CLINICAL EXPERIENCES

Important, mandatory dates for teacher candidates wanting to student teach in:

Spring 2026

• Orientation Meeting - April 22, 2025 5:00-7:00PM  or April 23, 2025, 4:00-6:00PM (You only need to attend one.)
• Required Tests for Licensure must be passed by October 1, 2025
• Send-Off Meeting - January 9, 2026, 9:00AM-11:00AM 
• Expected Window of Student Teaching Time - January 19, 2026 to June 12, 2026 (Exact dates may vary.)

Fall 2025

• Orientation Meeting - November 18, 2024, 3:00-5:00PM or November 19, 2024, 4:00-6:00PM (You only need to attend one.)
• Required Tests for Licensure must be passed by March 1, 2025
• Send-Off Meeting - August 15, 2025, 9:00-11:00 AM 
• Expected Window of Student Teaching Time - August 25, 2025 to January 19, 2026 (Exact dates may vary.)

Fall 2026

• Orientation Meeting - November 17, 2025, 3:00-5:00PM or November 18, 2025, 4:00-6:00PM (You only need to attend one.)
• Required Tests for Licensure must be passed by March 1, 2026
• Send-Off Meeting - August 14, 2026, 9:00-11:00 AM 
• Expected Window of Student Teaching Time - August 24, 2026 to January 22, 2027 (Exact dates may vary.)

Viewpoint Screening Background Check Site »
Viewpoint Screening Background Directions [PDF] »
Viewpoint Screen ReCheck Directions
Federal Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA)[PDF] »

Selection Criteria for Intern Candidates

(Important - Please Read)

The admission of students to the Teacher Internship Program is based on:

• Evidence of teaching potential and professional commitment
• Scholastic record
• Admission to the College of Education & Professional Studies

Special Education majors must receive permission from the Special Education Department PRIOR to completing an intern application. Early Childhood majors must receive permission from the ECE program PRIOR to completing an intern application. Submit an email requesting consideration to the program coordinator.Here is how the Internship process works:

1) Students complete the necessary paperwork to apply to the Teacher Internship Program. They are notified via email if they are or are not approved.

2) Schools who want to hire an intern(s) complete an Intern Request form on the Wisconsin Improvement Program (WIP) website. When their request is approved by WIP, the UW-W Teacher Internship Office is made aware of the request.

3) The Teacher Internship Office notifies intern candidates whenever new openings occur (the same placement rules that apply to student teachers also apply to interns - see information under Teacher Internship Application Process).

4) Intern candidates let the Teacher Internship Office know which openings they want to apply for and the Teacher Internship Office sends their application to those schools.

5) The school(s) decide who to interview and ultimately who they would like to offer the internship to.

6) The intern candidate can accept or reject the school's offer.

7) If an intern candidate does not get an internship, they will student teach during that same semester (in fact, most of the time the intern candidate will have been placed as a student teacher (and that placement will be cancelled if s/he accepts an internship).

8) Acceptance as a candidate to the Teacher Internship Program is considered tentative pending successful completion of all applicable student teaching and internship requirements.  Unsuccessful completion will result in the withdrawal from the Teacher Internship Program.

Application Procedures

• All application materials are available from this website. If you encounter problems with the website, please contact Jill Gerber.

Deadlines*:

Fall 2025: Applications are due to Jill Gerber by March 1, 2025. Applications will not be accepted until: 1) You have passed Praxis II or have a 3.0 Content GPA 2) All application materials are completed and sent to gerberj@uww.edu Applicants will be notified of openings via campus email. Attention Fall Intern Applicants!!  Don't miss out!!  Some schools interview for fall intern positions as early as April, so be sure to have your completed applications in by the March 1st deadline. 

Spring 2026: Applications will be due by October 1, 2026

For more information, please contact  the following: 

Jill Gerber
Data and Special Programs Assistant
Winther Hall 2003
262.472.1935
gerberj@uww.edu

Internship Application Materials

Fall 2025 (due March 1, 2025) and Spring 2026 (due October 1, 2025)

Applications materials should be scanned and sent to gerberj@uww.edu Contact Jill Gerber with questions.

Because MC-EA majors complete their field study at both elementary and middle school levels, student teaching internships may be completed at either the elementary or middle school level. An EA-A major who does his/her field study at the middle school level must student teach or intern at the high school level (and vice versa). Forms/documents necessary to apply for a teacher internship are listed below.

These forms should be completed online.  Save the form to your computer and then use Adobe Reader to fill-out and save the form.  You can download a free copy of Reader at the Adobe Reader Homepage. To save the form down to your computer, on a PC right-click on the link; on a Mac, control-click on the link.
Also, please contact Jill Gerber if you have problems with the forms. Please email all forms to Jill Gerber, gerberj@uww.edu

1. Teacher Internship Application Form [PDF] »
2. ONE (1) Teacher Internship Reference Forms [PDF] » - Applicants need to have one reference from a UWW faculty member which they can complete online or by you sending them a reference form.  If a reference completes it online, s/he can print the form, sign, and return to you or to the Teacher Internship Office. 
3. FERPA - Complete a FERPA form for Office of Clinical Experiences and only if your references requests a FERPA. F.E.R.P.A. stands for Federal Educational Rights & Privacy Act. The purpose is to give your reference permission to complete the reference form for you. Applicants must also complete and turn in one F.E.R.P.A. form for the Office of Clinical Experiences Office (giving us permission to send your paperwork to schools in need of interns. For assistance in completing the F.E.R.P.A. form, view the Internship PowerPoint).
4. Teacher Internship Clearance Form [PDF] »
5. Resume

1. Please scan and send all materials to gerberj@uww.edu. Special Education majors must receive permission to apply. All other students can apply, but must pass the appropriate Praxis II test for your major or have a 3.0 GPA in your major content area before you will be approved.
   
   
2. Meet with the Subject Area Coordinator for your major, taking the Teacher Internship Clearance Form and a copy of your unofficial transcript with you (a list of Subject Area Coordinators is at the bottom of the Teacher Internship Clearance Form). If you are unsure of your student teaching semester, please contact the department of your major. If you have a Bilingual/Bicultural minor, note the additional required signature.
   
   
3. A minimum combined GPA of 2.75 is required for application to the Teacher Internship Program and must be maintained throughout the remaining educational program.
   
   
4. A grade of C (2.00) or better in any course or approved equivalency in your program area (defined as both major and licensure area) is required and must be maintained throughout the remaining educational program.  An incomplete in any of these courses is unacceptable. If you repeat a course, the repeated grade will count.
   
   
5. One reference from a UW-W faculty member is required. Give or mail your reference the reference form and completed COEPS F.E.R.P.A form. The F.E.R.P.A. form (completed and signed by you) gives your reference permission to complete the reference form for you; therefore, your reference should keep the F.E.R.P.A. form. See #18 below for suggestions for completing the F.E.R.P.A. forms. Some references prefer to complete the reference form online (they will need to print the completed reference form, sign, and send or fax to the address on the form). Completed reference forms can also be given/sent to the intern applicant. 
   
   
6. Applicants must also complete one F.E.R.P.A. form for the Teacher Internship Office, as we need permission to send your file to schools interested in hiring an intern (see #20 below for suggestions for completing the F.E.R.P.A. form). 
   
   
7. As part of the approval procedure, the Teacher Internship Coordinator may solicit input regarding the qualifications of applicants from faculty members in the UW-Whitewater Departments of: Curriculum & Instruction; Educational Foundations; Special Education; and/or other academic departments. 
   
   
8. The Teacher Internship Office usually communicates with students via their University email address. 
   
   
9. After reviewing each completed file, the intern candidate's student teacher semester will be verified and an email will be sent indicating approval or denial. Approval as a prospective intern does not guarantee the availability or awarding of a Teacher Internship placement. A student may reapply to the Teacher Internship Program if circumstances should change for a student who has been denied acceptance. 
   
   
10. Approved Intern candidates will be notified regularly via email of schools requesting interns.  Intern candidates will then notify the Office of Clinical Experiences where to send their files.  Typically, school personnel review the files, select candidates for interviews, and contact those students directly. Feel free to check with the Office of Clinical Experiences on the status of your application at any time. 
    
    
11. Each UW-W Teacher Intern will be charged $200, which covers an administrative fee charged by DPI.  This should be paid when you receive your first paycheck.  No intern will receive a passing grade for the internship until this is paid. All checks should be delivered to Jill Gerber, Winther 2003.
    
    
12. Interns are subject to identical requirements as student teachers with respect to the TB test and criminal background checks. 
    
    
13. Interns may not leave an internship placement early to accept a teaching position. 
    
    
14. Special Education, PE, and ECE majors will enroll in their content-appropriate seminars. All other majors must enroll in CIGENRL 470.
    
    
15. Teacher Intern candidates and those with confirmed internships must attend all student teacher meetings, which are held on campus or remotely.
    
    
16. If your application is approved but a placement does not occur, you will be assigned a regular student teaching placement by the Office of Clinical Experiences.
    
    
17. The files of Teacher Internship candidates not receiving an internship will be discarded at the end of the semester. 
    
    
18. The following guidelines for completing the COEPS FERPA form are only suggestions:  I AUTHORIZE:  Office of Clinical Experiences (on the FERPA form for each reference, write in the reference's name).    TO DISCLOSE...:  grades and academic transcript; performance observation notes, evaluation instruments or information, general comments about performance in a course during a field experience (Field Studies, Student Teaching, Internship, Practicum, etc.)  OTHER (SPECIFY):  verification of hiring and salary  TO THE FOLLOWING...:  prospective employer(s); school official(s) responsible for admission to educational programs; individual(s) responsible for scholarship, grants, etc.; OTHER (SPECIFY):  rental agencies  FOR THE FOLLOWING REASON(S)  (explain):  Future employment; pursuit of further education; salary verification for housing purposes; grants/scholarships  THIS AUTHORIZATION WILL BE IN EFFECT UNTIL:  we suggest putting a date of two years from the date of signing. 

Internship License Directions (For Interns ONLY)
Clinical Experiences Handbook [PDF] »
Early Childhood Education Handbook [Google doc] »
Special Education Directed Teaching Handbook [PDF] »

Federal Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA) [PDF] »

These resources are organized to provide support for our current cooperating teachers. If you are interested in hosting a teacher candidate, the first step would be to let your building administrator know of your interest. Requets for cooperating teachers start with communication from the Office of Field Experiences to the building administrator.

General Expectations for Student Teaching [PDF] »
Coordinator Contact Information [PDF] »
Federal Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA) [PDF] »

Student Teaching
Clincial Experiences Handbook [PDF] »
Cooperating Teacher Grant Flyer [DOC] »
Sample Letter of Reference by Cooperating Teacher [DOC] »

• Observation Template-Danielson Framework [PDF] »
• TER Mileage PowerPoint
• OFE Mileage Reimbursement Checklist [PDF] »

Role and Responsibilities of the University Supervisor

Pre-teaching Period

• Serves as a Liaison Between the University and Cooperating School
• Provides a communication link between the university and the cooperating school and clarifies for the cooperating teacher the goals and objectives for student teaching.
• Orients newly appointed cooperating teachers to their roles.
• Communicates any suggestions made by cooperating teachers to appropriate personnel of the university.
• Maintains communication with the administration of the cooperating school to enlist its assistance in the development of the student teaching program.
• Functions as consultant or resource person to school administrators, curriculum directors, directors of instruction, and cooperating teachers. 

Student Teaching Period

Observes

1. Makes a minimum of four visits of at least one hour in length to observe the undergraduate student teacher during the student teaching period. - or - Spends a minimum of six hours with each graduate practicum student, consisting of at least two on-site visits.
   Schedules visits based on the weekly schedules provided them by student teachers. The initial visits may be arranged in advance with the student teachers and/or cooperating teachers. Some or all visits may be unannounced.
   Shares teaching and learning experiences in the classroom with student teachers and cooperating teachers.
   Confers regularly with the student teacher and the cooperating teacher through three-way (student teacher, cooperating teacher, and university supervisor) or two-way (university supervisor and student teacher or cooperating teacher) conferences.

Evaluates

1. Discusses with the student teacher logs, journals, or lesson plans which the student teacher has prepared and which may be required by the university supervisor.
2. Discusses with the student teacher teaching/learning experiences.
3. Confers regularly with the cooperating teacher.
4. Reviews cumulative notes or observations made available by the cooperating teacher.
5. Provides continuous reinforcement and encouragement.
6. Assists the cooperating teacher in writing the final statement of reference.
7. Completes an observation report signed by the student teacher for each of a minimum of four visits and a written statement of reference. The observation reports and written statement of reference must be submitted to the Office of Field Experiences within thirty days following the last day of the student teaching assignment.
8. Conducts at least two conferences with the student teacher and the cooperating teacher.
9. Determines a final grade for student teaching (Satisfactory or No Credit) in consultation with the cooperating teacher.
10. Informs the Director of Field Experiences regarding special situations that may arise and areas of concern.