The SPPS Strong Schools, Strong Communities Strategic Plan outlines clear expectations regarding improving academic achievement and closing the racial disparity gap for students. SPPS partners with institutions of higher education (IHEs) to establish and support a new paradigm for teaching and learning centered on improved teacher effectiveness to close the opportunity gap. In SPPS we adhere to cluster sites and use co-teaching as our model of instruction for pre-service training.

Cluster sites are where practicum and student teacher candidates complete their experience using a co-teaching for student teaching, criteria for cooperating teachers and year-long placements for some licensures. A list of cluster sites are below. To support this work, deep partnerships with schools and higher education institutions are needed.

All student teaching assignments should be approved by cluster sites. When needed, an out of cluster site request should be sent to mary.yang@spps.org. Background checks are required for placements in Saint Paul Public Schools and should be sent to our Human Resources Department prior to the beginning of the placements. All placements must be recorded in the IHE Tracker Master.

For more information, please contact Mary Yang at mary.yang@spps.org. 

Co-teaching is defined as two teachers (cooperating teacher and student teacher candidate) working together with groups of students, sharing the planning, organization, delivery and assessment of instruction. Research indicates that co-teaching partnerships increase academic achievement for all students. Cooperating teachers and student teacher candidates are encouraged to participate in two co-teaching professional development trainings:

• Foundations Training - provides the philosophy and strategies for co-teaching.
• Pairs Training - provides the cooperating teacher and student teacher candidate with tools for how they will successfully work together to support the learning of all students.

Online Foundations and Pairs Training Options:
SPPS is excited to partner with the University of Minnesotas's Teacher Education Redesign Initiative (TERI) to offer online Foundations and Pairs training to cooperating teachers and teacher candidates placed in SPPS.  The Foundations training can be completed together or separately.  The online pairs training, however, must be completed by the cooperating teacher and the teacher candidate (together).

To complete the online training(s), please click on the Foundations Workshop at Foundations:  http://www.cehd.umn.edu/teaching/co-teaching/foundations/  Pairs: http://www.cehd.umn.edu/teaching/co-teaching/pairs/ 

Once you are on the webpage, click on each section of the training. At one point in the Foundations workshop, you'll need to use a password to see the video on co-teaching strategies.  The password for the video is: Co1eaching_model (PLEASE NOTE: the "t" in co-teaching is replaced with the number "1")

INSTITUTES OF HIGHER EDUCATION

         PLACEMENT COORDINATOR HANDBOOK

          IHE Placement Coordinator Handbook

          TEACHER CANDIDATE MASTER TRACKER FORM

           Please use this form to document each of your teacher candidate placements.

                      LINK-NEW!: 2023-2024 Teacher Candidate Master Tracker Form

PRE-SERVICE CANDIDATE/ COOPERATING TEACHER

PRE-SERVICE TEACHER CANDIDATE INFORMATION 

Click the link to view the information packet for teacher candidates.

COOPERATING TEACHER INFORMATION 

Click the link to view the Cooperating Teacher handbook.

PRE-SERVICE CANDIDATE FORMS TO COMPLETE

FORMS FOR ALL PLACEMENT

• Placement Data Form

• Exhibit A 

• • • • A background check link will be provided via email to teacher candidates once BOTH forms have been received and completed by our Human Resource Personnel.

SUBMIT FORMS TO HUMAN RESOURCES

Please submit all forms to the Human Resource Service Associate and address the title to: Pre-Service Program Documents

hr.info@spps.org

Upcoming Dates

IHE Coordinator Meetings:

• FALL-September 28, 2023
• SPRING-December 14, 2023
• END OF YEAR-March 28, 2024 
• 1:1 w/IHE- April 15-26, 2024

Pre-Service Candidate Meetings:

• FALL-October 4, 2022
• SPRING-December 7, 2023
• END OF YEAR-April 3, 2024

Cooperating Teacher Meetings:

• FALL-October 3, 2023
• SPRING-December 12, 2023
• END OF YEAR-April 2, 2024

Principal/Administrator Meetings:

• FALL-TBD
• SPRING-December 13, 2023
• END OF YEAR-April 1, 2024

Interview Sessions:

• • Please apply online if you are interested.  
  • Dates TBD (https://www.spps.org/Domain/13046)

SPPS PRE-SERVICE PROGRAM
Mary Yang
360 Colborne St.
Saint Paul, MN, 55105
612-368-6984
email: mary.yang@spps.org