School districts who work with colleges to provide student teaching opportunities should note that the Board of Regents recently expanded the amount of time student teachers will be required to spend training. Currently, college students on track to become teachers are required to spend 40 days as a student teacher. The change, which will take effect for students entering college education programs in the fall of 2020, will now be required to spend 70 days or the equivalent of an entire semester. The Regents, after assessing the condition of the teacher-training programs for over a decade, noted many complaints from college students who stated that they were not getting enough experience or guidance. The extended student teaching time is happening nationwide, and New Jersey adopted similar training requirements in September. The goal is to improve the quality of the student-teacher experience and provide college students with adequate exposure to what teaching is really all about.
This article was also featured in our newsletter Lesson Plan Vol. 20