Student Teaching as Teacher of Record

Student teachers hired as the full-time classroom teacher of record in the content area and grade level of which they are pursuing initial certification should complete a TEACHER OF RECORD APPROVAL FORM the semester before student teaching once they have both an approved contract with the school district and their school schedule. Student teachers working as teacher of record: 

  • should discuss the teacher of record option with their advisor and program coordinator before applying to school districts. Not all requests are approved.
  • will still register for the student teaching courses associated with their program.
  • must complete the same requirements as traditional student teachers.
  • may be required to pass the Praxis before their teacher of record position is approved.

This documentation is then sent to the school principal and MSU personnel for approval. Not all requests are approved. However, if approved the following guidelines must be followed during student teaching:

  1. The school district must provide a cooperating/mentor teacher for the entire MSU semester. The cooperating/mentor teacher must be certified in the content area and grade range of the student teacher’s intended certification in the state of Missouri.
  2. Student teachers will experience full immersion into a classroom setting utilizing research-based instructional strategies to engage students in quality instruction and adjust instruction based on feedback from the cooperating/mentor teacher and the university supervisor.
  3. The cooperating/mentor teacher must have undergone formal training in the use of the Missouri Educator Evaluation System (MEES) assessment prior to evaluating a student teacher using the instrument. Training will be provided by MSU. The cooperating/mentor teacher will complete a formative and summative assessment of the student teacher's performance.
  4. The cooperating/mentor teacher and university supervisor will meet regularly with the student teacher and maintain consistent communication with each other. The student teacher must receive written formative feedback throughout the semester. The specific schedule should be informed by the student teacher's needs.
  5. The student teacher is required to complete all requirements of student teaching including supervisor observations, time logs, meeting attendance, etc. No requirements are waived, but instead are simply completed while serving as teacher of record.

All requests for student teaching as Teacher of Record must be approved by the applicable program at Missouri State University.