Placement Procedures
Placement Sites
In keeping with the Conceptual Framework, licensure programs at UNCG seek field placements at
schools/agencies that are highly impacted; have strong leadership and inclusive practices; and have
diverse populations with respect to race, culture, ethnicity, social class, exceptionality, and language.
In keeping with state pre-service training expectations, identified school settings often are traditional
public schools but on occasion may be Department of Public Instruction-accredited charter schools
with at least a 1:15 teacher to student ratio (i.e., at least 15 students in the class). Additionally, much
effort is given to identifying outstanding teachers and other licensed professionals who want to
mentor licensure candidates, have expertise in their field, and are willing to work collaboratively.
These cooperating teachers typically are identified through recommendations from host school
system/agency administrators, host school field coordinators, previous experience with
placements/schools, and recommendations of colleagues by UNCG graduates. While UNCG has
formal partnership agreements with over 65 districts, schools, and agencies, most placements are
arranged within a 50 mile radius of UNCG’s campus due to travel constraints of candidates, who
must provide their own transportation, and university supervisors. (As UNCG explores different
technology options for distant supervision, this radius may be extended.)
Placement Process
Often, initial contact regarding future field placements is made by university supervisors as they visit
current interns/student teachers and their cooperating teachers. Then, the university supervisors
communicate preferences for cooperating teachers and placement sites to the placement coordinator,
who identifies approved cooperating teachers through the district offices/agencies and works with
school/agency administrators and placement coordinators to secure placement commitments for the
following semester or academic year. Once administrator recommendations are communicated back
to the university supervisors, university supervisors pair licensure candidates with cooperating
teachers based on candidate needs and the greatest opportunities for professional growth. The
placement coordinator then provides information about these placements to the appropriate
district/agency personnel.
Placement Timeline
In keeping with the placement-related deadlines established by UNCG’s many partner
districts/agencies, UNCG adheres to the following placement timeline (student teaching placement
deadlines are listed in red; all other deadlines refer to non-student teaching field experiences):
Function
Entity
Date Due
Responsible
Placement
January
Coordinator
List of eligible cooperating teachers (as received
from some districts) are sent to the program
coordinators
Potential cooperating teachers are identified and
University
January - April
contacted by university supervisors during site
Supervisors
visits
Placements for Fall Semester (and Spring if at Same Site)
Fall student teaching requests are due to the
Program
March 1
placement coordinator
Coordinators
Administrators are contacted for fall student
Placement
March - April
teaching placement approval and district-required
Coordinator
paperwork is completed
District-required paperwork is submitted for fall
Placement
April 30
student teaching placements
Coordinator
Background checks are reviewed by district
District
May - June
personnel
Personnel
All other (non-student teaching) fall placement
Program
June 1
(and spring if at the same site) requests are due to
Coordinators
the placement coordinator
Fall student teaching placements are finalized by
District
June 4
district personnel
Personnel
Administrators are contacted for placement
Placement
June - August
approval for fall (and spring if at same site)
Coordinator
Lists of administrator-approved placements for fall Placement
August
(and spring if at same site) are sent to the program
Coordinator
coordinators
Lists of candidate-cooperating teacher pairings for
Program
September 1
fall (and spring if at same site) are due to the
Coordinators
placement coordinator
Candidate-cooperating teacher pairings for fall
Placement
September 4
(and spring if at same site) are shared with partner
Coordinator
schools
Function
Entity
Date Due
Responsible
Placements for Spring Semester (and Summer)
Spring student teaching placement (if not at same
Program
September 1
sites as fall placements) requests are due to the
Coordinators
placement coordinator
Administrators are contacted for spring student
Placement
September – October
teaching placement (if not at same site as fall
Coordinator
placement) approval and district-required
paperwork is completed
District-required paperwork is submitted for
Placement
October 15
spring student teaching placements
Coordinator
Background checks are reviewed by district
District
October – December
personnel
Personnel
All other (non-student teaching) spring placement
Program
December 1
(if not at same sites as fall placements) requests are Coordinators
due to the placement coordinator
Spring student teaching placements are finalized
District
December 10
by district personnel
Personnel
Administrators are contacted for placement
Placement
December – January
approval for spring (if not at same site as fall)
Coordinator
Lists of administrator-approved placements for
Placement
January
spring (if not at same site as fall) are sent to the
Coordinator
program coordinators
Lists of candidate-cooperating teacher pairings for
Program
February 1
spring (if not at same site as fall) are due to the
Coordinators
placement coordinator
Candidate-cooperating teacher pairings for spring
Placement
February 4
are shared with partner schools
Coordinator
NOTE
The due dates in the previous chart allow UNCG to meet the various deadlines set by partner districts/agencies
and are meant to indicate final due dates (i.e., changes to placements after these deadlines should occur in rare
circumstances only). Placement requests are made as they are received, so earlier submission of placement
requests may allow for placements to be finalized prior to the indicated dates. Thus, program coordinators are
encouraged to submit placement requests (for fall, spring, and/or summer) as early as possible.
Placement Policies
In addition to adhering to the aforementioned timeline, the UNCG Collaborative for Educator
Preparation (informed by the Council of Program Coordinators with representatives from each
licensure program) has specific policies regarding the clinical experiences of licensure candidates.
These policies guide the organization and evaluation of clinical experiences from pre-admission to
recommendation for licensure and are explained in more detail in the Teacher Education Handbook.
Criminal Background Check – In order to participate in field-based experiences, all licensure
candidates must complete the Criminal Background Check Form and pay the required fee before
visiting a classroom or agency. Candidates that do not receive a clear background check must submit
a statement of explanation to the placement coordinator detailing the nature, date, and outcome of
the incident. This statement is required for charges, dismissals, prayer for judgment, nolo contendere
(no contest), and guilty or not guilty pleas (including minor traffic violations). Explanations will be
kept on file (requiring update for any new charges) with limited information shared with partner
districts/agencies as necessary. Serious charges or failure to disclose criminal history may result in a
candidate’s inability to secure field placements and/or removal from Teacher Education.
Professional Liability Insurance – In addition to the required criminal background check, all
licensure candidates must secure $1,000,000.00 in professional liability insurance coverage that is
active for the duration of the clinical experience before visiting a classroom or agency. Proof of this
coverage is to be submitted by the candidates to the Office of Student Services (OSS) in room 140 of
the School of Education Building or to the OSS email (soeoss@uncg.edu). Details on this requirement
and a list of courses with field experiences (thus requiring the criminal background check and
professional liability insurance) may be found on the OSS website. (This list is fluid and constantly
being updated as other courses add field-based experiences.) In instances in which a candidate causes
damage or injury during the field experience, neither the University nor the state of North Carolina
will be responsible for providing legal defense for that individual nor for paying for any judgment
that may be entered against the individual.
Admission to Student Teaching – In order to be eligible to student teach, candidates must be
admitted to Teacher Education by February 15 the year before spring student teaching or November
1 the year before fall student teaching. Additionally, candidates must meet all individual program
requirements, including GPA minimums and the satisfactory completion (grade of C or better) of
prerequisite licensure courses.
Visiting Student Teaching – Under special circumstances students may be approved to
student teach under the supervision of another college or university. Additionally, in special
circumstances, student teachers from other colleges or universities may arrange supervision through
UNCG at the visiting candidate’s expense ($600 for the semester to cover mileage, etc.).
Attendance and Scheduling – Absence from student teaching is excused only in cases of
serious illness or emergency, and those exceeding five days must be made up before the candidate
may receive course credit. Candidates are not expected to make up days due to official school
closings. Notification of intended absence should be communicated directly to the cooperating
teacher, administrator, and university supervisor in advance of the absence and with as much notice
as possible.
Supervision – Teachers must meet all of the qualifications established by the Department of
Public Instruction (DPI) for mentor teachers as well as the district in which they teach in order to be
eligible to supervise a UNCG student teacher. The guidelines outlined by DPI for the selection of
mentor teachers include:
1. Successful teaching in the area of licensure
a. appraisal ratings among the highest in the school (regardless of instrument/process
used)
b. strong recommendations from principal and peers
2. Commitment
a. willingness to serve as a [cooperating teacher]
b. willingness to participate in on-going annual professional development related to
mentoring
3. Other
a. preference given to career status teachers who have experience in the district norms,
culture, and mission, as well as the state's goals (ABC's), strategic priorities, and
standard course of study
b. preference given to those who have successfully completed [cooperating teacher]
training (offered at UNCG as an online TGAP module (email Dr. Cheryl Greenberg for
an invitation to the course) and the summer Clinical Teacher/OSTE Training (email
Christina O’Connor for dates)
Evaluation during Student Teaching – Candidates’ clinical performance will be evaluated by
UNCG faculty and the cooperating teacher at least three times using the Teacher Growth and
Assessment for Pre-Service (TGAP) rubric. Candidates must receive a score of 3 or better on a 6-point
scale on each TGAP rubric in order to be eligible for recommendation for licensure at the end of
student teaching. Also at the end of student teaching, candidates’ performance will be evaluated by
UNCG faculty and the cooperating teacher using the North Carolina Certification of Teaching
Capacity (CoTC), which is aligned with the TGAP so that scores of 3 or above should result in a
“met” on each item. Candidates must receive the rating of “met” in all categories in order to be
eligible for recommendation for licensure.
Professional Disposition – Candidates must receive a score of 3 or better on a 6-point scale in
all categories on the last of the three (at or near the end of student teaching) Candidate Dispositions
Assessment Process (CDAP) in order to be eligible for recommendation for licensure. Candidates
who receive unsatisfactory scores will be required to successfully complete a behavior intervention
plan, as described in the Professional Improvement Policy (PIP).
Ethical Behavior – Candidates must adhere to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Academic Integrity Policy and Student Code of Conduct, the Code of Ethics for North Carolina Educators,
and public school laws of North Carolina.
Teaching Portfolio – All candidates must compile and submit teaching portfolios through
TaskStream and receive a passing evaluation (demonstrating proficiency in meeting the North
Carolina Professional Teaching Standards) in order to be eligible for recommendation for licensure.
With the exception of students in the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) programs, candidates for a
master’s degree must also provide evidence of meeting the North Carolina Standards for Graduate
Teacher Candidates.
Lateral Entry Teaching – Lateral entry teachers in UNCG’s NC TEACH program must
successfully complete at least one year as a lateral entry teacher in the licensure area, with 50% or
more of their teaching responsibilities in their licensure content. In order to be supervised and
evaluated by UNCG faculty (along with school-based faculty and/or administrators), NC TEACH
participants must obtain a lateral entry position within a 50 mile radius of UNCG’s campus (or these
individuals should go through a Regional Alternative Licensure Center (RALC) to fulfill the lateral
entry requirements).
Substitute Teaching – Approval for substitute teaching may be made at the recommendation
of the university supervisor as long as all student teaching paperwork required by UNCG and the
district is finalized. For short-term substitute teaching (1-3 days), candidates may only substitute for
their cooperating teachers and must receive approval from their university supervisors, who will
then inform the placement coordinator of the arrangement. For long-term substitute teaching (more
than 3 days), the candidate must obtain a letter of approval signed by the principal, cooperating
teacher, and university supervisor as well as written guarantees of continued university and on-site
supervision (to include completion of all evaluation forms) during the substitute teaching timeframe.
These letters of approval, support, and guarantees of supervision must be submitted to the placement
coordinator for final approval. During the substitute teaching position, candidates must remain
enrolled in the student teaching course and successfully complete all licensure program
requirements.