Practicum Information
General Information:
Student Teaching is the culminating field experience of the Early Childhood and Childhood Education program. Student teaching must be completed through SUNY Cortland at one of the approved student teaching centers. Student Teaching is typically done the semester following the Internship Block. If a delay is necessary, the candidate should consult with their advisor to revise the degree plan and complete a Delay of Student Teaching form (available within the Childhood /Early Childhood Department).
Student Teaching Centers:
Student teachers at SUNY Cortland are placed in one of a variety of Student Teaching Centers throughout New York State. Supervisors are employed faculty and staff of SUNY Cortland and are trained in accordance with New York State Certification requirements. Groups of student teachers will complete their student teaching within center regions and will attend seminars on a regular basis during student teaching. Student teachers will remain in the same center with the same supervisors for both student teaching quarters.
Albany Area Center
(Albany, East Greenbush, Middleburgh, Guilderland, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady City, Fort Edward, Schodack)
Auburn Area Center
(Auburn City, Jordan-Elbridge, Moravia, Port Byron, Romulus, Seneca Falls, Skaneateles, Southern Cayuga, Union Springs, Waterloo, Weedsport)
Binghamton Area Center
(Afton, Bainbridge-Gilford, Binghamton City, Chenango Forks, Chenango Valley, Greene, Harpursville, Johnson City, Maine-Endwell, Newark Valley, Norwich, Oxford, Susquehanna Valley, Union-Endicott, Vestal, Windsor)
Buffalo Area Center
Rochester Area Center
Cortland Area Center
(Cincinnatus, Cortland City, DeRuyter, Dryden, Groton, Homer, Marathon, McGraw, Tully, Whitney Point)
Corning Area Center
Ithaca Area Center
(Ithaca City, Lansing, Newfield, Trumansburg, Candor, Spencer-Van Etten, Owego-Apalachin, South Seneca)
Long Island Center
New York City Center
( Manhattan)
Syracuse Area Center
(Baldwinsville, Brookfield, Canastota, Central Square, Chittenango, Clinton, East Syracuse-Minoa, Fabius-Pompey, Lafayette, Liverpool, Lyncourt, Madison, Marcellus, Morrisville Eaton, Phoenix, Rome City, Solvay,
Westchester Area Center
(Ossining, Yonkers, Peekskill)
International
Australia- Fall and Spring semester
Traveling during Student Teaching:
There are no guarantees that students teachers will be placed in a geographic area of his/her choice: specific schools within each geographic area will not necessarily be available. It is not uncommon for a student teacher to drive from 45 minutes to an hour to reach his/her assigned placement for student teaching. Transportation is the responsibility of the student teacher.
Grade level Placements:
Early Childhood and Childhood Education (ECD) candidates will complete two placements, one at the early childhood level (PreK-2) and one at the intermediate level (grades 3-6). Each of these placements will typically be at different
Practicum Teachers and Student Teaching:
It is possible for candidates to be placed for student teaching with the teacher with whom they did a SUNY Cortland practicum experiences. However, both the candidate and the host teacher must agree to this arrangement. In order to request a student teaching placement with their practicum host teacher, candidates must complete the specified forms distributed with the application for student teaching. Placements must be approved by school administrators.
Applying for Student Teaching:
Candidates must attend a Student Teaching Application meeting held the second week of the semester prior to student teaching (during Internship Block). At this meeting, the application process will be explained and applications for student teaching will be distributed. All materials must be submitted to the Childhood/Early Childhood Education Department by the due date, usually the fourth week of the semester. No late applications will be accepted.
Candidates must meet the eligibility requirements for student teaching at the time of application. This date occurs about the fourth week of each semester. Students who are not eligible must reapply for student teaching during the semester that eligibility is obtained. This means that student teaching eligibility requirements must be met one full semester before student teaching.
We encourage candidates to review their student teaching eligibility before
Student Teaching Eligibility Requirements:
Students must maintain their eligibility throughout the semester prior to student teaching. Students who become ineligible during this semester will lose their student teaching placement. Summer or intersession courses may not be used to regain eligibility for the following semester.
Eligibility requirements at
No outstanding incompletes.
2.8 overall GPA for
C or higher grade in each pedagogy (major) course
"Good Standing" status (e.g., not on academic probation), including professional and positive review according to college-wide requirements of moral character.
Completion of the Child Abuse Recognition, School Violence Prevention Workshops and Dignity for All Students
Successful completion of all prerequisite education courses:
EDU 270, EDU 334, EDU 331, SPE 270, EDU 333, LIT 371, EDU 340, EDU 315, EDU 373, EDU 374, EDU 375, EDU 481, LIT 372
Receiving Student Teaching Placements and Supervisor Assignments:
Eligible candidates first are notified of the center placement by mid-semester. Candidates will then attend a mandatory Student Teaching Induction, usually held during the last week of class. They will then receive their student teaching placements via their SUNY Cortland email (emailed from the FESP Office). Supervisors are the course instructors for student teaching