Section 25.620  Student Teaching

a)         The SEPLB recognizes and accepts student teaching only when it is earned during the candidate's final year of an educator preparation program and conducted in a public school, a nonpublic school recognized or seeking recognition pursuant to 23 Ill. Adm. Code 425 (Voluntary Registration and Recognition of Nonpublic Schools), a community-based early childhood education setting, or an out-of-state or international school.

b)         Student teaching shall be structured as part of comprehensive field experiences and clinical practice, as a supervised part of a teacher preparation program approved pursuant to Subpart C, and in accordance with the standards referred to in Section 25.115(d).

c)         Student teaching shall be completed within the grade range and in the area of specialization appropriate to the endorsement sought on the PEL.  For an early childhood education endorsement, an individual may satisfy the student teaching requirement of an ECE preparation program through placement in a setting with children from birth through grade 2. (See Section 21B-20(1) of the Code.)  Additional student teaching may occur in areas for which the candidate meets the relevant requirements related to staff qualifications in 23 Ill. Adm. Code 1.

d)         Student teaching must be done under the active supervision of a cooperating teacher who is licensed and qualified to teach in the area, has three years of teaching experience, has received a proficient or above performance rating in the most recent evaluation, and is directly engaged in teaching subject matter or conducting learning activities in the area of student teaching.  The requirements of this subsection (d) do not apply in cases in which the student teacher:

1)         is serving on an educator license with stipulations endorsed for transitional bilingual educator;

2)         is working in a school that is not legally required to employ teachers with licensure and either has two years of teaching experience at that school or presents to the employer the evidence described in Section 25.25(b) documenting that the student teacher has two years of teaching experience in one or more other schools in which the chief administrator is required to hold a PEL endorsed for either general administrative or principal and the majority of teachers are required to hold a PEL endorsed for the grade levels and in the content area in which they are employed;

3)         holds a substitute teaching license and is not subject to the limitations of Section 21B-20(3) of the Code; or

4)         is completing student teaching in a community-based early childhood education setting, charter school, or non-public school and the cooperating teacher holds a Gateways Level 5 credential.

e)         In order for a recognized Illinois teacher education institution to award credit for student teaching, the following requirements must be met.

1)         The student teacher must be enrolled in a student teaching course at the institution.

2)         The school district or nonpublic school and the institution of higher education shall jointly agree to the student teaching placement and the responsibilities of each person to be involved.

3)         The school district or nonpublic school shall ensure the requirements of Section 2-3.25o, 10-21.9, or 34-18.5 of the Code, as applicable to the school district or nonpublic school, have been met.

f)         Student teachers may be compensated for their services.

(Source:  Amended at 46 Ill. Reg. 12973, effective July 13, 2022)