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Cecilia J. Lauby Teacher Education Center

Cooperating Teachers

On behalf of the faculty, staff, and teacher candidates in our 28 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.

In order to become a cooperating teacher, Illinois School Code mandates that cooperating teachers: 

  1. Be licensed and qualified to teach in the same area as the student teacher
  2. Have three years of teaching experience in a public school or an Illinois State Recognized nonpublic school
  3. Have received a performance rating of proficient or above in his or her most recent evaluation
  4. Are directly engaged in teaching subject matter or conducting learning activities in the area of student teaching

Cooperating Teacher Handbook 

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 comes in the form of graduate tuition waivers. 

Waivers must be submitted to the Cecilia J. Lauby Teacher Education Center after registering for the course and received by the semester due date:*
    • Fall - September 15
    • Spring - February 15
    • Summer - July 1
  • 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:
    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."
    2. The cooperating teacher downloads and completes the Tuition Waiver Application and Checklist.
    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 Tuition Waiver Application and Checklist  and the completed and signed graduate tuition waiver(s) by the due date to:

Cecilia J. Lauby Teacher Education Center
Illinois State University
ATTN: Graduate Tuition Waivers
Campus Box 5440
Normal, IL 61790-5440 

*Graduate tuition waivers will not be accepted after these dates and are non-transferable between school districts.

  • Each graduate tuition waiver used will reduce the cooperating teacher's bill by one semester hour of tuition charged. This processing may take up to three weeks.
  • 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:

  • Questions regarding graduate tuition waivers received for mentoring an ISU Pre-Student teaching experience should be directed to TeacherEdCenter@ilstu.edu.

Mentoring a Student Teaching Experience:

  • Depending on your school district/agency's Placement Agreement with ISU, cooperating teachers may receive a $65 stipend for hosting a student teacher. Three 1-hour graduate tuition waivers can be issued to cooperating teachers who specifically request them in lieu of the stipend.
  • If you wish to receive graduate tuition waivers in lieu of a stipend you should contact the Cecilia J. Lauby Teacher Education Center at TeacherEdCenter@ilstu.edu within the first four weeks of your student teacher's experience. This option is dependent upon your district/agency's Placement Agreement.
  • Graduate tuition waivers granted for student teaching compensation are issued in the name of the cooperating teacher and may only be used by that teacher. Graduate tuition waivers are non-transferable between districts.

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.

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).

Step 2 - Complete the electronic professional development activity 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.

Step 3 - Email your completed electronic professional development log sheet to TeacherEdCenter@ilstu.edu

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.

Cooperating Teacher Resources

 

 
2024-07-30T13:30:34.043625644-07:00 2024