Student Teaching
Pre-service Teaching Experiences
Pre-service teaching experiences and student teaching are frequently cited in teacher education literature as the single component of having the highest impact on future teaching behaviors of teacher candidates. Prospective employers consider it the most critical element of teacher education programs.
The University of Wisconsin-River Falls School of Education prides itself in the preparation of our students with the following goals:
Carefully selected experiences which:
- focus on content specific placements.
- focus on a wide variety of developmental levels.
- provide a balance of rural, urban and suburban settings.
- provide opportunities to work with advanced teaching technology.
- provide highly dedicated, accomplished and competent Pre-K-12th grade mentor teachers.
- provide classroom connections with university course work.
Learn about applying to student teach. For more information, contact Wanda Schlesser, director of field experience, at wanda.schlesser@uwrf.edu.
Resources for Candidates
Resources for Cooperating Teachers
Handbook for Student Teacher Candidates, Cooperating Teachers, and University Supervisors
Please refer to the web version of the handbook for the most current policies and procedures.
Handbook last updated: 1/1/2025
Placement School Districts
- Student Teaching Area 1
- Ellsworth - Hager City
- Elmwood
- Prescott
- Spring Valley
- River Falls
- Student Teaching Area 2
- Boyceville
- Durand
- Glenwood City
- Menomonie
- Plum City
- Student Teaching Area 3
- Barron
- Clayton
- Clear Lake
- Prairie Farm
- Turtle Lake
- Student Teaching Area 4
- Amery
- Osceola
- Somerset
- St. Croix Falls
- Student Teaching Area 5
- Baldwin-Woodville
- Hudson
- New Richmond
- St. Croix Central
- Student Teaching Area 6
- Forest Lake
- Mahtomedi
- Stillwater
- White Bear Lake
- Student Teaching Area 7
- Anoka-Hennepin
- Roseville
- Mounds Park Academy
- Mounds View
- N.St.Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale
- Student Teaching Area 8
- St. Paul
- Student Teaching Area 9
- West St. Paul
- Inver Grove
- South St. Paul
- Burnsville
- Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan
- Student Teaching Area 10
- Hastings
- South Washington County
- Cannon Falls
- Red Wing
- Student Teaching Area 11
- Milwaukee Public Schools (elementary only)
Student Teaching FAQs
Students are not permitted to make their own placements. All placements are made through the Field Experience Office.
Schools and districts who have responded to our office are contacted about student teachers needing placements for the upcoming semester. Your resume, personal statement, and placement request are sent to a respective school in your designated area of preference. Only one placement request is made per student teacher at a time. This allows school personnel to decide if the placement would be a "good fit". It is very important that all information you submit for student teaching placement be of high quality. This is one of your first experiences for "marketing" yourself. It is a very competitive market as approximately 15 other colleges and universities within the area are also vying for student teaching placements in the surrounding school districts.
In most every case, the answer is no. On rare occasions, there may be extenuating circumstances that warrant an exception to this policy.
MapQuest will provide you with directions.
Most students spend on average 60 hours a week dedicated to student teaching. (This includes planning, grading, meetings, before and after school obligations to the district.) Student teaching needs to be your number once priority. You will be performing as a teacher while student teaching which means you will be responsible for students and their learning while your are in the school. If you are tired or unprepared, the education of your students with whom you have been entrusted, will suffer.
You will receive the evaluation rubric at your first student teaching seminar.
Student teaching is a university class. It is a full day, full semester experience following the cooperating teacher’s schedule and calendar. Students may not “finish” early in order to accept a position.
The Student Teaching office can not guarantee placements. It is your responsibility to present yourself professionally with the application process. If you are turned down from two placement requests, you will be placed in the student teaching candidate pool the following semester. We do make every effort to accommodate all requests to student teach. However some circumstances beyond our control may affect the number of placements available during a given term. (work to rule, teacher strikes, total number of requests.)
We do our very best to resolve any problematic situations, whether they occur before or during student teaching. It may be possible to find a new placement if the situation cannot be resolved, and either the principal, cooperating teacher, or university supervisor recommends that a change be made.
Students always have the option of withdrawing from student teaching (following the guidelines for withdrawing from any course) and receiving a new placement during a subsequent semester.
We work with the student, cooperating teacher, and supervisor to resolve the situation, with as little disruption as possible. If an illness is for a prolonged period of time the student may need to withdraw and complete student teaching during another semester.
A list of participating school districts can be found above.
You will receive notification of your placement(s) sometime between mid-April and May 15 for fall student teachers and sometime between late-November and December 15 for spring student teachers.
YES! You must have the following items completed before you can student teach:
- A completed TB test.
- An additional background check, if it is required by the district in which you are student teaching.
- A completed GATE 1 of the assessment portfolio. (Due June 30 for fall student teachers and December 1 for spring student teachers.)
- Contact with your cooperating teacher(s) and a face-to-face meeting(s).
