Directions for Completing Dual Certification Student Teaching Application
Elementary Education and Special Education SPED 4770
1.
PREREQUISITES: You must complete all prerequisites for student teaching before the semester of your placement. After
submitting your application, you will receive a status notice about your application via AU email. Read the status notice carefully
for requirements and due dates.
2.
COMPLETE APPLICATION: Fully complete the attached application. There are two parts to the application. The “Student
Teaching Field Experiences Application” is used by the Field Experience Office to determine a placement site. The “Student
Teaching Candidate Information Form” is sent to the school district to assist in the placement decision. PROOFREAD AND USE
PROFESSIONAL GRAMMAR AND SPELLING. SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS AND TEACHERS READ YOUR CANDIDATE
INFORMATION FORM TO LEARN ABOUT YOU. MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION! DISTRICTS DECLINE PLACEMENTS
DUE TO POOR PROFESSIONAL WRITING. Need help? http://www.aurora.edu/academics/resources/academic-supportcenter/index.html#axzz33axCINHy
3.
KEEP A COPY: Save this file to your computer as an MS Word document. Keep a copy of the Teaching Candidate Information
Form to share with the cooperating teacher.
4.
REVIEW CAREFULLY: Review your application for accuracy. Incomplete or incorrect applications will be returned.
5.
SUBMIT: Using your Aurora University email account, send the fully completed form as an attachment to
coefield@aurora.edu. Paper copies will not be accepted. In the subject line of the email, please place:

your full name

student ID number

type of Field Experience (Pre-Teaching, Methods or Student Teaching)

semester and year requesting (Spring 2017, Fall 2016)
Example:
John Doe, # 012456, Student Teaching, Fall 2016
6.
KEEP CONFIRMATION: When your email is sent to coefield@aurora.edu, an automated confirmation of your email should be
returned to you. The system sends only one confirmation if you submit multiple emails in a 7-day period. Save this confirmation
and your sent email. Do not call or email to confirm receipt of your application at this time.
7.
ENROLL: Enroll in the Moodle information board “Professional Educator Initial Licensure Program: General Placements & Field
Experiences Information Board” (http://moodle.aurora.edu/moodle/). Joining this board allows you to receive notices when status
notices, placement notices, and other important documents affecting your placement are issued. It also provides information on
completing your placement requirements.
8.
WATCH YOUR EMAIL: Be sure your AU email account is functioning. All placement correspondence will be sent to your AU
email ONLY! Emails may be from coefield@aurora.edu, coeplace@aurora.edu, kwarren@aurora.edu, lstreit@aurora.edu, &
cwillman@aurora.edu.
9.
PLACEMENT NOTICE AND ORIENTATION: Shortly before your placement begins you will be expected to attend a mandatory
orientation event. Notice of these events will be posted to Moodle. You can also watch Moodle to see when you can expect to
receive a placement notice.
FYI
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Requirements before the semester of student teaching include passing State Content tests and completing DCFS
Mandated Reporter training. Complete information is available on Moodle at “Professional Educator Initial Licensure
Program: General Placements & Field Experiences Information Board”.
There is a student teaching fee assessed in addition to the tuition fees. The amount of the fee is posted on the class
schedule.
Submitting this application does NOT register you for the course. Be sure to register as well.
Your submission of a field experience application does not guarantee a placement. Placements are made at
the discretion of Aurora University and the area school districts.
Teacher candidates may not approach school district personnel to seek a placement.
All placements must be in a 30 mile radius of Aurora University. Placements can be up to a 1 hour commute from
the Aurora University Campus.
If you have any questions about completing the application, contact the Office of Field Experiences at:
Aurora University
College of Education, ATTN: Office of Field Experiences
Phone: 630/844-3824 or 630/844-4642 Fax: 630/844-6138
Email: coefield@aurora.edu
AURORA UNIVERSITY TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM
STUDENT TEACHING FIELD EXPERIENCES APPLICATION
(Dual Certification: Elementary Education and Special Education SPED 4770)
Degree Program: BATL (Undergraduate) Majors: Elementary Education and Special Education
Semester Requested:
Fall 20___
OR
Spring 20 ___
My typed name below authorizes the university to use its discretion in providing a copy of
my transcript(s) to schools in order to assist in the placement process. I further understand
that it is my responsibility to know and meet all prerequisites for student teaching and that
final assignment is contingent upon my fulfilling this responsibility.
Candidate Name:
Student ID#:
*Address/City/State/Zip:
Home Phone #:_________________
E-mail:
Cell Phone #:
@aurora.edu
*Please be sure to list the address you will be living at while student teaching!
All placements must be in a 30 mile radius of Aurora University. Placements can be up to a 1 hour commute
from the Aurora University Campus.
If any of the contact information or living arrangements change, please email the Clinical Placement Office
immediately at coefield@aurora.edu (This includes name changes).
Placement Preferences
For your student teaching experience, you will be placed in an elementary school for your elementary education
student teaching (8 weeks) and young children special education (4 weeks) student teaching field experiences. You
will also be placed in a setting for special education in a Middle School or High School setting (8weeks). Please
indicate your preferences below. However, the Office of Field Experiences does not guarantee placements in a
specific grade/grade range.
Special Education Older Children MS/HS (8 weeks) Indicate your first and second choice on the lines provided
Choices are:
_____Resource Room
______Self-Contained
_______Life Skills
Elementary Education (8 weeks) Indicate your first and second choice on the lines provided.
Choices are:
_____1-2
_____3-6 grade
Special Education Young Children (4 weeks) Resource setting only
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AURORA UNIVERSITY TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM
STUDENT TEACHING FIELD EXPERIENCES APPLICATION
(Dual Certification: Elementary Education and Special Education SPED 4770)
Aurora University has partnerships with area schools that have bilingual classrooms. If qualified, please indicate
your interest in a bilingual setting, indicating the language and whether you speak, read and/or write the
language.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
The School of Education at AU has established the co-teaching model in various local school districts. Many
principals and school districts are extremely invested in having student teachers in the co-teaching model. Coteaching is an attitude that both the cooperating teacher and teacher candidate share the responsibilities of the
classroom. This model gives our teacher candidates more opportunities to develop professional collaboration and
teaching strategies. All teacher candidates and cooperating teachers that take part in the model are provided
professional development. This is an excellent opportunity for our teacher candidates and a resume booster. If
you are interested in participating in the co-teaching model or would like to learn more about co-teaching, please
check the appropriate box below:
 Yes, I am interested in participating in co-teaching
 I would like more information to make a decision
 No, I am not interested in this opportunity
General Information:
1. You are responsible for your own transportation to the school where you are completing a field experience.
***All placements must be within a 30 mile radius of Aurora University. Placements can be up to a 1 hour
commute from the Aurora University Campus.*** Please indicate any concerns about transportation.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
2. List any special circumstances to inform the Office of Field Experiences (i.e., health problems, placement
requests):
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
3. Please indicate any area schools where you have children attending or relatives working:
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
4. Please indicate the high school from which you graduated, including city and state:
______________________________________________________________________________________
5. List any school districts in which you have:
____ volunteered_______________________
____ subbed___________________________
____ worked __________________________
Possible placement site? ____yes ____no
Possible placement site? ____yes ____ no
Possible placement site? ____yes ____ no
Remember to email this application as an attachment to coefield@aurora.edu.
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AURORA UNIVERSITY TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM
STUDENT TEACHING CANDIDATE INFORMATION FORM
(Dual Certification: Elementary Education and Special Education)
Degree: BATL (Undergraduate)
Majors: Elementary Education (1-6) and Special Education (K-12)
Candidate Name:
Student ID#:
Address/City/State/Zip:
Home Phone #:
Cell Phone #:
E-mail:
@aurora.edu
CLINICAL EXPERIENCES: Describe the nature of your clinical experiences including your
responsibilities, subjects taught, extent of your involvement, the activities engaged in, etc. If you had
any Methods experience(s) please indicate the District, School, Grade Level and name of the
Cooperating Teacher. You can also describe your tutoring practicum experience or clinical immersion
experience in this area.
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AURORA UNIVERSITY TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM
STUDENT TEACHING CANDIDATE INFORMATION FORM
(Dual Certification: Elementary Education and Special Education)
Candidate Name: _________________________________
ADDITIONAL RELEVANT EXPERIENCES: Describe other related experiences you have had with
children. This might include religious education, scouting, camping programs, park district programs, or
other volunteer activities with children.
SPECIAL SKILLS/ INTERESTS: Describe what special interests and/or special skills you have which
might improve your teaching ability or enhance your involvement with children. This might include skills
in art, music, sports, languages other than English, etc. For applicants indicating a language, please
indicate whether you can speak, read and/or write in this language.
EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY: In 2 pages or less, please describe your educational philosophy, with
special emphasis on your views of the processes of teaching and learning, child development, the role
of teachers, or other topics pertaining to teaching. You may choose to use a condensed version of the
statement that you created and placed in Live Text.
Remember to email this information form as an attachment to coefield@aurora.edu.
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