Cooperating Teachers
On behalf of the faculty, staff, and teacher candidates in our 27 undergraduate teacher education programs at Illinois State University - thank you! We truly appreciate your willingness to share your time and expertise by mentoring our teacher candidates and value the role you play in preparing the next generation of educators.
Become a Cooperating Teacher
Illinois School Code mandates that cooperating teachers:
- Be licensed and qualified to teach in the same area as the student teacher
- Have three years of teaching experience in a public school or an Illinois State Recognized nonpublic school
- Have received a performance rating of proficient or above in his or her most recent evaluation
- Are directly engaged in teaching subject matter or conducting learning activities in the area of student teaching
Graduate Tuition Waivers
Illinois State University is thankful to the cooperating teachers, school districts, and agencies who mentor our teacher candidates during clinical experiences and student teaching. Part of that gratitude can come in the form of graduate tuition waiver issued for qualifying clinical experiences.
Expired graduate tuition waivers cannot be reissued and are non-transferable between school districts.
Eligibility Requirements and Criteria
Graduate tuition waivers will be accepted for any traditional graduate course offered by Illinois State University if:
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1.
The cooperating teacher has been accepted into Illinois State University as a graduate student with the designation of "fully admitted to a degree program" or "visiting graduate student."
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2.
The cooperating teacher downloads and completes the Tuition Waiver Application and Checklist.
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3.
The authorized district agent and the cooperating teacher complete their respective portions of the graduate tuition waiver(s).
4.
The cooperating teacher returns the completed Tuition Waiver Application/Checklist and the completed and signed graduate tuition waiver(s) by the due date in one of the following methods:
- NEW SUMMER 2024- Scan or take a clear picture of completed waivers(front and back) and completed application/checklist and e-mail them to clinicalquestions@ilstu.edu To ensure e-mail is not sent to spam folders, please use your ISU e-mail account to send the waivers and you should include your full name and University ID number in the body of the e-mail. Staff will then verify waiver validity, and all items are completed. We will then respond an acknowledgment within 3 business days and process accordingly.
- Mail all documents to the following address (should be post-marked by deadline)
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Cecilia J. Lauby Teacher Education Center
Illinois State University
ATTN: Graduate Tuition Waivers
Campus Box 5440
Normal, IL 61790-5440
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Cecilia J. Lauby Teacher Education Center
- Bring Waivers and completed applications into the Teacher Education Center
Notice: All part of the waiver must be complete. Incomplete waivers will be returned.
Each graduate tuition waiver used will reduce the cooperating teacher's bill by one semester hour of tuition charged. This processing commonly takes three to four weeks, as it must be approved by multiple campus offices before being applied to student accounts.
Fees are not covered by the graduate tuition waiver and will need to be paid to Illinois State University.
Payment for the remainder of the cooperating teacher's bill (e.g. fees and any additional semester hours charged) must be paid to the Student Accounts Office.
In order to obtain a refund in the event of withdrawal from the course(s), official withdrawal through the Office of the University Registrar must be made by the University’s withdrawal deadline. The tuition waiver dollar equivalent will not be refunded and the waiver coupon will not be returned; coupons are void once they are turned into the University. However, if the above conditions are met, any personal monies expended for registration will be refunded.
Mentoring a Pre-Student Teaching Experience:
Mentoring a Student Teaching Experience:
Earning Professional Development for Mentoring a Student Teacher
If you are seeking professional development hours for mentoring a student teacher, please complete the following steps to receive your professional development hours.
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Step 1
Record all student teacher interactions that result in professional growth using the cooperating teacher professional development log sheet, linked below. This log sheet should be maintained throughout the semester. Please note, per ISBE expectations: one hour of PD will be given for each 15 contact hours logged, for a maximum of 30 PD hours per student teaching experience (Please know that ISBE policy must be followed for how often this type of experience may be applied to PD licensure requirements and is the responsibility of the cooperating teacher to log and track PD records).
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Step 2
After hosting the student teacher is complted, fill out the electronic professional development activity survey form, linked below, to request professional development (PD) hours.
- The activity form should not be completed until the conclusion of the professional development activity (working with the student teacher) is complete.
- Professional Development Activity Form
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Step 3
Email your completed electronic professional development log sheet to TeacherEdCenter@IllinoisState.edu.
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Step 4
Your received professional development activity form (step 2) and professional development log sheet (step 3) will be confirmed with your student teacher's placement information. Once confirmed, PD hours will be issued according to approved logged time.
Please allow ample processing time to meet your Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) deadlines. Thank you.