Teacher Candidates must be employed in an accredited school for at least one academic year prior to submitting a request for a waiver. The applicant must also work in one of the following settings:
Long-term substitute teacher, serving as a “lead teacher” in a classroom.
Lead Teacher of the classroom.
Paraprofessional, specifically supporting a student or multiple students in a classroom setting.
Pre-Professional Hours will be waived only for hours specifically associated with coursework taken during eligible semesters for Teacher Candidates who meet the criteria above. Hours for previous coursework cannot be waived.
Year 1 Tier-Please attach the following documents to an email and send to:
Katie Pece, Director of Field Experience at Katie.Pece@cuchicago.edu
A formal letter of request from the candidate.
On school letterhead, a letter from their principal stating length of employment, quality of teaching or percentage of teacher candidate’s time spent supporting students, and the prospect of continued employment.
Confirmation from Administration yearly evaluation rating is “Satisfactory” or above.
One letter of recommendation from a current colleague.
Year 2 Tier-Please attach the following documents to an email and send to:
Katie Pece, Director of Field Experience at Katie.Pece@cuchicago.edu
A formal letter of request from the candidate.
On school letterhead, a letter from their principal stating length of employment, quality of teaching or percentage of teacher candidate’s time spent supporting students, and the prospect of continued employment.
Confirmation from Administration yearly evaluation is rating is “Satisfactory” or above of employment.
One letter of recommendation from a current colleague. The colleague from Year 1 Tier may not submit the Year 2 letter.
Waiver Approval:
A request for a waiver must be submitted within the first four weeks of the semester. Hours will only be waived for specific coursework taken during that academic year.
A decision will be made on whether to grant the waiver of pre-professional hours and how many pre-professional hours will be waived from assigned coursework during the academic year.
The candidate will be required to still complete Pre-Clinical Assignments using their personal classroom experience as opposed to an off-site location.
The Office of Field Experience will provide the teacher candidate with a letter stating which course work pre-professional hours have been waived and how many. The student will be required to submit this letter as proof to the professor of the course.
Requests must be submitted with all documentation together in one email.
Questions, please contact Katie Pece at Katie.Pece@cuchicago.edu