lesson plan submitted

at least 1 day prior;

follows approved

template

Maintains

classroom

management;

routines and

procedures in place

Student-centered

teaching/discussions

Questioning elicits

problem-solving and

critical-thinking.

Utilizes “Talk

Moves”

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Name:

Observation #:

Time:

Date:

Lesson/Subject:

Time Observation Running Record

Overall Successes Next Steps/Goals

1

2

Content Goal:

Management Goal:

Any Additional Commentary

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Post-Observation Reflection Template

Name:

Date:

Lesson:

Directions: Please complete this reflection form and submit it to your supervisor within 24 hours of

the observed lesson. Include your own reflections, and expand on any ideas that came up in your post-

observation conference.

REFLECTION FOCUS AND

GUIDING QUESTIONS

REFLECTION WITH SUPPORTING EVIDENCE

Planning for Instruction and

Assessment see edTPA Task 1):

o What did you want your students

to know and be able to do?

o What were the major

instructional strategies, learning

tasks, and assessments did you

design? (List)

Content Knowledge:

o How did your lesson support

students to develop and use

language that deepens content

understanding?

Instruction and Engaging Students in

Learning (see edTPA Task 2):

o How did your teaching establish

respect and rapport to support

students’ engagement in

learning?

o How did you connect students’

prior academic learning and

personal, cultural, or community

assets during your instruction?

o How will you use evidence from

your instruction to examine and

change your teaching practices

to more effectively meet a

variety of student learning

needs?

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Assessment (see edTPA Task 3):

o How will you make sense of

what students have learned?

o How will you use evidence of

what students know and are able

to do to plan next steps

instruction?

Classroom Management:

o How were behavior expectations

established?

o How were disruptions

addressed?

o How were transitions

implemented to provide

continued instruction?

Reflective Questioning:

o What questions are you thinking

about for future planning and

practice?

Reflective Goals:

o What professional goals do you

have to improve planning and

practice?