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College of Education: MAT Waiver Requirements

Criteria to Submit Waiver

Employment Experience Waiver for Pre-Professional Hours MAT

 

Students who are employed as a lead teacher, long-term substitute serving as a lead teacher, or assistant in a school, may be eligible to receive a waiver for some of his or her pre-professional hours.

 

Assistants such as paraprofessionals, teaching assistants, and classroom aids must be employed in an accredited school and serve in a position where his or her work includes the ability to observe licensed teachers at least 50% of the day.

 

Lead teachers or long-term substitutes serving as lead teachers must be employed in an accredited school for at least one academic semester prior to submitting a request for a waiver.

 

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.

 

Please send all documents to Katie Pece, Director of Field Experience, at Katie.Pece@cuchicago.edu

  1. A formal letter of request from the candidate.

  2. On school letterhead, a letter from their principal stating:

    • Paraprofessionals/Teaching Assistants: length of employment, percentage of teacher candidate’s time spent supporting students, and the prospect of continued employment.

    • Lead Teachers: length of employment, quality of teaching confirmed as "satisfactory or above", and the prospect of continued employment.

  3. One letter of recommendation from a current colleague.

 

Applications for the fall semester are due by October 15 and applications for the spring semester are due by March 15. Hours for previous coursework cannot be waived.

 

Waiver Approval:

  1. Hours will only be waived for specific coursework taken during that academic year. 

  2. The candidate will be required to still complete Pre-Clinical Assignments using their personal classroom experience as opposed to an off-site location.

  3. 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