Welcome to SPPS! 

Upcoming Dates for Interview Sessions: Please apply online if you are interested.  Dates TBD.  https://www.spps.org/Domain/13046

Upcoming Dates for IHE Coordinator Meetings (Optional):

• TBD - SPRING
• 1:1 meetings can be scheduled at anytime.  Please contact Mary.Yang@spps.org.

Cooperating Teacher Information: Cooperating Teacher Packet

Teacher Candidate Information: Teacher Candidate Packet 

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 a 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 Option :
SPPS is excited to partner with the University of Minnesota'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 that the "t" in co-teaching is replaced with the number 1).

Forms for Student Teaching 

     • Student Teacher/Intern Placement Data Sheet

     • Policies and Practices Acknowledgement form

Forms for Practicum and Field Placements

   • Field Placement and Practicum Students Data Form

   • Policies and Practices Acknowledgement form

Cooperating Teacher Information 

Click the link to view the Cooperating Teacher handbook.

Teacher candidate information

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

Co-Teaching in SPPS 

Cooperating teachers and student teacher candidates will be required to participate in two co-teaching professional development trainings.