Admission to the semester is by application only. Deadlines are March 15 for students wishing to do their student teaching in the following fall term and October 15 for student students wishing to do their student teaching in the following spring term. Applications can be obtained from Claudia Cooper, director of teacher education, AXT 109.
In order to be assured of a positive recommendation for teacher licensure, students must complete TEDU 0404 or TEDU 0414 with a grade of at least a B and TEDU 0405-0407 or TEDU 0415-0417 with a PASS.
Prerequisites to the Professional Semester:
Note: In a few cases, students may elect to do their professional semester during the fall of their senior year. Such students will need to show progress towards meeting the prerequisites listed below and will not be recommended for teacher licensure until successful completion of all graduation requirements.
Successful completion of a first-year seminar, a College writing course, a major, and the college-wide distribution requirement;
Successful completion of all pre-practicum course requirements for the minor in secondary or elementary teacher education with recommendation for licensure;
Satisfactory performance of at least 60 hours of field placement work in local schools;
Assessment by the teacher education faculty of a student's communication skills in prerequisite courses;
Assessment by a liberal arts faculty, usually from the student's major;
An overall B or better average in courses taken before the professional semester;
A, B or better average in the field of major studies before the professional semester;
A sincere interest in undertaking student teaching and becoming a teacher as reflected in the student's self-recommendation essay;
Review by the Teacher Education Committee of the applicant's transcript, performance in Teacher Education and related courses, self-recommendation essay, and Academic Reference form completed by a liberal arts faculty;
Possession of such personal qualities as initiative, dependability, self-confidence, empathy, cooperativeness, and flexibility in adapting to new situations, as evaluated by the Teacher Education Program faculty, by other faculty at the College, and, when appropriate, by classroom teachers involved in the student's field placements.
Professional Semester Placements:
Student teachers will be placed in Vermont schools within a short driving distance of Middlebury College. This generally limits placements to the ACSU (Addison Central Supervisory Union) and ANESU (Addison Northeast Supervisory Union) schools. Students will be expected to provide or arrange their own transportation.
The Ninth Semester Program:
Students who wish to gain a recommendation for teacher licensure, but are unable to complete the professional semester during their undergraduate years, may apply to undertake the professional semester after graduation. To be eligible, students must have completed all of the pre-practicum course requirements and prerequisites to the professional semester (listed above). Ninth-semester students will be expected to live off campus and to provide for their own housing, meals, and transportation.
Licensure Exams:
While successful completion of the student teaching semester and licensure portfolio fulfills the education minor and leads to a recommendation to the Vermont Department of Education for teacher licensure, the student will still need to obtain passing scores on the Praxis I and II Exams to secure their teaching license. Information on the Praxis I and II Exams can be obtained from Claudia Cooper, director of teacher education, AXT 109.
Vermont Licensure:
The initial Vermont Professional License (Level I: Beginning Educator's License) is for a three-year period. After successful completion of three years of teaching and, on the recommendation of the local standards board, a Level I teacher is eligible for the Level II Professional Educators' License. The Level II teaching license is renewable every seven years. Upon graduation, students who have successfully completed the program described above are licensed to teach in the State of Vermont, whose license is also recognized by the following states. Some states may require additional teacher competency examinations before licensure will be granted. Holders of the initial Vermont license who are teaching in another state must qualify for a regular professional license according to the requirements of that state.
States that Recognize Vermont License Holders:
Other States: