Council on Teacher Education

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University Supervisors

Supervisor Duties & Responsibilities

 

While individual teacher education programs may have additional requirements, all University of Illinois supervisors share the following professional duties and responsibilities:

1.  Establish and maintain positive relationships between the cooperating teacher, the school and the University and its teacher education programs.

2.  Help student teachers, cooperating teachers, and other school personnel understand the expectations of the student teaching experience.

3.  Facilitate the candidate’s implementation of skills and strategies needed to begin his/her participation in the classroom.

4.  Make regularly scheduled observation visits during the student teaching placement.  More observation visits may be requested if necessary.

5.  Assist in the professional growth and development of the teacher candidate’s knowledge, skills and dispositions.

6.  University supervisors must observe a teacher candidate at least four times in the student teaching period; however, University supervisors will visit more frequently if necessary.

7.  After each observation, the University supervisor will confer with the teacher candidate and give a written report of the observation to the teacher candidate, the cooperating teacher and submit to the program office.

8.  Communicate with the cooperating teacher about the teacher candidate’s progress at each observation.

9.  Be candid with the teacher candidate and cooperating teacher about the candidate’s progress.

10. Assist the cooperating teacher in dealing with problems he/she may be experiencing.

11. Assist the teacher candidate in dealing with problems he/she may be experiencing.

12. At least twice during the student teaching period (at midpoint and at the end) the University supervisor conducts a three-way formal conference, including the cooperating teacher, the teacher candidate, and the University supervisor.

13. The midpoint conference should include a discussion of what the teacher candidate has done up to that point (nature of experiences), strengths that have been demonstrated, and areas on which the teacher candidate needs to focus for the remainder of the experience.  For the latter, a written action plan will be devised that specifies the agreements reached and the directions to be taken.  It is critical that the University supervisor is open and honest about the candidate’s performance.

14. During the final conference, the University supervisor and the cooperating teacher should jointly arrive at a final grade of satisfactory or unsatisfactory for the ED. PR. student teaching course.  The CoTE student teaching evaluation form with additional items as defined by the program will be discussed in the conference.  A copy of the form will be given to the program office and the teacher candidate for their portfolio. A teacher candidate may not be recommended for licensure without satisfactory completion of student teaching.

15. Complete and collect all required observation forms, evaluation forms and, student teaching time cards.  Encourage teacher candidates to make a copy of the student teaching time card for their own records.

If requested, you may consider writing a letter of recommendation for your candidate.  Recommendations, while optional, become a significant part of your candidate’s credentials in the Educational Career Services Office.