Policies and Procedures - Teacher Preparation Program

Criteria For Progression to the Internship

To progress to the internship a teacher candidate must: A) meet the Academic Requirements listed below, B) pass the required Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) for elementary teaching or the subject test corresponding to the teaching major for secondary teaching, C) submit a complete Conviction Disclosure Form and D) meet the Professional Criteria set forth below.

A. Academic Requirements

Before beginning the internship, teacher candidates must have:

(1) completed all teaching major and teaching minor requirements as well as all teacher certification coursework and other courses required for teacher certification;

(2) been awarded the bachelor’s degree (Note: music education students complete MUS 495, “Directed Teaching,” as part of their baccalaureate degree.);

(3) earned a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.5 or above in each of the following:
University overall cumulative GPA, teaching major GPA and teaching minor GPA;¹

(4) earned a Grade Point Average of 2.5 or above for pre-internship, professional education courses required for teacher certification², with no individual grade below 2.0;³

(5) earned a minimum grade of 2.0 in all courses in the Planned Program for Elementary Certification;⁴

(6) completed the Michigan State Department of Education technology requirement.

B. Pass the required Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC)

Students seeking elementary certification, including those in special education and early childhood education, must pass the Elementary Education MTTC (Test #103) as a condition for progression to the internship (TE 501).

For elementary certification students, passing the Elementary Education MTTC is a requirement for completion of the teacher certification program and a State of Michigan requirement for certification to teach in grades K-5. Students who also wish to teach in grades 6-8, must pass the MTTC corresponding to their teaching major. Students in special education and early childhood education must pass tests in their respective areas (i.e., Learning Disabilities and Early Childhood Education) to become endorsed to teach in those areas. Passing these subject matter tests is not required for program completion and progression to the internship; however, it is required if the student is to be recommended for certification in those areas.

For those seeking secondary certification (including the K-12 majors of art education, communicative sciences and disorders, music education and physical education), students must take and pass the MTTC corresponding to their major as a condition for progressing to the internship (TE 501, CSD 883, MUS 495). All secondary education students, except those in music, art, social studies and physical science (comprehensive group majors), are required to complete an approved teaching minor. For secondary education students, passing the MTTC corresponding to the minor is a requirement for becoming certified to teach the minor and a requirement for placement in the minor subject area during the internship. While it is in the best interest of secondary teacher candidates to be certified in both their major and minor areas, the Michigan Department of Education permits secondary candidates to earn provisional certification in the major without certification in the minor.

In addition to passing the MTTC corresponding to their teaching major, students who wish to be certified to teach world languages are required to meet oral proficiency standards established by the State of Michigan. Secondary education students with world language majors must meet the standard as a condition for progression to the internship. Secondary education students with world language minors and elementary students with world language majors or minors are not eligible for internship placements in world languages unless they have met the standard. All candidates must meet the standard before they can be recommended for certification to teach a world language.C. Conviction Disclosure Form

It is important that prospective interns be appropriate candidates for the teaching profession. In Michigan, the State Board of Education may refuse to grant, or may impose conditions upon, a teaching certificate for an individual who is convicted as an adult of a felony involving moral turpitude or who is convicted of an act of immoral conduct contributing to the delinquency of a child. Conviction of these and other crimes may, therefore, preclude the teacher candidate from participating in the internship. To be eligible for the internship, the teacher candidate must complete, sign, and submit the Conviction Disclosure Form to the Student Affairs Office. Concealment or misrepresentation of information required to be disclosed in the Conviction Disclosure Form may result in denial of admission to the internship year or in denial of recommendation for teacher certification.D. Professional Criteria

The internship involves the intern in extensive co-planning and co-teaching with an experienced collaborating teacher and requires the intern to gradually assume responsibility for all aspects of learning and teaching in the classroom. To be eligible for an internship, the teacher candidate must have demonstrated a readiness to work in accordance with the Professional Standards below and an appropriate disposition for the profession of teaching. Therefore, a teacher candidate who meets the Academic Requirements listed above may be denied the opportunity to do an internship if, in the judgment of the Teacher Education Department, the teacher candidate has failed to meet any of the following Professional Criteria. The Professional Criteria are related to the Professional Standards used to evaluate interns’ progress during the internship year.

(1) Reliability and Responsibility

Teacher candidates must generally have been present and on time for professional commitments, including classes and field experiences. Teacher candidates must have regularly communicated about necessary absences or lateness according to the guidelines in the Professional Conduct Policy. Teacher candidates must have a record of meeting deadlines for course assignments and program requirements. A pattern of repeated absences, lateness, and failure to meet deadlines in courses or fieldwork is not acceptable. Any form of dishonesty (lying, plagiarism, forged signatures, etc.) about these and other requirements is not acceptable.

(2) Communication Skills and Social Relationships

Teacher candidates must have demonstrated the ability to express their viewpoints and negotiate difficulties appropriately, without behaving unprofessionally with instructors, peers, or students. Teacher candidates must have shown that they are ready to accept constructive feedback in a professional manner. Teacher candidates must have demonstrated an awareness of appropriate social boundaries between students and teachers and have shown that they are ready and able to observe those boundaries. Extreme forms of behavior (such as outbursts in class, sexual or other harassment, threats of suicide or of harm to others) are not acceptable.

(3) Comfort with and Concern for the Learning of all Children

Teacher candidates must be able to engage in informal conversations with children and keep their attention in such conversations. Teacher candidates must interact courteously, fairly, and professionally with people from diverse racial, cultural and social backgrounds and of different genders or sexual orientations. Racial and other slurs are not acceptable, nor is conduct that violates the University’s Anti-Discrimination Policy or would violate the Anti-Discrimination Policy if it were directed at a member of the University community.

Procedures for Decisions and Notification

A. Academic Requirements and Criminal Disclosure Form

The Student Affairs Office has primary responsibility for confirming that a teacher candidate has met all Academic Requirements and submitted the Conviction Disclosure Form. Students are responsible for ensuring that they meet all criteria for progression to the internship, including fulfilling grade requirements. Students should meet with advisors to verify grade point averages if necessary.

If a teacher candidate’s records are not complete or if a student has failed to meet one or more Academic Requirements or to submit the Conviction Disclosure Form, the Student Affairs Office will endeavor to notify the teacher candidate and the Teacher Education Department (usually the teacher candidate’s team) before May 30 prior to the beginning of the teacher candidate’ internship. If the deficiencies are not remedied before the end of the summer term, the Student Affairs Office will so notify the Teacher Education Department (the teacher candidate’s team), and the teacher candidate’s internship will be delayed until the beginning of the next internship year assuming the deficiencies have been remedied.

B. Professional Criteria

The Department of Teacher Education and its representatives, including course instructors and collaborating teachers, have primary responsibility for evaluating whether teacher candidates have met the required Professional Criteria. The following procedures will be used to assure that teacher candidates are systematically evaluated according to the Professional Criteria and that potential problems are investigated:

All collaborating teachers working with students taking TE 403/404//407 and TE 405/406/408 will be asked to complete a questionnaire concerning the students’ performance in the field, including their performance with respect to the Professional Criteria. Any classroom teacher indicating concerns about a student’s performance or professionalism will be contacted by the course instructor or another team representative, and the team will investigate the concerns.
The teams will request that course instructors teaching TE 301/302, TE 403/404/407, and TE 405/406/408 identify students who may not be meeting the Professional Criteria and provide information about their possible failure to comply with the Professional Criteria. The teams will investigate any such concerns expressed by other course instructors.
Teams will investigate concerns expressed by other course instructors, including instructors in other departments, which might involve a student’s failure to meet any of the Professional Criteria.

Generally, the Team Coordinator and/or Team Leader will review situations which may involve a teacher candidate’s failure to meet any of the Professional Criteria. If the likelihood of failure to comply with the Professional Criteria is serious enough to jeopardize the teacher candidate’s progress to the internship, the Team Leadership will review the case.

If the Team Leadership concludes that the situation involves a failure to comply with one or more of the Professional Criteria that is serious enough to warrant a recommendation that the teacher candidate not be allowed to progress to the internship, the Team Leader will inform the teacher candidate and the Assistant Chair/Coordinator of the Teacher Preparation Program of the recommendation and of the basis for it. The Assistant Chair/Coordinator will be responsible for reviewing the recommendation and determining that the teacher candidate may, upon meeting certain conditions, proceed to the internship, or that the teacher candidate will not be allowed to proceed to the internship. The Assistant Chair/Coordinator will contact, and preferably meet with the teacher candidate prior to making this determination.

If the Team Leadership concludes that the teacher candidate has failed to comply with one or more of the Professional Criteria, but that the failure is not, by itself, serious enough to prevent the teacher candidate from progressing to the internship, the teacher candidate will be notified of the failure and of the teacher candidate’s need to comply with the Professional Criteria in the future. If the teacher candidate again fails to comply with any of the Professional Criteria, the Team Leadership will again review the case. If, because of the teacher candidate’s repeated failure to comply with one or more of the Professional Criteria, the Team Leadership recommends that the teacher candidate will not be allowed to progress to the internship, the Team Leader will inform the teacher candidate and the Assistant Chair/Coordinator of the recommendation and the basis for it. The Assistant Chair/Coordinator will be responsible for reviewing the recommendation and determining that the teacher candidate may proceed to the internship upon meeting certain conditions or that the teacher candidate will not be allowed to proceed to the internship. The Assistant Chair/Coordinator will contact and preferably meet with the teacher candidate prior to making this determination.

The teacher candidate may appeal the decision to the Assistant/Associate Dean of the College of Education.

Professional Standards for the Internship

The Teacher Education Program has adopted the following Professional Standards which are used to evaluate interns’ performance and make decisions about recommendations for certification.

Employ a liberal education
Teach a subject matter
Work with students as individuals
Organize a class
Use an equipped school room
Join a faculty and school
Engage guardians and community
Teacher as professional and reflective learner

For more detailed information, please click here to get a full version of Professional Standards for the Internship (PDF). NOTE:

1. This requirement applies to teacher candidates who applied to Teacher Education during and after the 1994-95 academic year and who sought admission for Fall, 1995 or later terms.

2. Pre-internship Professional education courses required for teacher certification including the following:

TE 150, CEP 240/TE 250, TE 301/TE 302, TE 403/404/405/406 and TE 407/408/409
TE 842 (for CSD majors)
STA 481 and STA 482 (for Art Education majors)
CSD 483 (for Communicative Science and Disorders majors).

3. This requirement applies to teacher candidates accepted into Teacher Education after
January 1, 1999.

4. This requirement applies to teacher candidates who were admitted to the teacher preparation program in Fall 2012 or later.

Conviction Disclosure Responsibility and Implications

Students, interns, and certification candidates are obligated to report all convictions and civil infractions (with the exception of speeding tickets) to the Certification Officer in 134 Erickson Hall. Students must submit a Conviction Disclosure Form (CDF) prior to (1) admission to the teacher preparation program and (2) internship placement. Certification candidates must submit a CDF with each certification application (this includes applications for standard certification, additional endorsements, administrator certification and school psychologist certification).

Individuals with misdemeanor and felony convictions and those who have admitted responsibility for civil infractions are required to provide a Register of Actions (ROA) document from the court in which they were convicted. After admission to the program, students are obligated to report a subsequent conviction or civil infraction on a new CDF and provide an ROA related to the new conviction within five business days. An individual who has been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony may be denied admission, field placement, or a recommendation for certification by MSU. Although the College of Education recommends applicants for certification, only the Michigan Superintendent of Public Instruction has the authority to grant, deny, suspend, or revoke a certificate in Michigan.

Undergraduate students who have school placements must submit to background checks conducted through the MSU Department of Human Resources. Students enrolled in specific TE and CEP courses are required to submit a request/consent form for this check. When the background check reveals a conviction, the Certification Officer is notified. Convictions revealed by the background check should have already been disclosed by the student on a CDF. Failure to report a conviction or falsification of information on an application or CDF could result in dismissal from the teacher certification program.

After a review of the (required) CDF, (required) ROA and (optional) personal statement, the Certification Officer will send the student or certification candidate a letter informing her or him of the outcome. If she or he is permitted to continue in the program, a copy of the letter can be attached when subsequent CDFs are required. This will notify the Certification Office that an incident has already been reviewed and confidential information is already on file. When the candidate is recommended for certification, the information must be disclosed to the Michigan Department of Education (MDE).

Procedures for Handling Disputes

This policy applies to disputes arising in the undergraduate TE courses and in the Elementary Teacher Preparation Program internship courses: TE 501, TE 502, TE 801, TE 802, TE 803, and TE 804.

A. Matters for special handling

Some situations are so serious, or have potential consequences so grave, or invoke such policies, that an instructor and/or course or team coordinator should report them immediately and directly to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and to the Department Chair at the same time. These include:

situations in which a student in a TE course, or who has been admitted to the Elementary Teacher Preparation Program, is charged with or convicted of a crime or a gross violation of professional ethics.
situations where the instructor will assign or has assigned a course grade of 0.0 only for academic dishonesty, and
situations involving an actual or potential violation of MSU policy regarding academic records.

The instructor and/or coordinator should, at the earliest opportunity, inform the Associate Dean of situations from which any of the above cases might arise. The Subject Area Leader and Coordinator of Elementary Teacher Preparation Programs should be informed at the same time. An email with copies will be the usual form of notification.

B. General requirements of the Department procedures

So that students may be informed, the syllabus for each section of each course should provide (a) the name and contact information for the person to whom students can address complaints that they cannot resolve with the instructor, and (b) the URL for these procedures.
In handling disputes between instructors and students, each step in the procedure should give such help, hearing, satisfaction, disposition, or recourse as it can give, and should do so promptly.
Without unduly lengthening the process for students, the handling of disputes should assure that faculty members with leadership responsibilities—Subject Area Leaders, coordinators,—are informed about situations involving students and instructors for whom they are responsible.
Early in any emerging dispute, students should be referred to the MSU Ombudsman for an independent opinion about the situation and MSU policies.
Elementary Teacher Preparation Program staff who participates in a potential or actual dispute as provided in the procedure below should keep documentation and make records as described below.
The Department’s policy for handling disputes should point to, agree with, and connect with MSU policies that govern many of these matters, so that students and instructors can, if they wish, see all the way to the potential end of any potential dispute.

C. The procedures for handling disputes

Step 1. The student and instructor should try to solve the problem, with help.

1.1. If problems arise in the relationship between instructor and student, they should promptly seek advice and attempt to resolve their problems promptly in informal, direct discussions. The supplement to this step of the procedure, appended, provides advice for conducting those discussions.

1.2. If the dispute arises from TE 150, TE 250, or TE 348, the student and instructor should seek advice from the faculty course coordinator. If the dispute arises from TE 301, 401, 402, 501, 502, or 801 through 804, the student and instructor should seek advice from the team coordinator and/or faculty course coordinator.

1.3. The more difficult the issue and the more interpersonal conflict that has already occurred, the wiser it will be to include the team or course coordinator directly in the discussion immediately.

1.4. Disputes might involve any of several policies that are discussed in Step 2; instructor and coordinator should be aware of them.

Step 2. The student and/or instructor should take the matter to the Elementary Teacher Preparation Program Coordinator or Subject Area Leader, and/or to the MSU Ombudsman, as indicated below.

2.1. If the problem remains unresolved after direct discussions called for in Step 1, then the student and/or instructor should take the dispute either to the Elementary Teacher Preparation Program Coordinator (for matters arising from TE 150, 250, or 348) or to the Subject Area Leader (for matters arising from TE 301, 401, 402, 501, 502, or 801 through 804).

2.2. Additionally, the student and/or instructor can consult the MSU Ombudsman about MSU policies and their situation.

2.3. At this step, the Elementary Teacher Preparation Program Coordinator or Subject Area Leader should determine which policy applies and proceed accordingly:

2.3.1. Note the matters for special handling in section A, above.

2.3.2. An instructor could be claiming that a student has violated some provision of MSU’s policy on integrity of scholarship and grades, which addresses cheating, plagiarism, and related matters (the policy can be found on MSU’s and the Ombudsman’s website). The Elementary Teacher Preparation Program Coordinator or Subject Area Leader should see that the policy is followed and particularly that, when the penalty grade 0.0 for a course is given only for academic dishonesty, the instructor notifies the Associate Dean, who as necessary will inform the student’s academic dean of the circumstances.

2.3.3. An instructor could be claiming that an undergraduate student has violated or failed to satisfy professional criteria stated in the Elementary Teacher Preparation Program’s Criteria for Progression to the Internship, which appears in Academic Programs. The Elementary Teacher Preparation Program Coordinator or Subject Area Leader will handle these cases as required by Section II of the Criteria for Progression to the Internship.

2.3.4. An instructor might be claiming that a teacher candidate or intern has violated or failed to satisfy the TE Department’s Professional Conduct Policy For Teacher Candidates. For undergraduates, the Elementary Teacher Preparation Program Coordinator or Subject Area Leader should determine whether the Criteria for Progression for the Internship should be invoked and, if so, follow procedures provided in Section II of that policy. Otherwise, the case should be handled as a Departmental matter, which the Elementary Teacher Preparation Program Coordinator or Subject Area Leader handles on behalf of the Department Chair, consulting with the Chair as needed.

2.3.5. A student could be bringing a complaint, unresolved in Step 1, about an instructor or about instruction, related to MSU’s Code of Teaching Responsibility, or to Academic Freedom for Students at Michigan State University(both available from the MSU website), or related to the terms of a syllabus or a team handbook. In all of these situations, the Elementary Teacher Preparation Program Coordinator or Subject Area Leader will be acting on behalf of the Department Chair, consulting with the Chair as needed. In general, The Elementary Teacher Preparation Program Coordinator or Subject Area Leader should be guided by the descriptions of undergraduate rights and responsibilities in section 2.3 of Academic Freedom for Students at Michigan State University and, for interns, of graduate student rights and responsibilities in the corresponding section of Graduate Student Rights and Responsibilities.

2.3.6. In the instances named in 2.3.5, the Elementary Teacher Preparation Program Coordinator or Subject Area Leader should be guided also by the description of faculty rights that constrain student rights, recorded in section 2.2 of Academic Freedom for Students at Michigan State University and the corresponding section of Graduate Student Rights and Responsibilities. Specifically, the Elementary Teacher Preparation Program Coordinator or Subject Area Leader should:

Refer complaints concerning instructional practice or competence of a tenure-stream faculty member directly to the Department Chair, and handle complaints concerning instructional practice or competence of term faculty members and doctoral student instructors.
Note that the only ground on which a grade can be disputed is that the instructor gave the grade in bad faith. Also, note that a finding of bad faith can be reached only by a unit hearing board in a hearing on a grievance submitted by the student. See section 2.2 of Academic Freedom for Students at Michigan State University.

The Elementary Teacher Preparation Program Coordinator or Subject Area Leaders should handle the many other potential situations not otherwise discussed here.

Step 3. Submitting a formal grievance

If still aggrieved after the Elementary Teacher Preparation Program Coordinator’s or Subject Area Leader’s disposition of a matter, a student may then submit a formal, written grievance.

3.1. The student should consult the MSU Ombudsman about a grievance, as the University policies are not always simple and straightforward.

3.2. A student’s grievance of an instructor’s or the Department’s actions regarding actual or potential violation of laws, violation of the professional criteria in the Criteria for Progression to the Internship, academic dishonesty, or academic records should be submitted to the Associate Dean; see section 2.4 of Academic Freedom for Students at Michigan State University (undergraduate teacher candidates) or Article 5 of Graduate Student Rights and Responsibilities at Michigan State University (interns) for the policy and procedure that applies.

3.3. All other grievances should be filed with the Department Chair, who will review them for possible consideration by a Department hearing board. A grievance alleging violations of academic rights must include a proposed remedy that could be implemented by the Department Chair.

Step 4. Handling written grievances

For written grievances, the Department Chair and Department hearing board, if engaged, will follow the procedures described in section 2.4 of Academic Freedom for Students at Michigan State University (for undergraduate students) or Article 5 of Graduate Student Rights and Responsibilities at Michigan State University (Elementary Teacher Preparation Program interns).

D. Documentation and record keeping

This section addresses documentation and record-keeping only in relation to potential or actual disputes.

Who should document and keep records? As potential or actual disputes emerge, instructors should begin to keep additional documentation and records, above and beyond the normal record-keeping for a course. The status, purpose, and handling of those records are discussed below. Normally, instructors will keep their own records.
If and when other persons become involved with the dispute as provided in the procedures above, they should begin their own documentation and record-keeping. Normally, the Team Coordinator’s and Subject Area Leader’s records will be kept in the Team’s file for each student. Normally, the Elementary Teacher Preparation Program Coordinator’s and Department Chair’s records will be kept in the Department’s file for any student who is involved in a dispute that they deal with.

What should be documented and recorded? Instructors and other persons who become involved in a dispute as provided in the procedures should record and document not only the student’s conduct or performance, but also their own. Particularly important is documentation that they provided prior notice of expectations, gave timely feedback to the student, and provided opportunities and support to improve.

What are “student records”? Notes and documents that instructors, team and course coordinators, Subject Area Leaders, the Elementary Teacher Preparation Program Coordinator, and the Department Chair make for themselves and keep to themselves are not part of a student’s record and thus cannot be demanded by the student or his/her parent or lawyer.
Notes and documents that instructors or coordinators share with any other person involved in the procedures given above, including notes delivered by e-mail and other e-mail messages about the student, are part of the student’s record and can be demanded. Similarly, notes or other documents entered into a student’s file in the Team or Department are part of the student’s records. Therefore, when instructors and coordinators correspond with anyone about teacher candidates and interns, or when they enter notes to file, they should write exactly and only what is directly relevant, in language that could be read by anyone involved with a potential dispute at any stage.

Timely documentation and record-keeping. Documentation and records should be collected or constructed at the time that events occur. If the dispute proceeds to formal procedures such as grievances, documentation from the time of the events will have higher standing than later reconstructions, which are open to the criticism that they are self-serving in the dispute.

MSU policy regarding records. As stated in Article 3 of Academic Freedom for Students at Michigan State University (for undergraduate students) and Article 3 of Graduate Student Rights and Responsibilities at Michigan State University (Elementary Teacher Preparation Program interns), “All policies and practices governing access, maintenance, and release of student records shall conform to the University’s published guidelines.” Those guidelines point to errors that can be made in record-keeping about disputes, and so are quoted here in their entirety:

3.2.1 No record shall be made, duplicated, or retained unless there is a demonstrable need for it which is reasonably related to the basic purposes and necessities of the University.

3.2.2 The University shall not make, duplicate, or retain records of a student’s religious or political beliefs without the student’s knowledge and consent.

3.2.3 A student shall have the right to inspect the official transcript of his or her own academic record and shall also have the right to inspect reports and evaluations of his or her conduct.

3.2.4 All policies and practices dealing with the acquisition of information for records shall be formulated with due regard for the student’s right of privacy.

3.2.5 Every record containing information about a student’s character shall state when the information was acquired and the name and position of the person who gave it.

3.2.6 Evaluation of students shall be made only by persons who are qualified to make that valuation.

3.2.7 All persons who handle confidential records shall be instructed concerning the confidential nature of such information and their responsibilities regarding it.

3.2.8 No one outside the faculty or administrative staff of Michigan State University, except as specified by law, may have access to the records of a student’s offenses against University regulations without the express permission of the student in writing.

3.2.9 All policies governing the maintenance and the selective release of records and of portions of records shall be made public in an appropriate manner and shall be subject to judicial review as provided in Article 4.

Supplement: Practical advice for Step 1

Between people who are working closely together, some conflicts are inevitable, just like the blues, taxes, and sunrises. In most cases, such conflict is not a sign of failure, but just a fact of life. Most often, you just need to talk to each other.

You may be reluctant to say difficult things to each other, but notice this: Left unsaid and therefore unsolved, difficult things tend to fester and cause worse problems in the end.

You may be reluctant to invite a team or course coordinator to help you to deal with an issue, but notice this: Problems that fester and escalate are likely to involve the coordinator at some point anyway, and the most constructive use of the coordinator is to solve problems early. That’s their job.

So, take a deep breath and, as step 1 of the policy for handling disputes says, “try to solve the problem, with help.” Preparing for the hard conversation

Get clear about the issue. Write about it. Think it through. What is the issue, from your point of view? When does it arise, in the interaction with the other? And how does it affect you? Try phrasing your concern in language that neither blames nor threatens the other.

Practice in front of a mirror to make sure your facial expressions and tone of voice will not look or sound threatening or aggressive.

Think about some possible solutions or ways of proceeding that you might propose; at the same time, remain open to possibilities that the other person might propose.

Either or both of you could talk it over with the course or team coordinator. The more difficult the issue and the more interpersonal conflict that has already occurred, the wiser it will be to include the team or course coordinator directly in the discussion immediately. Having the conversation

Use statements that express what you observe, or what you feel, or what you think you need, rather than statements that blame the other person for something.

Check for clear communication by paraphrasing what the other person says and asking, “Is this what you mean?”

If the issue causes a strong emotional reaction in either or both of you, agree to think about it overnight and talk about it more tomorrow.

Try to find a solution that works for both of you.

If you have involved the course or team coordinator, let that person serve as moderator, referee, and, as necessary and desirable, arbitrator. Documentation and follow up

Each of you, including the course or team coordinator, if involved, should write a concise statement that summarizes the discussion and describes the plan or solution agreed to. Compare these statements to be sure that both (or all three) of you have the same understandings. Exchange statements.

Plan to check in with each other soon about this issue. How does each of you feel things are going?

TE 101, 102, and 150 Appeals Process

Current Teacher Preparation Program policy, as laid out in the University Catalog’s section on Requirements for Teacher Certification, states that all elementary teacher candidates must achieve a grade of 2.0 or higher in TE 101 and TE 102 in order to proceed to the student teaching internship. All secondary teacher candidates must achieve a grade of 2.0 or higher in TE 101, TE 102, and TE 150 in order to proceed to the student teaching internship.

Teacher candidates may request that the grade requirements for these three courses be waived. To make such a request, the candidate must submit to the Associate Director of Teacher Preparation:

1. A memo (up to one page) that explains any extenuating circumstances that led to the grade. The course key assessment (with all feedback they received) should also be submitted. Further revisions to the course key assessment after the conclusion of the course are allowed, though the teacher candidate should not ask the professor for help or further feedback in revising their key assessment.

2. The Associate Director of Teacher Preparation shall consult with Program Leadership in reviewing the materials and shall issue a written decision.

3. If it is found that the candidate can continue without receiving a 2.0 in the course, the candidate will arrange to have monthly check-in meetings with their area coordinator.

MSU Teacher Preparation Program Field Placement Policies

Professional Conduct Policy: Teacher Preparation Program

Revised and approved by the Teacher Preparation Committee on April 28, 2016.

Trust in the profession of teaching depends on a level of professional conduct that is higher than that required by law. The threshold for trust is high because educators exercise a unique fiduciary responsibility. (1) Educators are entrusted with the safety and welfare of students and serve “in loco parentis.” Educators are expected to exhibit conduct in the best interests of the learning community, the school community, the university community and the profession.

In this time of transition from being a student to being a professional educator, it is important that you begin to see yourself as a professional educator fulfilling this responsibility, rather than as a student fulfilling university requirements. You will learn about many aspects of assuming the fiduciary responsibilities of a teacher during your program, and your actual responsibilities with children, families and schools will grow in concert with your growing knowledge of a demonstrated capacity to assume those responsibilities.

This policy contains standards of conduct for all MSU teacher candidates at all times during their participation in the Teacher Certification Program. Failure to comply with these and other university policies governing student conduct will result in review of your progress toward readiness for certification, and, based on the professional judgment of the Teacher Certification Program faculty, may result in dismissal from the Teacher Certification Program, including from pre-admission field and clinical experiences.

Fitness

Candidates monitor and maintain the mental, physical and emotional health necessary to perform duties and services of any field or other clinical placement, taking appropriate measures when personal or health-related issues may interfere with professional preparation experiences. Reasonable accommodation can be made in certain areas of the Teacher Certification Program, if it is requested in advance. However, the teacher candidate must still be able to independently perform the essential requirements of the program with such accommodation. The use of a trained intermediary is not acceptable in many field-based situations because the teacher candidate’s judgment is then mediated by someone else’s power of selection and observation. If you believe that you may need accommodations, please consult the MSU Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities.

Candidates refrain from professional or personal activity that reduces their effectiveness in the school community. The University Drug and Alcohol Policy will be enforced, which prohibits the possession or use of illegal drugs and alcoholic beverages in classes and field placements. Teacher candidates are expected to be free of such substances in classes and field placements.

Compliance and Ethics

Teacher candidates hold themselves responsible for ethical conduct and acknowledge that a lack of awareness, knowledge or understanding of the standards for ethical conduct is not, in itself, a defense to a charge of unethical conduct. They confront and take reasonable steps to resolve conflicts between professional ethics standards and the explicit demands of a person or organization.

In order to honor the trust they are extended, teacher candidates know and uphold the procedures, policies, laws and regulations relevant to professional practice, regardless of personal views. They use property, facilities, materials and resources in accordance with local policies and state and federal laws. They abide by university and district policies on the use of technology and communication. They are accurate, honest and disclose information appropriately when representing the program, university, school or district.

Teacher candidates take proactive steps when having reason to believe that another candidate or educator may be approaching or involved in an ethically compromising situation. They neither file nor encourage frivolous ethics complaints solely to harm to retaliate, and they neither discriminate nor retaliate against a person on the basis of having made an ethical complaint. They cooperate fully during ethics investigations and proceedings.

Academic Integrity

Teachers are the guardians of academic integrity in society. Teacher candidates are expected to meet the highest standards in this regard, and to uphold these standards among their students and colleagues.

In instances of academic dishonesty, falsification of records or violations of related professional standards of conduct or technical standards, the university’s policies governing academic integrity, including the Policy on the Integrity of Scholarship and Grades will be enforced. This means that at the instructor’s discretion, a candidate may receive a penalty grade on an assignment and/or the course, and a report must be filed which becomes part of the candidate’s academic record. Additional penalties, including dismissal from the Teacher Preparation Program, are possible depending on the nature of the infraction.

It is the standard of practice of teachers to borrow ideas and materials from a variety of sources, but teachers and teacher candidates take responsibility and credit only for work they actually perform or produce. They appropriately recognize others’ work by citing data or materials from other sources when disseminating information or submitting course work. They respect intellectual property ownership rights when sharing materials. They use data, data sources or findings accurately and reliably. Instructors and course syllabi provide additional guidelines for applying these principles to specific assignments and products.

Attendance and Timeliness

Teacher candidates are present and on time for professional commitments, including course meetings and field placement expectations. Any absence during a semester from on-campus courses or pre-internship placements is cause for concern and may affect a course grade. Recurring absences or tardiness will put a candidate’s recommendation for continuation in the program in jeopardy. Teacher candidates who have difficulty meeting attendance expectations because of an emergency or any other reason are expected to talk to their course instructor or coordinator in advance or as soon as possible.

Teacher candidates communicate with students, parents/guardians, colleagues and mentors/instructors in a timely manner. They communicate in advance of missed deadlines or appointments whenever possible, and take measures in advance to ensure they are able to communicate as needed when parties affected by their absence or delay.

Teacher candidates who will be absent from class must notify their course instructor and any classmates directly impacted by their absence (for example, group members with whom they are working on or presenting a product during that class). Teacher candidates who will be absent from a field placement notify all of the following that apply: their mentor, their field placement partner(s) and their field instructor. See course syllabi for additional details about appropriately recording and accounting for missed time in the field.

As evidence of their readiness for the expectations of timeliness and communication in the teaching profession, teacher candidates consistently meet deadlines for course assignments, fieldwork expectations such as a lesson plan for lessons they teach and other program requirements

Appropriate Boundaries

Teacher candidates demonstrate an understanding of appropriate social boundaries between students and teachers. They demonstrate an understanding of how appearance and dress affect their interactions and relationships with students, and they present themselves accordingly when in schools.

Teacher candidates avoid the use of their position in schools for personal gain. They consider the implication of giving or accepting gifts or preferential treatment from students, parents or other professional contacts. They engage in physical contact with students only when there is a clearly defined purpose that benefits the student and continually keeps the safety and well-being of the student in mind. They do not engage in romantic or sexual relationships with students. They work to avoid multiple relationships(2) with students, parents/guardians, colleagues and supervisors/instructors.

Teacher candidates recognize their role in schools is secondary to the school’s primary obligation to its students and their families. They are polite and considerate of any other adults in the school, including the teaching faculty, administrators, custodians, secretaries, security personnel and paraprofessionals.

Communication

Professional education can be an intensely personal and challenging process. Teacher candidates are expected to give and accept constructive feedback appropriately and to react appropriately in stressful situations. They respect colleagues and supervisors/instructors as fellow professionals and maintain civility when differences arise. They work to ensure a working and learning environment that is free from harassment. The university’s Anti-Discrimination Policy is enforced, and teacher candidates do not engage in conduct that would violate this policy if directed at a member of the university community. They express their viewpoints and negotiate difficulties appropriately. They resolve conflicts privately and respectfully and in accordance with district, program and university policy. See the Teacher Preparation Program’s Procedures for Handling Disputes for more information.

Teacher candidates take an active role in their learning and contribute to the learning of their fellow students. They collaborate with peers and mentors in a manner that supports academic achievement and related goals that promote the best interests of students.

Teacher candidates use social media and other digital communications responsibly and exercise prudence in their use, keeping personal and professional lives distinct.

Effective Relationships with Children and Families

Teacher candidates communicate with students in a clear, respectful and culturally sensitive manner. They treat students and their families with dignity and respect, including but not limited to respect for actual and perceived gender, gender expression, gender identity, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and culture. They demonstrate a commitment to equality, equity and inclusion as well as accommodating diversity among members of their school community and the university community.

Teacher candidates protect students from any practice that harms or has the potential to harm students, promoting the emotional, intellectual, physical and sexual safety of all students, including during the use of technology. They do not intentionally expose the student to embarrassment or disparagement. In so doing, teacher candidates do not unreasonably deny students access to varying points of view, and do not deliberately suppress or distort subject matter relevant to the student’s progress.

Confidentiality and Data Handling

By both professional standards and the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), teachers are expected to respect the privacy and dignity of the children and families with whom they work. As part of their work in schools, teacher candidates have access to confidential or private information and they respect the privacy of students and the need to hold in confidence certain forms of student communication, documents or information obtained in the course of professional practice. They create, maintain, disseminate, store, retain and dispose of records and data relating to their study and practice in accordance with university and district policy, and state and federal laws.

In general, teacher candidates use discretion when discussing or otherwise representing their experiences in schools. They conduct research in an ethical and responsible manner with appropriate permission and supervision. They protect the identities of children, adults and institutions in all media formats, including their spoken word. They uphold parents’/guardians’ legal rights, as well as any legal requirements to reveal information related to legitimate concerns for the well-being of a student. They demonstrate the prudence in their choices about the content of the stories about the classroom they share, and the contexts in which they share those stories. For example, teacher candidates do not discuss classroom experiences in public settings like restaurants or hallways, or on social media sites. Teacher candidates consult with their mentor teachers about additional school or district requirements regarding confidentiality they must observe.

Classroom Discussions

Field experiences are an important part of candidates’ learning in their courses and they will be discussing them in their course meetings. In doing so, they do not relate stories from classrooms or schools that include sensitive information about a child, adult, family or institution. When discussing classroom situations, they mask the name of any student on any written or visual work shared in class. When discussing teaching practice, they have observed in the field, they maintain a tone of professional courtesy.

Interviews and Artifacts

When collecting information by interview, teacher candidates must clearly state or give to the interviewee in writing the purpose of the interview and the uses they will make of the material. They must obtain written permission for these uses. Instructors and course syllabi provide additional guidelines for applying these principles to specific assignments and products. Teacher candidates use pseudonyms and screen or mask identifying information when reporting interviews with children or adults, or when sharing artifacts of student work.

Photographs, Audio and Video

Schools and districts typically require written permission from parents/guardians for taking any photographs, audio or video recordings. Occasionally there are circumstances which require that a student’s whereabouts be kept secret and photographs and recordings are not allowed. Before taking photographs or making audio or video recordings, teacher candidates consult with their course instructors and mentor teachers in the construction of a release form for collecting these media, and obtain written permission for the intended uses of these media forms.

Portfolios

A professional portfolio is a significantly more public representation of a teacher candidate’s work in schools than most other course assignments. Confidentiality considerations and releases for this use deserve special attention by teacher candidates. Teacher candidates use pseudonyms and mask names and personal identifying information in portfolio artifacts. They secure and maintain records of explicitly written permission for any artifacts, photographs or recordings they include in print or electronic portfolios.

1. “A fiduciary relationship is one in which a person justifiably places confidence in another whose aid, advice or protection is assumed. Inherent in such fiduciary relationships is an imbalance of power.” MCEE, 2015.

2. “Multiple relationships occur when the educator is in a professional role with one or more members of the school community and also has a personal relationship with that person or a member of that person’s family. Multiple relationships have the potential to impair objectivity, competence or effectiveness in performing his or her functions as an educator.” MCEE, 2015.

Professional Standards: Teacher Preparation Program

Professional Standards: Teacher Preparation Program (PDF)

Taking Additional Courses During the Internship

Under the best of conditions, the internship experience places high demands on interns’ time and energy. In addition, courses taken at Michigan State University during the internship year are more expensive than those taken before graduation. Therefore, we require that students NOT enroll in any courses during the internship except for those courses associated with the internship (e.g., TE 501, 502, 801-804).

Deadline for Applying for Reinstatement

Teacher preparation program coordinators begin the process of placing interns in the fall prior to the internship year. In order to ensure the best possible placement for each intern – and in order to maintain the timeline of the intern placement process – students wishing to return to the teacher preparation program for the internship year must apply for reinstatement no later than December 1 of the year prior to their requested internship year (for example, students wishing to be reinstated for a 2016-2017 internship would need to apply for reinstatement no later than December 1, 2015).

Students returning for the spring semester only must apply for reinstatement no later than October 1 of the fall semester of that academic year.

Students applying for reinstatement to the program who need to complete 300- and/or 400-level course work must apply no later than one month prior to their anticipated return date and enrollment in those courses.

Progression to Internship

To progress to the internship a teacher candidate must: A) meet the Academic Requirements listed below, B) pass the required Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) for elementary teaching or the subject test corresponding to the teaching major for secondary teaching, C) submit a complete Conviction Disclosure Form, and D) meet the Professional Criteria set forth below.

A. Academic Requirements

Before beginning the internship, teacher candidates must have:

completed all teaching major and teaching minor requirements as well as all teacher certification coursework and other courses required for teacher certification;
been awarded the bachelor’s degree (Note: Music Education students complete MUS 495, “Directed Teaching,” as part of their baccalaureate degree.);
earned a Grade Point Average of 2.5 or above in each of the following:
University overall cumulative GPA, teaching major GPA and teaching minor GPA;¹
earned a Grade Point Average of 2.5 or above for pre-internship, professional education courses required for teacher certification², with no individual grade below 2.0;³
earned a minimum grade of 2.0 in all courses in the Planned Program for Elementary Certification;⁴
passed all three components of the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification Basic Skills test (reading, writing, and math); and,
completed the Michigan State Department of Education technology requirement.

B. Pass the required Michigan Test for Teacher Certification(MTTC)

For elementary certification students, passing the Elementary Education MTTC is a requirement for completion of the teacher certification program and a State of Michigan requirement for certification to teach in grades K-5. Students who also wish to teach in grades 6-8, must pass the MTTC corresponding to their teaching major. Students in Special Education and Early Childhood Education must pass tests in their respective areas (i.e., Learning Disabilities and Early Childhood Education) to become endorsed to teach in those areas. Passing these subject matter tests is not required for program completion and progression to the internship; however, it is required if the student is to be recommended for certification in those areas.

For those seeking secondary certification (including the K-12 majors of Art Education, Communicative Sciences and Disorders, Music Education and Physical Education), students must take and pass the MTTC corresponding to their major as a condition for progressing to the internship (TE 501, CSD 883, MUS 495). For secondary education students, passing the MTTC corresponding to the minor is a requirement for becoming certified to teach the minor and a requirement for placement in the minor subject area during the internship. While it is in the best interest of secondary teacher candidates to be certified in both their major and minor areas, the Michigan Department of Education permits secondary candidates to earn provisional certification in the major without certification in the minor.

C. Conviction Disclosure Form

D. Professional Criteria

(1) Reliability and Responsibility

Teacher candidates must generally have been present and on time for professional commitments, including classes and field experiences. Teacher candidates must have regularly communicated about necessary absences or lateness according to the guidelines in the Professional Conduct Policy. Teacher candidates must have a record of meeting deadlines for course assignments and program requirements. A pattern of repeated absences, lateness, and failure to meet deadlines in courses or fieldwork is not acceptable. Any form of dishonesty (lying, plagiarism, forged signatures, etc.) about these and other requirements is not acceptable.

(2) Communication Skills and Social Relationships

Teacher candidates must have demonstrated the ability to express their viewpoints and negotiate difficulties appropriately, without behaving unprofessionally with instructors, peers, or students. Teacher candidates must have shown that they are ready to accept constructive feedback in a professional manner. Teacher candidates must have demonstrated an awareness of appropriate social boundaries between students and teachers and have shown that they are ready and able to observe those boundaries. Extreme forms of behavior (such as outbursts in class, sexual or other harassment, threats of suicide or of harm to others) are not acceptable.

(3) Comfort with and Concern for the Learning of all Children

Teacher candidates must be able to engage in informal conversations with children and keep their attention in such conversations. Teacher candidates must interact courteously, fairly, and professionally with people from diverse racial, cultural, and social backgrounds and of different genders or sexual orientations. Racial and other slurs are not acceptable, nor is conduct that violates the University’s Anti-Discrimination Policy or would violate the Anti-Discrimination Policy if it were directed at a member of the University community.

Procedures for Decisions and Notification

A. Academic Requirements and Criminal Disclosure Form

The Student Affairs Office has primary responsibility for confirming that a teacher candidate has met all Academic Requirements and submitted the Criminal Disclosure Form. Students are responsible for ensuring that they meet all criteria for progression to the internship, including fulfilling grade requirements. Students should meet with advisors to verify grade point averages if necessary.

If a teacher candidate’s records are not complete or if a student has failed to meet one or more Academic Requirements or to submit the Criminal Disclosure Form, the Student Affairs Office will endeavor to notify the teacher candidate and the Teacher Education Department (usually the teacher candidate’s team) before May 30 prior to the beginning of the teacher candidate’ internship. If the deficiencies are not remedied before the end of the summer term, the Student Affairs Office will so notify the Teacher Education Department (the teacher candidate’s team), and the teacher candidate’s internship will be delayed until the beginning of the next internship year assuming the deficiencies have been remedied.

B. Professional Criteria

All collaborating teachers working with students taking TE 403/404//407 and TE 405/406/408 will be asked to complete a questionnaire concerning the students’ performance in the field, including their performance with respect to the Professional Criteria. Any classroom teacher indicating concerns about a student’s performance or professionalism will be contacted by the course instructor or another team representative, and the team will investigate the concerns.
The teams will request that course instructors teaching TE 301/302, TE 403/404/407, and TE 405/406/408 identify students who may not be meeting the Professional Criteria and provide information about their possible failure to comply with the Professional Criteria. The teams will investigate any such concerns expressed by other course instructors.
Teams will investigate concerns expressed by other course instructors, including instructors in other departments, which might involve a student’s failure to meet any of the Professional Criteria.

The teacher candidate may appeal the decision to the Assistant/Associate Dean of the College of Education.

Note:

1. This requirement applies to teacher candidates who applied to Teacher Education during and after the 1994-95 academic year and who sought admission for Fall, 1995 or later terms.

2. Pre-internship Professional education courses required for teacher certification including the following:

TE 150, CEP 240/TE 250, TE 301/TE 302, TE 403/404/405/406 and /TE 407/408
TE 842 and TE 843 (for Music Education and CSD majors)
STA 481 and STA 482 (for Art Education majors)
CSD 483 (for Communicative Science and Disorders majors).

3. This requirement applies to teacher candidates accepted into Teacher Education after January 1, 1999.

4. This requirement applies to teacher candidates who were admitted to the teacher preparation program in Fall 2012 or later.

Progression to Second Semester of Internship

Students must have taken and passed TE 501, 801, and 802 (for elementary and secondary education interns) or TE 501, CEP 802A, and CEP 803A (for special education interns) prior to enrolling in and progressing to the second semester of internship. Students must also have taken and passed all prerequisites for internship-year courses and met all criteria for progression to the internship prior to enrollment in either semester of the internship experience.

Progression to Second Semester of Internship

Due Process Related to Terminated Internships

Decisions to terminate an internship are based on the professional judgment of the Teacher Preparation Program (TPP). An internship may be terminated when:
1. An intern has failed to meet expectations as articulated in the current edition of the Elementary Internship Guide, the Secondary Teacher Preparation Team Internship Guide or the Special Education Internship Guide. This decision is made after the TPP has made a good faith attempt to provide additional, targeted support to the intern (e.g., in the form of a Professional Growth Plan), and/or 2. A serious violation of professional standards has occurred.

Although decisions about the substance of the case rest with the College of Education, all students have a right to due process. A student who believes the process for terminating an internship has been violated can appeal on that basis.
The process for appealing the TPP’s decision to terminate an internship has several levels:
- The appeal is first heard by the Director of Teacher Preparation.
- The appeal is next heard by the Department of Teacher Education Chairperson.
- The appeal is next heard by the Dean of the College of Education and/or his delegate.
Failing to find resolution, the student has the right to request a review of the decision-making process by The Graduate School Judiciary. The Graduate School Judiciary will decide if a review is warranted. Decisions about the substance of the case rest with the College of Education.
The decision of The Graduate School can be appealed to the Provost.

This process was approved by the University Ombudsperson and the College of Education Assistant Dean for Student Affairs on 22 October, 2014, and approved by Teacher Preparation Committee in November, 2014.

Teacher Preparation Program Technical Standards

Teacher Preparation Program Technical Standards (PDF)

Contracts

Each school that has mentor teachers who work with seniors, and/or interns has a “school contract” with Michigan State University. The Secondary Teacher Preparation Program is providing this information regarding the funds available to mentor teachers (MTs) and their buildings. The purposes and processes outlined below reflect the policy adopted by the Teacher Preparation Academic Program and Policy Committee (TP-APPC) in the Teacher Education Department.

MENTOR TEACHER FUNDS

The mentor teachers funds are intended to honor and equip mentor teachers as partners in teacher education, by providing them modest allocations, about which they make decisions regarding the professional needs of MSU teacher candidates and interns with whom they work. These allocations are made in the expectation that the MTs who receive them will work closely with MSU as partners in teacher education.

A modest allocation is provided to the school site for two purposes: (a) to acknowledge and offset additional expenses that may be incurred by having additional professionals in the building (e.g., the cost of making copies; purchase additional equipment); and (b) to help schools to include MSU teacher candidates and interns as members of professional faculties that are engaged together in professional development and school improvement.

PURPOSE OF FUNDS

The general guiding principle for expenditures under this category is that they should support the learning of MSU teacher candidates and interns, in a partnership between teachers and MSU. Allowable costs include:

materials and equipment that increase the teacher candidates’ and interns’ opportunities to learn to teach, and/or enable the MT to work more effectively with teacher candidates and/or interns;
fees, materials, and travel expenses associated with professional development opportunities for the intern and MT;
reimbursement for continuing education tuition/fees; and
substitute teachers as needed to enable the MT to participate in periodic meetings with the teacher preparation program or to carry out other supported activities.

At their initiative, MTs may pool funds allocated to them to make purchases that support the learning of the group of teacher candidates/interns with whom they work. Prior approval of MSU is required for purchase of any items of equipment costing $500 or more.

IMPLEMENTATION OF FUNDS

Funds for the mentor teachers are distributed through school contracts. Each school building sets up its own procedure for how MTs gain access to the funds. Mentor teachers should talk with their principal to learn about their building and district internal procedure. Submission of reimbursement must be received through the district office, therefore, mentor teachers must follow internal policies and procedures for spending/reimbursement. MSU does not directly reimburse individuals.

Currently, the following allocations are provided to each school:

Funds Allocated to Mentor Teachers	Funds Allocated to the School Site*
$30 per senior/per semester	$5 per senior/ per semester
$150 per intern/ per semester	$25 per intern/ per semester

Mentor teachers with interns will be allowed to have their intern substitute for them without pay to the intern for up to 5 days for purposes of professional development, in which the mentor teacher would not otherwise be able to participate.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

In keeping with the policy adopted during the 2004-05 year, interns may provide release time for their mentor teachers for up to 5 days (or 10 half-days) for purposes of mentor teacher professional development. Interns would provide release time without pay because these five days are above and beyond the 15 days interns are allowed to substitute for pay. The five days are intended to be self-initiated by MTs and complement (not replace) in-service provided by the district.

This is an opportunity for interns to show their appreciation for all the time and effort MTs devote to supporting their learning, and to learn from the MT’s professional development experiences as well. The end of fall semester and spring semester are optimal times for mentor teachers with interns to take advantage of this opportunity to support their professional growth and build professional community within and across schools.

Here are some ideas:

A small group of teachers within a building might meet to discuss the implementation of a new instructional model that they want to try (e.g., lesson study, book club, literature circles, writers workshop), or to share and gather new resource materials for their teaching.
A small group of teachers from the same grade level or subject area might meet to share ideas about how they assess student learning and use that information to plan for further instruction.
Pairs of teachers might observe in each other’s classrooms to discuss their own teaching in a particular subject matter.
Pairs of teachers might observe each other’s interns teaching to discuss their mentoring practices.
Teachers from different schools might observe each other to become familiar with how a program is implemented in a particular subject matter area.
Teachers might choose to attend a workshop or conference on a topic of interest (e.g., the Michigan Reading Association Conference http://www.michiganreading.org/); Michigan Association for Computer Use in Learning [MACUL], http://www.macul.org/).

This list is just a sample of the types of opportunities of which MTs could take advantage. Please share additional ideas you have with others in your building! We are hoping that MTs will follow up by sharing what they are learning with other MTs and interns.

Code of Teaching Responsibility

While this code applies to the professors, instructors, and staff at the College of Education, it is posted here so that you know the Code of Teaching Responsibility which your instructors follow.

This policy was approved by the Academic Council on November 4, 1969 and the Academic Senate on November 19, 1969; it was subsequently revised by Academic Council on May 19, 1976, February 27, 1996, and April 19, 2005 (effective Fall semester 2005).

Satisfaction of teaching responsibilities by instructional staff members (herein referred to as instructors) is essential to the successful functioning of a university. This University conceives these responsibilities to be so important that performance by instructors in meeting the provisions of this Code shall be taken into consideration in determining salary increases, tenure, and promotion.

Course content: Instructors shall be responsible for ensuring that the content of the courses they teach is consistent with the course descriptions approved by the University Committee on Curriculum and the Academic Council. Instructors shall direct class activities toward the fulfillment of course objectives and shall evaluate student performance in a manner consistent with these objectives.
Course syllabi: Instructors shall be responsible for distributing a course syllabus (either in print or electronic form) at the beginning of the semester. The syllabus shall minimally include:
- (a) instructional objectives;
- instructor contact information and office hours;
- grading criteria and methods used to determine final course grades;
- date of the final examination and tentative dates of required assignments, quizzes, and tests, if applicable;
- attendance policy, if different from the University attendance policy and especially when that attendance policy affects student grades; and
- required and recommended course materials to be purchased, including textbooks and supplies.
Student Assessment and Final Grades: Instructors shall be responsible for informing students, in a timely manner so as to enhance learning, of the grading criteria and methods used to determine grades on individual assignments. Instructors shall be responsible for assessing a student’s performance based on announced criteria and on standards of academic achievement. Instructors shall submit final course grades in accordance with University deadlines.
Testing Documents: Instructors shall be responsible for returning to students student answers to quizzes, tests, and examinations with such promptness to enhance the learning experience. Instructors shall retain final examination answers for at least one semester to allow students to review or to retrieve them. All testing questions (whether on quizzes, tests, or mid-semester or final examinations) are an integral part of course materials, and the decision whether to allow students to retain them is left to the discretion of the instructor.
Term Papers and Comparable Projects: Instructors shall be responsible for returning to students student term papers and other comparable projects with sufficient promptness to enhance the learning experience. Term papers and other comparable projects are the property of students who prepare them. Instructors shall retain such unclaimed course work for at least one semester to allow students to retrieve such work. Instructors have a right to retain a copy of student course work for their own files.
Class Meetings: Instructors shall be responsible for meeting their classes regularly and at scheduled times. To allow units to take appropriate action, instructors shall notify their units if they are to be absent and have not made suitable arrangements regarding their classes.
Applicability of the Code of Teaching Responsibility to Student Assistants: Instructors of courses in which assistants are authorized to perform teaching, grading, or other instructional functions shall be responsible for acquainting such individuals with the provisions of this Code and for monitoring their compliance.
Instructor Accessibility to Students: Instructors shall be responsible for being accessible to students outside of class time and therefore shall schedule and keep office hours for student conferences. Office hours should be scheduled at times convenient to both students and instructors with the additional option of mutually convenient prearranged appointments for students whose schedules conflict with announced office hours. Each teaching unit shall determine the minimum number of office hours for instructors in that unit. Instructors who serve as academic advisors also shall be responsible for maintaining appropriate office hours before and during enrollment periods. In addition to office hours, instructor accessibility through e-mail and other means is encouraged.
Commercialization of Course Notes and Materials: The University prohibits students from commercializing their notes of lectures and University-provided class materials without the written consent of the instructor. Instructors may allow commercialization by including permission in the course syllabus or other written statement distributed to all students in the class.

Hearing Procedures

Students may register complaints regarding an instructor’s failure to comply with the provisions of the Code of Teaching Responsibility directly with that instructor.
Students may also take complaints directly to teaching units’ chief administrators or their designates. If those persons are unable to resolve matters to the student’s satisfaction, they are obligated to transmit written complaints to unit committees charged with hearing such complaints. A copy of any complaint transmitted shall be sent to the instructor. A written report of the action or recommendation of such groups will be forwarded to the student and to the instructor, normally within ten working days of the receipt of the complaint.
Complaints coming to the University Ombudsman will be reported, in writing, to chief administrators of the teaching units involved when in the Ombudsman’s opinion a hearing appears necessary. It will be the responsibility of chief administrators or their designates to inform the instructor and to refer such unresolved complaints to the unit committees charged with hearing such complaints. A written report of the action or recommendation of such groups will be forwarded to the University Ombudsman, to the student, and to the instructor, normally within ten working days of the receipt of the complaint.
Students wishing to appeal a teaching unit action or recommendation may do so as outlined in Academic Freedom Report for Students at Michigan State University, Graduate Student Rights and Responsibilities, or Medical Student Rights and Responsibilities. Such complaints must normally be initiated no later than the middle of the semester following the one wherein alleged violations occurred. Exceptions shall be made in cases where the involved instructor or student is absent from the University during the semester following the one wherein alleged violations occurred.

Grading in the Internship Year

Basis for grading

The internship experience (TE 501/502) offers an extended opportunity for learning to teach with guidance and support from practicing teachers, field instructors and other program staff. Interns and their guides share the responsibility for ongoing assessment and for more formal evaluation at the midpoint and end of each semester. The final evaluation provides a basis for recommending the intern for certification as a beginning teacher.

The program’s professional standards serve as a framework for assessment and evaluation. Developed through conversations with mentor teachers, MSU faculty and staff, the standards identify important knowledge and understandings, skills and dispositions needed to begin teaching on a solid footing and to continue learning throughout one’s teaching career. Compatible with professional standards for beginning teaching developed at the national and state levels, our program standards offer a set of aspirations to strive for and a basis for judging how interns are doing in their efforts to become well-started novices.

The year-long internship allows us to shift the focus of evaluation over the two semesters from an early emphasis on the intern’s stance as a learner to greater emphasis on the intern’s capacity to enact the standards in practice. In the first semester (TE 501) when the intern is getting to know the curriculum and students, evaluation focuses more on the intern’s openness to learning, serious attention to what the standards mean and what their enactment entails, active pursuit of guidance and feedback, and evidence of steady progress. In the second semester (TE 502), judgments center more on the intern’s understanding and performance in relation to the program standards. Eventually all four standards come into play since the intern must learn to (1) work and learn in a school as a professional; and (2) understand and teach subject matter; and (3) relate to and work with students in appropriate ways; and (4) organize and manage a classroom learning community.

Grading Options for TE 501 and TE 502

In TE 501 and TE 501, interns will be evaluated using a pass (P)/ no grade (N) system. This system encourages a shift from dependence on grades for external validation to reliance on personal and public assessment through observation, conversation, reflection and feedback. These processes serve as a source of ideas about the quality of teaching and learning displayed by the intern, and they provide direction in framing personal goals for professional development.
A P-Pass means that the intern has achieved a satisfactory level of progress and that credit is granted.

In TE 501, a Pass (P) means that the intern is open to learning, working hard to understand the standards and figure out what their enactment in classrooms entails, actively seeking guidance and feedback, and making steady progress in learning to think and act like a professional beginning teacher.
In TE 501 only, a notation of “Pass with Concern (P)” may be recorded in the program’s files, even though this rating will not appear on the intern’s transcript. This notation is appropriate where the intern is actively working on learning to teach but is experiencing difficulties putting the learning into practice. Concerns may relate to all four standards or they may focus on one of the standards.

The “Pass with Concern” notation could be used to acknowledge a concern that has already been discussed with the intern, where a plan has been developed but the problem has not been resolved by the end of the first semester. Or it could be used to communicate about a concern that surfaces late in the semester in situations where there has not yet been time to develop a plan for working with the intern. In either situation, a judgment is made that the area(s) of concern can be addressed, given a specific plan of action, appropriate resources, available time and commitment of the intern. Whether the concern arises early or late in the semester, this notation is discussed with the intern and a plan of action is developed. The problem area(s) need to be addressed in order to receive a pass (P) during TE 502 where the evaluation shifts to performance.

In TE 502, a P-Pass means that the intern shows evidence of satisfactory understanding and performance across the four standards. To recommend the intern for certification at the end of the program, there must be sufficient evidence that the intern has an understanding of what the standards mean and what they entail and can realize the standards in practice at a level appropriate for a well launched beginning teacher.

A N-No grade means that the intern did not achieve a satisfactory level of progress and performance and that no credit is granted.
In TE 501: In the first semester, a grade of N is based on evidence of serious deficiencies in the knowledge and understanding, skills and dispositions required by the program standards, or in the rate of progress toward understanding and enacting them. For example, there may be serious weaknesses in subject matter knowledge, limited initiative or openness in learning, lack of serious attention to the meaning of the standards, inattention to feedback and guidance, an insufficient rate or scope of progress. Interns who receive no grade (N) in TE 501 are not eligible to enroll in TE 502 and will not be recommended for certification.

In TE 502: In the second semester, a grade of N is based on evidence that the intern is not demonstrating a satisfactory level of performance in understanding and enacting one or more of the standards. For example, the intern’s judgment about his/her planning, teaching and/or learning to teach is not well informed or well reasoned. The intern does not examine or adjust his/her actions or thinking in light of the program standards. The rate of progress is too slow or uneven or the scope of progress too limited. Interns who receive no grade (N) in TE 502 will not be recommended for certification.

Use of Incomplete and Deferred in the Internship Year

Incomplete
According to the Academic Program Book, “the ‘I’ (incomplete) grade may be given only when the student (a) has completed at least 12 weeks of the semester, but is unable to complete the class work and/or take the final examination because of illness or other compelling reasons; and (b) has done satisfactory work in the course; and (c) in the instructor’s judgment can complete the required work without repeating the course.” In other words, interns will not be given an incomplete when they are irresponsible or delinquent in turning work in. Rather they will be given a “Pass with Concern (P)” or No grade (N). Interns who are in danger of not receiving credit should be told by the MSU liaison and/or field instructor and given clear information about what they must do to pass. This should occur at the mid-term assessment conference or as soon as the concern(s) arise.
It is seldom feasible to complete an Incomplete for TE 501 prior to the beginning of TE 502. On rare occasions, it is used at the end of TE 502 for an intern who needs to make up additional time after the end of the MSU calendar, before the end of the school year. If an intern is given an incomplete, the instructor keeps a written record of the work to be completed and the deadline for completion.

Deferred (used only for Graduate and Life-long Graduate students)
According to the Academic Program Book, the deferred can be given to interns “who are doing satisfactory work but cannot complete it because of reasons acceptable to the instructor. The required work must be completed and a grade reported within two calendar years.” As an example, this has been used for interns who encounter medical or psychological difficulties during the internship and need to postpone the internship to the following year in order to receive treatment.

The intern will not be required to register again for a deferred course; however, the intern will not be a registered student during the intervening time and will not have access to financial aid or student services on campus unless he or she registers for other courses. Also, the intern may encounter difficulties arranging for deferment of student loan payments while completing the deferred courses. If the intern wishes to have student status, the intern must check with his/her lender to learn of enrollment or loan deferment requirements. The intern may also check with the Financial Aid Office.

The Assessment Process

Regularly scheduled assessment conferences should include the intern, the MSU liaison and/or field instructor, and the mentor teacher.

Examples of the intern’s progress will be gathered from the intern’s classroom practice, from his/her participation in the professional seminar, and from other TE 501/502 assignments. Examples should reflect the intern’s professional participation in his/her own and other’s learning and will come from a variety of sources, including:

the professional judgment of the mentor teacher and MSU liaison and/or field instructor based on observation and assessment of the intern’s work in the classroom, the school and in conferences with the intern;
the intern’s questions, comments and contributions to discussions with the mentor teacher, MSU liaison and/or field instructor and colleagues in the school and in the professional seminar;
written material such as journal entries, assignments, daily plans, etc.
the intern’s attendance and promptness at teaching assignments and seminars;
the quality of materials and examples that the intern presents at assessment conferences.

Grading in TE 80x

In accordance with the Academic Standards of the university, students at the Lifelong Graduate or Graduate level must receive at least a 2.0 to be awarded credit in TE 801, TE 802, TE 803, TE 804. Also, students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0. Because TE 801 is a prerequisite for TE 803, and TE 802 is a prerequisite for TE 804, interns who receive below a 2.0 in either prerequisite will have to retake that course before proceeding in the internship.

An Incomplete for TE 801 or TE 802 must be finished before the beginning of the following semester. An intern with an unresolved incomplete grade will not be allowed to continue in the internship. All of these courses are necessary for certification and interns who receive below a 2.0 in any course will not be recommended for certification.

Letter of Good Standing

The Letter of “Good Standing” states that the candidate is enrolled in the teacher certification program at MSU, is in good standing with the University, and is currently completing the internship year. It goes on to say that the candidate could be expected to be recommended for certification during the month of June, providing that s/he applies for certification and meets all final University and State requirements. The Letter of Good Standing is distributed via the candidate’s teacher preparation team in early March of the internship year. Students who are not properly enrolled for their internship courses, have a “hold” on their academic record, have received an Incomplete or Deferred grade in an internship year course, or who are experiencing difficulty in their second semester internship field placement or coursework, are not given a “good standing” letter until such time as these difficulties have been overcome.

The 90-day Letter and Teaching Certificate

Prior to January 2011, a letter, commonly referred to as the “90-day Letter” was issued by the Office of Student Affairs in the College of Education at the same time as the candidate’s teacher certification recommendation was transmitted to the Registrar’s Office and the State of Michigan, Office of Professional Services. The letter stated that the candidate had been recommended to the State of Michigan for certification, and indicated the specific certification. The letter served as temporary verification of the candidate’s progress toward certification until the final bill for the certificate was mailed and submitted, and the certificate was mailed to the candidate.

Beginning in the spring of 2011, the State of Michigan has moved to an online recommendation process which has eliminated the need for the 90-day Letter by reducing the period between the time of the recommendation for certification to the State of Michigan and the issue of the bill from the State of Michigan for the final certificate from several weeks to approximately 24-48 hours, in virtually all cases. Because it is now possible for the candidate to receive their teaching certificate within a day or two of when they would receive the 90-day letter, the 90-day letters are no longer issued by the College of Education Student Affairs Office.

The recommendation for the teaching certificate cannot be made until after the close of grading for the spring semester of the internship year, which is typically the Tuesday following finals week. The College of Education Student Affairs Office processes about 500 applications for initial certification at this time, and the processing of these applications can take several weeks. Most applicants whose applications are complete and correct and whose coursework is completed on time are processed by the end of June. Following the reporting of grades in May, candidates may review the status of their application by accessing the online system at http://www.michigan.gov/moecs/.

The teaching certificate is issued by the State of Michigan upon payment of the licensing fee. As of June 2011, that fee was $160. Normally, school districts will require a copy of the teaching certificate in order to make a contractual offer of employment as a certified teacher. The candidate may access his/her State of Michigan certification record at https://mdoe.state.mi.us/MOECS/Login.aspx

Program Teaching Standards

These are the standards to which interns are held as they work and learn in schools. All course requirements in the teacher preparation program are also guided by the standards.

The Standards of Teaching

Adopted by the Department of Teacher Education TP-APPC at its meeting of April 25, 2006 A teacher standing in an empty classroom thinks about the tasks ahead:

employ a liberal education
teach a subject matter (or several)
engage and respond to students
organize a class (or several)
use an equipped classroom
join a faculty and school
engage parents and community
grow professionally

1. Employ a liberal education

Code	Label	Performance
1a	Communicate effectively	Communicate effectively by listening, speaking, writing, reading, and visual representations.
1b	Value education	Model the value of education in a free and pluralistic society, particularly the role of intellectual and ethical values.
1c	Uphold rights & responsibilities	Model respect for the role of the individual in a free society, including the importance of individual responsibility and respect for individual rights and values.
1d	Respect difference	Model respect for individual differences (culture, race, gender, religion, and ethnicity) and for different points of view, ethics, and values.
1e	Respect communality	Model respect for similarities within our culture and their importance to the fabric of American society, and for humankind’s shared heritage and environment.
1f	Recognize the political economy	Relate the Constitutions and histories of the United States and Michigan, as well as the market system for allocating resources.
1g	Model global perspectives	Model global and international perspectives.
1h	Care for your students	Unconditionally accept students, strive to meet their educational needs, build competence to meet their needs, and show visible care about their well-being and learning.

2. Teach a subject matter

Code	Specific label	Performance
2a	Promote free inquiry	Promote appreciation of free inquiry in the humanities, the social sciences, the mathematical and natural sciences, and the visual and performing arts.
2b	Represent subject matter validly	Validly represent and model the subject matter(s) that the teacher teaches.
2c	Teach for understanding	Create learning environments that promote critical and higher-order thinking skills, foster the acquisition of deep knowledge, and allow for substantive conversation with the teacher and/or peers about subject matter.
2d	Seek relevance & authenticity	Engage students in practical activities that demonstrate the relevance, purpose, and function of subject matter to make connections to the world beyond the classroom.
2e	Connect knowledge	Represent, model, and coach the use of knowledge from the liberal arts to analyze, synthesize, and reflect upon ideas, information, and data.
2f	Promote independent learning	Model and coach the search for and use of current information, technology, and other resources, to help students become independent learners and problem solvers.

3. Engage and respond to students

3a	Respect, care & communicate	Respect, care for, and communicate with all students. Recognizing both the challenges they face and the resources they offer, hold high expectations for all of them and work tenaciously toward their well-being, learning, and achievement.
3b	Adapt the curriculum	Apply knowledge of human development and learning, and get information from parents and colleagues, to adapt the curriculum to students. Set measurable goals for their cognitive, affective, physical, and social learning.
3c	Employ multiple strategies	Balancing individual, classroom, and community needs, employ a range of academic, social, and emotional strategies to enable all students to learn and succeed in and out of school.
3d	Motivate and engage	Find ways to motivate and engage all students in the activities of the class, treating student affiliations and characteristics as resources in the classroom.
3e	Include, accommodate & differentiate	Include, accommodate, and/or differentiate instruction for, each student, considering maturity, history, interests, achievement, and learning styles; cultural, racial, social and ethnic affiliations; and exceptional needs and abilities.
3f	Assess and adjust	Offering special testing arrangements to students who need them, employ multiple formative and summative assessments of learning to adjust plans and instruction in response to students’ interests, strengths, backgrounds, actions, and learning.

4. Organize a class

4a	Promote shared values	Create a productive environment for learning, where students develop shared values and expectations regarding their interactions, academic work, and responsibilities.
4b	Pursue equity & inclusion	Make the class an inclusive and equitable community, with diverse cultural approaches to community and interaction.
4c	Organize democratic inquiry	Foster an ethical and democratic classroom environment that supports and respects inquiry, curiosity, and risk-taking in intellectual and social contexts.
4d	Teach students their parts	Teach students the connections between learning community qualities and subject matter goals; sensitize students to the needs of their classmates; teach and model how to make appropriate accommodations.
4e	Structure participation	Employ a variety of participation structures to engage students in meaningful learning, decision-making, problem-solving, and conflict resolution.
4f	Organize activity	Employing routines where desirable, organize and introduce activities and technologies so that students are prepared for them and can carry them out successfully, making good use of their time.
4g	Assess and adjust	Assess class interaction and adjust the organization to improve the fit between classroom management strategies and instructional goals.

5. Use an equipped school room

5a	Design the classroom	Design the classroom as a safe, functional, attractive, and motivating physical environment.
5b	Use multiple modes	Use multiple literacies, materials, and media to promote inquiry, social interaction, and learning.
5c	Provide access to technology	Provide appropriate access to technology for all students; actively seeks ways to get all students to work with available technology and other resources to reach learning goals in and out of school.
5d	Technologically enhance learning	Employ technology to enhance learning environments and curriculum, aligned with Michigan’s policy and curriculum that maximize student learning.
5e	Technologically enhance assessment	Apply technology to facilitate a variety of effective assessment and evaluation strategies.
5f	Monitor technological issues	Exercise and model alertness to equity, ethical, legal, social, physical, and psychological issues surrounding the use of technology in P-12 schools.
5g	Teach care of the room	Teach students to take care of the classroom equipment, materials, and other resources.
5h	Assess and adapt the room	Monitor and adapt the physical environment on a daily basis to provide the intended environment, include all students, and use the resources of the room to promote learning.

6. Join a faculty and school

6a	Attend to policies	Identify and balance various policy options and demands to maximize student benefit, including communicating to students and their families
6b	Forge a school-based practice	Work with school colleagues to assess and improve school goals, policies, curriculum, and instruction; set expectations aligned with those; and use the resources of the school to support student learning.
6c	Participate in accountability	Participate actively and sensitively in-school assessment, evaluation, and certification processes, and uses findings to improve practice.
6d	Foster learning communities	With colleagues, seek and use research, theory, and other professional and collegial resources to learn about students, curriculum, and pedagogy, and to design goals, curriculum, and classroom practice.

7. Engage guardians and community

7a	Guard students’ welfare	Recognize and respond to signs of family situations that threaten student well-being.
7b	Recognize diverse family structures	Create learning environments that recognize diversity in family structures.
7c	Engage parents & guardians	Treat parents and guardians with respect, work with them to set expectations and support their children’s learning, and communicate assessment data to them clearly and sensitively.
7d	Use the community in teaching	Guarding against stereotyping, flexibly and sensitively learn about the community, use local history and current issues in teaching, and use community resources to support student growth and achievement.
7e	Communicate with the community	Communicate and interpret aggregated assessment results clearly and sensitively to community members, in ways that convey the strengths and limitations of these measures.
7f	Advocate for children	Advocate for students and their education, and for children’s welfare in the community at large.

8.Grow professionally

8a	Meet a teacher’s responsibilities	Accept and meet a teacher’s legal and ethical responsibilities (e.g., student retention, corporal punishment, truancy, least restrictive environment, child abuse, managing conflict, first aid, health, and communicable disease).
8b	Cultivate a teacher’s manner	Participate constructively in the school community, modeling the best of human qualities including honesty, respect, & fairness, and adapting appearance, demeanor, and communication to each situation.
8c	Forge a teaching philosophy	Articulate, justify, act on, and adapt a personal philosophy of teaching and learning that is consistent with current theory and with the ethical and legal standards of the profession.
8d	Negotiate working relationships	Negotiate one’s identity and commitments in interaction with important others. Especially, seek responsive, demanding, and supportive relationships with students.
8e	Teach responsibly	Habitually, reflect on feedback and on the consequences of choices and decisions, use multiple sources of information to assess practice and results, and recognize and change behaviors that are inconsistent with accepted standards and good results.
8f	Teach inquisitively	Systematically study one’s teaching, deliberately applying theories, concepts and ideas from coursework, considered teaching experience, and continuing professional development to one’s practice.
8g	Assess and respond	Tenaciously and skillfully assess and evaluate curriculum, instruction, and technology, and diligently use the results to improve both practice and results.

Snow Days

MSU interns are expected to follow the “snow days” policies of the school district and building in which they teach. In addition, MSU has established the following policies:

If the school district in which the intern lives has canceled school for the day due to weather conditions (but the intern’s placement school district has not), the intern should wait until it is safe to travel to his/her school placement in another district.
If on-campus MSU classes remain open during inclement weather, on-campus internship classes will be held. MSU classes held off-campus in a school district or community facility will be canceled if the school district cancels school due to inclement weather.
Interns are responsible for contacting their MTs, schools, and MSU field instructors to inform school personnel about their late arrival or absence.
During the guided lead teaching period, interns should leave plans at school each day for the following day in case of late arrivals or absences.
The interns may be held responsible for making up the time they miss due to weather conditions. These arrangements should be made with their MTs in consultation with the field instructor.
If MSU classes are NOT canceled, but the school district in which the intern lives has canceled school, the intern should wait until it is safe to travel. Interns are responsible for informing their instructors about their late arrival or absence and for making up work missed.

Substitute Teaching

Approved by the Teacher Preparation APPC, 2/15/96 (Revised 10/7/97)

Because MSU’s interns have earned bachelor’s degrees and have completed 21 semester hours of professional education by the time they enter the internship, they are qualified to work as substitute teachers under Michigan’s current administrative rules. Appointing substitute teachers is the function and responsibility of school districts.

Substitute teaching can be consistent with interns’ responsibilities and progress in the teacher preparation program, but only if certain conditions are met. This policy states when MSU interns may work as substitute teachers without jeopardizing their standing in the program. Questions regarding the policy should be directed first to the leaders of MSU’s teacher preparation teams. Before any substitute teaching is approved, the Intern Substitute Teaching Report must be complete.

Interns are novices, and they face an elevated risk of mishaps in practice. For the sole purpose of educating interns, MSU takes responsibility for such internship-related mishaps through its indemnification agreements with school districts. When school districts employ interns as substitute teachers, other purposes are served, and the school districts assume responsibility for the interns as their employees.

The internship requires good working relationships among the intern, the mentor teacher, MSU’s field instructor and school liaison, and the principal of the school. Protecting those relationships is a primary consideration in applying the following policy.

The program for MSU interns is designed to occupy them fully during school hours from the first day that mentor teachers report to their schools at the beginning of their academic year to the last day of MSU’s academic year. That is the time frame to which this policy applies.
There are times when a mentor teacher reasonably may decide to leave an intern alone in charge of students for one or two hours, either to provide the intern that experience or to do other work in the school. The intern should not expect pay on those occasions; they are not instances of substitute teaching.
When a mentor teacher attends a meeting sponsored by MSU’s teacher preparation program, the mentor teacher may leave the intern in charge of the mentor teacher’s classes; such meetings are an integral element of the teacher preparation program and the liability for the intern’s practice on these occasions is covered under MSU’s indemnification agreements with school districts.
An MSU intern may serve as a substitute teacher only for the mentor teacher with whom the intern is placed, and for a maximum of the equivalent of 15 days (i.e., 15 full days, 30 half days, or 90 one-hour periods) during the period defined in point 1, above, provided that the following conditions are met:
- The intern judges that he or she is prepared to accept the responsibility of serving as a substitute teacher, and freely chooses to do so each time s/he is asked.
- The mentor teacher determines that the interests of his or her pupils will be served.
- MSU’s field instructor and school liaison determine that the intern is making satisfactory progress in the internship, including the required coursework, and so should benefit from the experience.
- The intern has been qualified and accepted as a substitute teacher in accordance with the school district’s policies and procedures, and the district thus takes responsibility for the intern’s practice when the intern works as a substitute teacher.
- The substitute teaching does not interfere with the intern’s attendance at the MSU courses in which s/he is enrolled or with completion of assigned work in or related to those courses. Course instructors should not be asked to make exceptions to this condition; it is firm.
- The mentor teacher’s principal is informed in advance that the intern may or will serve as substitute.
After an intern has been approved to substitute teach for the first time, that approval remains in force only if the conditions listed above continue to be met on each occasion that the intern substitute teaches.
Interns are responsible for using the Intern Substitute Teaching Report to inform their teacher preparation teams. Teams will define their procedures for routing and filing the Reports.