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Effective Fall 2026, all ºÚÁÏÌìÌà preservice elementary and special education students must complete student teaching in the classroom of a licensed mentor teacher. Students may not function as a teacher of record in a school during student teaching.

Secondary education students should contact their department chair and Christine Bonnett (christinebonnett@suu.edu) to seek approval for employment as a teacher of record during student teaching.

Background

Student teaching serves as a capstone clinical experience for elementary, special, and secondary education students at ºÚÁÏÌìÌÃ. During student teaching, preservice teachers gain practical experience teaching in the classroom, and under the mentorship, of a licensed educator. Student teaching offers the opportunity to teach independently and grow as a professional educator in a supportive environment.

In recent years, a small percentage of students have sought to fulfill the student teaching requirement through alternative capstone experiences. These experiences involve different situations and terms: internships, emergency hires, and cooperative learning, among others. The common link across these experiences is our students’ role; rather than develop confidence and responsibility over time in a licensed-mentor’s classroom, interns or emergency hires are the teacher of record in their classroom. In other words, interns or emergency hires are fully responsible for all facets of classroom teaching, without having a licensed-mentor in the same classroom who can consistently support them.

ºÚÁÏÌìÌà students participating in intern or emergency hire roles have responded to the demands of these positions in different ways. While a small number of students have thrived in their own classroom as a teacher without a mentored experience like student teaching, the majority of students who have accepted intern or emergency hire roles have struggled to negotiate the transition between the block programs and fully independent teaching.

Options for Student Teaching

The Department of Teacher Education faculty sees the next best step from the block programs to professional licensure as a supported, mentored learning experience. This means a preservice teacher works with a full-time, licensed mentor teacher in the mentor’s classroom. Beginning with the Fall 2026 semester, the Department of Teacher Education will offer two options for elementary and special education licensure-seeking students:

1. Complete ELED 4980 (and, when elected, SPED 4980) as outlined in programs: We believe all elementary and special education students should complete student teaching as described in their programs of study. Student teachers are placed in the classrooms of a licensed mentor teacher.
2. Change Majors to a Bachelor of General Studies and Pursue APPEL: Students who secure employment as an intern teacher, emergency hire, or other full-time work as a teacher during the student teaching semester must change majors to a Bachelor of General Studies. Teacher licensure can be earned through Alternative Pathway to Professional Educator Licensure (APPEL) classes. The APPEL program is specifically designed for individuals who are employed as teachers in Utah school districts but require licensure. ºÚÁÏÌìÌÃ’s P-12 Programs Office offers APPEL courses.