The student teaching experience is intended to provide pre-service teachers with rich opportunities to:
- ask important questions about teaching and learning
- come to know children and adolescents by observing and interacting with them consistently over time
- apply newly acquired knowledge, theories, strategies and models in a variety of contexts, within and across classrooms
- experiment with, design and adapt practice in response to learners' varied needs
During the student teaching experience, pre-service teachers are guided, mentored and coached by two key individuals - the cooperating teacher and the university-based supervisor.
2024-2025 Student Teaching
Student Teaching Timeline & Resources
Upon entrance to Teachers College:
- Create a New York State TEACH account to begin tracking your progress toward certification; for a tutorial on how to create a TEACH account, click here.
- Meet with an advisor to make sure you are enrolled in a program that leads to certification.
Throughout TC experience
- Complete all certification exams and certification workshops associated with your certification area (see your specific program under our requirements for initial certification). We strongly recommend that you complete your workshops and exams prior to your last semester at TC.
Before Student Teaching
- Review the 2024-2025 Student Teaching Packet (additional details on the following steps can be found there)
- Get Fingerprints on file with NYC Public Schools and initiate a transfer to your NYS TEACH account; send proof of city prints to ote@tc.edu.
- Review all resources and complete all trainings linked in our Data Privacy Attestation Form. Sign the form and send to ote@tc.edu.
- Obtain a Clearance Letter in order to be allowed to begin student teaching.
After Each Student Teaching Placement
- Submit Record of Hours form
Final Semester at Teachers College
- Fill out the Institutional Recommendation Data Form (IRDF) and submit it to OTE
- Apply for NYS certification online through the TEACH system
Key Resources
2024-2025 Student Teaching Packet
Guidance for Obtaining Digital Signatures on OTE Forms
Record of Hours
Each semester, student teachers must keep track of their hours using the Record of Hours Form. At the end of the semester, this form is signed by both the student teacher and the cooperating teacher, and sent to ote@tc.edu for record-keeping. OTE processes these forms and shares them with the registrar so that the registrar can update the student teacher's transcript and degree audit. A formal record of student teaching hours is required for both graduation and the institutional recommendation for certification. In addition, students in teacher certification programs that include field experience or practicum courses should be sure to complete a Record of Hours form for each course and send it to ote@tc.edu; all hours for these courses are categorized as field experience hours.
2024-2025 Record of Hours Deadlines:
Fall 2024 Record of Hours Form |
December 12th for graduating students December 19th for continuing students |
Spring 2025 Record of Hours Form |
April 24th for graduating students May 1st for continuing students |
Video Tutorial: Completing the Record of Hours Form for Student Teaching
Video Tutorial: Completing the Record of Hours Form for a Field Experience
TC Student Teaching Evaluation
The TC Student Teaching Evaluation was co-constructed by a team of teacher educators here at Teachers College, with the support of TC's Office of Accreditation and Assessment. It is a required final evaluation tool for student teachers in teacher education programs across the college; please consult your program's student teaching coordinator for details on the use of this tool in your program.
TC Student Teaching Evaluation
Consent Forms for Filming
Some student teachers may be interested in filming components of their student teaching experience for a TC assignment, feedback from their field supervisor, or a professional portfolio. Consent is required prior to filming of any kind.
NYC DOE Media Consent Form for Student Teachers
The form above was created by our partners at the NYC DOE for video recordings in the classroom for student teaching supervisors or student teaching assignments. It does NOT provide you with permission for any other uses, and you should never share classroom video with anyone other than your approved TC supervisor, course instructor, or course peers (if an assignment calls for it) within an approved and secure TC platform such as the TC Google Drive, TC Canvas, or TC GoReact account. Classroom videos should also only be stored on secure TC platforms (above) and not on personal devices.
OTE Consent Form for edTPA Filming in Classrooms
If you choose to complete an edTPA, you will need to use a form that explicitly names this potential use. Please find an example below. Translations of this form can be found on the 2024-2025 Certification Exams course in Canvas.
Friendly Cover Letter Template for Filming Consent Form
When asking for consent for filming, some student teachers may want to send along a more personalized introduction that explains a bit about themselves and why they are seeking permission to film in the classroom. See below for a sample cover letter that can be added to the OTE Consent Form for Filming in Classrooms.
OTE Consent form for Filming a Cooperating Teacher or Other Adult
Some student teachers may be interested in filming their Cooperating Teacher engaged in best practices, or asking their Cooperating Teacher to film themselves engaged key practices such as classroom set-up and analysis of student work. The consent form below can be used to gain consent to film one's Cooperating Teacher.
Student teachers should keep copies of completed consent forms in their own files.
For Student Teaching Coordinators
If you are running an orientation for student teachers in your program, feel free to use or adapt the Office of Teacher Education’s Introduction to Student Teaching Powerpoint!
Additional requirements and expectations
Essential Information for Student Teachers
Teacher Opportunity Corps (TOC) Program
The purpose of TOC is to increase the participation rate of historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged individuals in teaching careers.