16 Ky. Admin. Regs. 5:040

Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 5, November 1, 2024

Section 16 KAR 5:040 - Admission, placement, and supervision in student teaching

RELATES TO: KRS 161.020, 161.028, 161.030, 161.042

NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY: KRS 161.028 requires that an educator preparation institution be approved for offering the preparation program corresponding to a particular certificate on the basis of standards and procedures established by the Education Professional Standards Board. KRS 161.030 requires that a certificate be issued to a person who has completed a program approved by the Education Professional Standards Board. KRS 161.042 requires the Education Professional Standards Board to promulgate an administrative regulation relating to student teachers, including the qualifications for cooperating teachers. This administrative regulation establishes the standards for admission, placement, and supervision in student teaching.

Section 1. Cooperating Teacher Eligibility Requirements.

(1) The cooperating teacher, whether serving in a public or nonpublic school, shall have:

(a) A valid teaching certificate or license for each grade and subject taught; and

(b) At least three (3) years of teaching experience as a certified educator.

(2) A teacher assigned to a teaching position on the basis of a provisional or emergency certificate issued by the Education Professional Standards Board shall not be eligible for serving as a cooperating teacher.

(3) Prior to student teacher placement, a cooperating teacher shall receive training approved by the Education Professional Standards Board and provided at no cost to the cooperating teacher by the educator preparation institution which shall include the following components:

(a) Basic responsibilities of a cooperating teacher;

(b) Best practice in supporting the student teacher; and

(c) Effective assessment of the student teacher.

(4) Each educator preparation institution shall file an electronic report with the Education Professional Standards Board every semester which identifies the following:

(a) Each candidate at the educator preparation institution enrolled in student teaching;

(b) The candidate's assigned school;

(c) The cooperating teacher assigned to each candidate;

(d) The cooperating teacher's area of certification;

(e) The cooperating teacher's years of experience as a certified or licensed educator; and

(f) The number of days the cooperating teacher supervised the student teacher during the semester.

Section 2. Admission to Student Teaching. Admission to student teaching shall include a formal application procedure for each teacher candidate.

(1) Prior to and during the student teaching experience, the teacher candidate shall adhere to the Professional Code of Ethics for Kentucky School Personnel established in 16 KAR 1:020.

(2) Prior to admission to student teaching, each teacher candidate shall complete a minimum of 200 clock hours of field experiences in a variety of primary through grade 12 (P-12) school settings which allow the candidate to participate in the following:

(a) Engagement with diverse populations of students which include:

1. Students from a minimum of two (2) different ethnic or cultural groups of which the candidate would not be considered a member;

2. Students from different socioeconomic groups;

3. English language learners;

4. Students with disabilities; and

5. Students from across elementary, middle school, and secondary grade levels;

(b) Observation in schools and related agencies, including:

1. Family Resource Centers; or

2. Youth Service Centers;

(c) Student tutoring;

(d) Interaction with families of students;

(e) Attendance at school board and school-based council meetings;

(f) Participation in a school-based professional learning community; and

(g) Opportunities to assist teachers or other school professionals.

(3) The educator preparation institution shall maintain electronic records that confirm all candidates enrolled in student teaching have fulfilled the field experiences required in subsection (2) of this section. Beginning July 1, 2019, the educator preparation institution shall maintain electronic records in the Kentucky Field Experience Tracking System (KFETS) that confirm all candidates enrolled in student teaching have fulfilled the field experiences required in subsection (2) of this section.

Section 3. Cooperating Teacher to Student Teacher Ratio. The ratio of student teachers to cooperating teachers shall be one-to-one.

Section 4. University Supervisor.

(1) The university supervisor shall conduct a minimum of four (4) observations of the student teacher in the actual teaching situation, a portion of which may be remote. Requests for remote observation(s) shall be submitted to and approved by EPSB prior to observation(s).

(2) The observation reports shall be filed as a part of the student teacher record and used as a validation of the supervisory function.

(3) The university supervisors shall be available to work with the student teacher and personnel in the cooperating school regarding any problems that may arise relating to the student teaching situation.

(4) University supervisors shall receive training approved by the Education Professional Standards Board and provided at no cost to the university supervisor by the educator preparation institution which shall include the following components:

(a) Basic responsibilities of a university supervisor;

(b) Best practice in supporting the student teacher; and

(c) Effective assessment of the student teacher.

Section 5. Professional Experience.

(1) The educator preparation institution shall provide opportunities for the student teacher to assume major responsibility for the full range of teaching duties, including extended co-teaching experiences, in a real school situation under the guidance of qualified personnel from the educator preparation institution and the cooperating elementary, middle, or high school. The educator preparation institution and the school district shall make reasonable efforts to place student teachers in settings that provide opportunities for the student teacher to develop and demonstrate the practical skills, knowledge, and professional dispositions essential to help all P-12 students learn and develop.

(2) A student teacher shall not be placed in a setting that is not consistent with his or her planned certification content and grade range.

(3) The student teacher placement shall provide the student teacher with the opportunity to engage with diverse populations of students.

(4) Each educator preparation institution shall provide a full professional semester to include a period of student teaching for a minimum of seventy (70) full days, or its equivalent, in instructional settings that correspond to the grade levels and content areas of the student teacher's certification program. Institutions unable to locate a placement aligned with grade level requirements in this section shall submit an alternative placement request to EPSB staff. EPSB staff may pre-approve the alternative placement request if the alternative placement request includes:

(a) A description of the efforts of the institution to locate a placement aligned with grade level requirements in this section;

(b) The rationale for the choice of the identified alternative placement;

(c) Statements of support for the alternative placement from the principal and the cooperating teacher; and

(d) Evidence of the candidate's variety of field experiences prior to student teaching. All alternative placement requests shall be placed on the consent agenda for the next regularly scheduled meeting of the board and shall be contingent upon board approval. The EPSB waiver committee may review submissions prior to the board meeting and recommend that the board move items from the consent items to the action or waiver items on the agenda. Pre-approval shall not be granted if the alternative placement does not meet the criteria set forth in this subsection. All alternative placements that are not eligible for pre-approval shall be placed on the agenda of the next regularly scheduled meeting of the board as a waiver item for consideration.

1. Candidates pursuing a primary through grade 12 certificate shall have their student teaching balanced between an elementary school placement and middle school or high school placement.

2. Candidates pursuing an elementary certificate shall have their student teaching balanced between a placement in primary through grade 3 and a placement in grade 4 or grade 5.

3. Candidates seeking dual certification in either middle school or secondary content areas shall have equal placements in both content areas.

(5) The educator preparation institution shall use the Kentucky Teacher Internship Program Teacher Performance Assessment documents established in 16 KAR 7:010.

(6) A student teacher shall not have responsibility for the supervision or instruction of P-12 students without the direct supervision of a certified educator.

(7) A student teacher shall not receive direct compensation for student teaching.

(8) The educator preparation institution shall maintain electronic records that confirm that all students meet the requirements of this section.

Section 6. Compensation of Cooperating Teachers.

(1) The Education Professional Standards Board may make arrangements with local school districts to compensate a cooperating teacher.

(2)

(a) The educator preparation institution shall electronically submit a report of all cooperating teachers and their corresponding student teachers to the Education Professional Standards Board:

1. On or before September 30 for a cooperating teacher supervising a student teacher during the fall semester; or

2. On or before February 1 for a cooperating teacher supervising a student teacher during the spring semester.

(b) Each report shall include:

1. The number of contract weeks that the cooperating teacher is working with each student teacher for that semester;

2. The cooperating teacher's full name and Social Security number;

3. The student teacher's full name, Social Security number, demographic data, and contact information;

4. The student teacher's preparation and certification area by assigned certification code; and

5. The names of the school district and school where the cooperating teacher is employed and the student teaching requirement is being fulfilled. If the certified cooperating teacher is employed in a nonpublic school which meets the state performance standards as established in KRS 156.160 or which has been accredited by a regional or national accrediting association, the institution shall submit the name of the school.

(c) If an educator preparation institution fails to provide the report by the date established in paragraph (a) of this subsection, the Education Professional Standards Board shall not be liable for payment under this administrative regulation.

(3)

(a) The electronic voucher shall be electronically signed by the cooperating teacher and the university supervisor as verification of the cooperating teacher's service to the student teacher and submitted to the Education Professional Standards Board:

1. On or before December 15 during the fall semester; or

2. On or before May 1 during the spring semester.

(b) If a cooperating teacher fails to provide the completed electronic payment voucher by the date established in paragraph (a) of this subsection, the cooperating teacher shall not be eligible to receive any compensation available under this administrative regulation.

(4)

(a) The payment to a cooperating teacher shall be determined based upon available funding allocated under the biennial budget bill and the total number of days served by all cooperating teachers reported for the fiscal year.

(b) The payment shall be allocated to a cooperating teacher based upon the number of days the teacher supervised a student teacher as reported in subsections (2) and (3) of this section, not to exceed more than seventy (70) days in a semester.

(5) Payments to cooperating teachers shall be disbursed to the school districts or to cooperating teachers in nonpublic schools by the Education Professional Standards Board:

(a) On an annual basis; and

(b) On or before June 30.

(6) Any payment of state funds under this administrative regulation shall:

(a) Be a supplement to the compensation provided by an educator preparation institution to a cooperating teacher who is supervising an institution's student teacher; and

(b) Not supplant the educator preparation institution's compensation responsibility.

16 KAR 5:040

23 Ky.R. 4281; eff. 8-4-1997; 27 Ky.R. 1082; 1475; eff. 12-21-2000; 28 Ky.R. 2077; 2347; eff. 5-16-2002; Recodified from 704 KAR 20:706, 7-2-2002; 33 Ky.R. 838; 1274; eff. 12-1-2006; 38 Ky.R. 637; 887; eff. 11-14-2011; 44 Ky.R. 1591, 1956; eff. 4-6-2018.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: KRS 161.028, 161.030, 161.042