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Home Teacher Education and Clinical Practice Clinical Practice Residency

Residency

Residency is a year-long placement experience in which candidates assist co-teach, co-plan and co-assess students under the direction of a mentor teacher. Residency candidates must complete the application between October 1-November 1 or February 15-March 1. Applications will not be accepted after March 1.

Residency Candidates should be prepared to begin Residency I when the assigned school district begins their inservice week which is usually the last week in July or first week in August, and Residency II requires being ready to begin anytime after January 1st. Residency candidates will be notified of placements and beginning dates via email the semester prior to Residency I.

Undergraduate teacher candidates needing to apply for Residency should complete and submit the Residency Application.

Requirements

  • Have an overall GPA of 2.75 (Undergraduates)
  • Successfully complete all approved Pre-Residency clinical experiences in conjunction with class work
  • Finish all course work required for initial licensure, except for Residency I course work, prior to the Residency I semester.
  • Have positive evaluations from all clinical experiences.
  • Be fully admitted to the Teacher Education Program one semester before Residency I.
  • Submit passing scores of all required PRAXIS II licensure exams to the Office of School-Based Clinical Practice 30 days prior to the first day of Residency II. (View Tennessee Testing Requirements) 

Schedule

Residency requires the commitment of one year. Residency I requires multiple days per week in the assigned Residency classroom. Residency II candidates must be present at their school for the entire spring semester and are required to participate in faculty meetings, PTO/PTA meetings, parent teacher conferences, car duty,  etc. Please note Residency I and II have different start dates from the University of Memphis due to partnership agreements.  Candidates should not schedule anything from the last week of July until Christmas Break and Residency II begins when K-12 schools begin in January and continue until after State Assessments.

Seminar

During Residency I, candidates will be required to attend seminars.  All students must attend a weekly scheduled nighttime professional seminar with Residency II. No other courses may be taken during the Residency Year.

Placement

University of Memphis policy dictates that students are required to have diverse clinical experiences. All Residency placements are made in accordance with this policy as well as in conjunction with identified COE partner schools. Placements are generally made in a variety of West Tennessee public schools. School partnerships change annually. 

Mentor Teachers

Mentor Teachers (MTs) are selected according to criteria specified by the Tennessee Department of Education and in collaboration with partner schools. State requirements include:

  • a regular Tennessee License for the teaching assignment,
  • at least four years of teaching experience,
  • and a history of positive evaluations from their principal or supervisor.

In addition to State requirements, Partner Schools and the College of Education collaborate to select MTs who are excellent classroom teachers, have had professional development related to being a mentor, have scored a 4 or 5 on their teacher evaluations and have demonstrated positive impact on student achievement as reflected by TVASS.  

College of Education Clinical Supervisors

The clinical supervisor must have a teacher license, substantial experience in teaching, a master's degree and assumes the responsibility for supervising the activities of the residency candidate in the partner school. The clinical supervisor works in conjunction with the Office of School Based Clinical Practice.

Professional Liability Insurance

Residency candidates are required to obtain professional liability insurance which will cover them during the entire yearlong residency. This may be obtained through STEA, Professional Educators of Tennessee, other approved professional organizations or by a special rider added to a personal homeowner's policy. Proof of insurance must be presented prior to Residency I and II.

Portfolio

Students will submit a portfolio to document Clinical placement experiences via the Student Learning & Licensure system >.