Field Experiences
Placement Process Overview
How To Apply for a Course or Program Placement
1.) Prepare your application
- Check the upcoming deadlines for your course or program.
- Read our placement policy carefully before you submit your application. Failure to follow our policy may put your placement in jeopardy.
- Review our Student Teaching Field Placement Map for districts we have Field Placement Agreements with for student teaching.*
- Apply according to the application instructions for your specific course or program.
*Options for placement in our Elementary Education Practicums are limited to those partner districts surrounding a center in which elementary education field faculty are located. Those districts are listed on the field placement application. There is a wider set of preferences to choose from on the student teaching application.
2.) After you apply
- We will contact your CWU email address to confirm that your application has been received.
- Teacher Certification will confirm that all pre-requisites and clearance requirements have been fulfilled.
- If you are cleared, you will be assigned a placement coordinator based on the geographic area of your first preference. Your placement coordinators will contact your CWU email with any questions about your placement application.
3.) While we seek your placement
- Your placement coordinator will contact school district administrators based on your application responses. They will include information from your application (resume, teaching statement, grades/subjects requested, etc). Each partner district has their own procedures, timelines, and limits in terms of the number and type of requests they will accept each quarter.
- Your information may be with one school or district for 2-3 weeks. If a placement has not been found during that time, the coordinator will contact additional schools and districts based on your application responses. We generally keep your placement request active with only one district at a time.
- Sometimes the interested mentor teacher or principal will request an interview before they make a decision about your placement. Your coordinator will contact you if this situation occurs.
- When your mentor and their administration have confirmed, your placement coordinator will send you the name of the school, grade level/subject, mentor teacher name, and contact information. The offer will include instructions (ex: contact the principal or the mentor).
4.) After your placement is confirmed
- Your field supervisor will be assigned when all of their student teachers have been placed.
- Students will be registered for the following courses (ELEM 494, ELEF 495, EFC 330 and EFC 480)
- Your placement coordinator will not be able to answer registration questions. If you do have questions you can email the Office of Field Experiences
- Continue to check your CWU email for announcements and updates.
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