Student Teaching

Teacher candidates in all programs within the SOE are required to complete one semester of student teaching. It is the responsibility of the candidate to become familiar with all requirements for their applicable Education program. Information regarding program requirements can be obtained from the SUNY Geneseo Undergraduate Bulletin.

All teacher education programs include a clinical/field component. If you have been convicted of a felony or other criminal charge, your criminal history record may impede your ability to complete this program and/or become a NYS certified teacher.

Application

SUNY Geneseo teacher candidates apply for student teaching one year prior to the student teaching semester. Candidates must attend the Student Teaching Application meeting and submit all required application materials by the deadline to be eligible for student teaching.  This includes the application, attestation form, and final resume, which includes participation in the resume review process with the Career Design Center.

Out-of-Area student teaching placements have additional application materials and review process for approval. This includes a supplemental application, faculty endorsements, essay, and in some cases, an interview process.  

Student teaching applications can be found on the Forms for Student Teaching webpage.

Requirements for Eligibility

Candidates must meet student teaching requirements prior to the start of the student teaching semester to be eligible for student teaching. The requirements, per program, can be found in the Student Teaching Handbook. 

Placements

The Office of Field Experiences initiates and makes all student teaching placements. To meet SUNY Geneseo program requirements, NYS regulations, and accreditation requirements, the Office of Field Experiences will arrange for two student teaching placements. An exception may be made for adolescence teacher candidates in a grade 7-12 placement in which a full semester placement would meet all requirements. Teacher candidates may not arrange for their own student teaching placements. Placements are arranged within a fifty-mile radius of Geneseo.  The candidate will not be placed in any school or school district that could create a possible conflict of interest, such as in a school where they have a relative who is an employee or in any school the candidate has attended.  

Teacher candidates who plan to enroll in student teaching must either find housing in the area of the student teaching assignment or provide transportation to the off-campus student teaching placement/site. The Office of Field Experiences cannot make transportation arrangements. Transportation needs are not a factor in making placements. SUNY Geneseo assumes no responsibility for transportation or for expenses incurred during transportation to the site. 

Alternative Student Teaching Programs

For alternative student teaching experiences, placements are determined by the experience parameters and requirements and/or school partner agreements, in addition to the NYS regulation and accreditation requirements. Alternative student teaching experiences require an additional application prior to attending.

SUTEC is a SUNY program where students are able to teach in the New York City School System.

The Alaska program is hosted through SUNY Brockport and offers students the unique opportunity to student teach in rural Alaska.

Student Teaching Policies

For detailed information regarding policies and processes for student teaching, please refer to the Student Teaching Handbook.

Accommodations

If you require accommodations for your placement due to a documented disability, please contact the Office of Accessibility Services at access@geneseo.edu, or call 585-245-5112. In order to facilitate timely implementation of approved accommodations, the deadline to submit student teaching accommodation requests is October 1 for a subsequent spring placement and March 1 for a subsequent fall placement. 

Students may request an accommodation at any time prior to, or during their student teaching placement if there is a change in disability-related barriers. However, if a request is submitted past the relevant submission deadline, the College cannot guarantee it will be able to meet the accommodation needs the same semester for which it is requested, and the student may need to participate in student teaching the following semester.

*Reasonable accommodations will be determined on a case-by-case basis and would be made in conjunction with the student, the SOE, and Office of Accessibility staff. Note: reasonable accommodations do not modify essential course and degree program requirements, including NYS certification requirements.