University Council on Teacher Education
Policies
The University of Delaware wants to ensure that our teacher education candidates maintain the highest degree of professionalism and that our teacher education programs are producing effective educators. Therefore, the University Council on Teacher Education (UCTE) developed policies to promote candidate safety, professionalism, and assessments tools for candidates to become successful educators.
Bylaws
Portrait of a UD Teacher
Clearances
All students taking a course with a field placement must complete a set of clearances by the first day of the semester or the first day of the student teaching experience. Students will not be permitted to attend their placement if these clearances are not completed in a timely manner. The clearances include fingerprinting, Criminal Background Check, Child Protection Registry Clearance and tuberculosis test.
Conduct and Professionalism
- The University of Delaware (UD) professional education faculty and staff and their school-based partners have the responsibility of evaluating the effectiveness of professional education candidates. To be successful, educators must purposefully act in caring, fair, professional, respectful, and responsible ways. UD’s University Council on Teacher Education (UCTE) created a Professionalism Policy for Professional Education Candidates, identifying eight dispositions that candidates should exhibit to become an effective educator.
- Professionalism Policy For Professional Education Candidates
- One of the goals of the University Council on Teacher Education (UCTE) is to ensure “that the University of Delaware offers only professional education programs of high quality.” and the policies apply to all professional education programs. Any student who is suspected of a violation of the Code of Conduct must go through a review process by the Professional Education Conduct Board to determine if further sanctions are warranted. Following the Board Review, if a candidate is in violation of UD’s Student Code of Conduct they may be removed from their field placement and/or prohibited from future field placements. (Effective December 11, 2013)
- Professional Education Conduct System
Field Experience
- Safety Policies
- School Wide Disruption Policy
- The Teacher Education badge for the field placements consists of a plastic badge holder which contains a printed insert issued by The Office of Clinical Studies (OCS) and the Student ID Card. The printed insert will have the words “Teacher Candidate” at the top, an education-related logo in multiple colors, and an expiration date specific to that particular candidates’s area of study. The insert will be printed on either yellow or light blue paper depending on the year issued. Candidates will be responsible for purchasing the plastic badge holder and lanyard from the bookstore. Either the Associate Director or the Assistant Director of OCS will come to a scheduled class and distribute the inserts. (Effective February, 2007)
Assessments
- See policy regarding requirements to enroll in student teaching, under “Student Teaching” below.
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Candidates must earn a passing score on the content area test (e.g., Praxis Subject Assessment, formerly known as Praxis II) in their discipline required by the State of Delaware to receive the institutional recommendation for certification (effective September 2014). Starting in Fall 2022, candidates must pass this content area test by the first June 30 following graduation from the associated program (i.e., students graduating Summer 2022, Fall 2022, Winter 2023, Spring 2023 must complete by June 30, 2023). Waivers to this policy may be considered by the Certification Officer in cases of documentable illness, emergency, bereavement, or with documentation of repeated attempted passage of certification examinations. Requests for waiver must be made, in writing and with appropriate documentation, to the Certification Officer no later than May 1st. (Effective December 2021).
Student Teaching
- Candidate must meet at least one of the following requirements to enroll in student teaching:
- Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale during the most recent two years of the applicant’s general education, whether secondary or post-secondary
- Achieving a score deemed to be College Ready on a test of general knowledge normed to the college-bound population (for example, SAT, ACT, GRE, or Praxis Core) (Effective September 12, 2017)
- Be selected for entry by the candidate’s program under the 10% Waiver Policy (Effective May 14, 2018)
- Repeating a Student Teaching Experience
- Substituting and Employment of Student Teachers
- Field Instructor & Clinical Educator Qualification Policy
- Policies regarding “A Request for Student to Student Teach Outside UD Field Instruction” and “Request to Change a Student Teaching Placement” should contact Krissy Najera at knajara@udel.edu.