BUENA VISTA UNIVERSITY
Teacher Education Program
Guidelines for Waiving Field Experience Hours
In order to waive field experience hours, you must submit a letter detailing your K-12 classroom experiences. You will also need to have the school you worked with submit a letter verifying your dates of employment.
Your letters will be presented to the local Teacher Education Committee. This committee will decide what credit you will be given for your experiences.
Depending on your experiences, students may be able to waive the following:
· EDCO 290- waive 40 hours of the 80 hour field experience; register for EDCO 291 to complete course requirements and 40 hours in a local school district. General education classroom hours of experience will count towards EDCO 290.
· ESSI 291- waive all hours of the 40 hour field experience; register for ESSI 291 and complete the written assignments. This waiver is only available to those students seeking completion of an ESSI endorsement while on a conditional license. Special education hours of experience will count towards ESSI 291. Time log for experience will need to note location of student’s special education hours. A copy of the student’s conditional license in special education must be on file along with the ESSI Field Experience Waiver Outline.
· SEDU 290- waive 40 hours of the 40 hour field experience; register for SEDU 291 and complete the written assignments. Hours completed at the 5th-8th grade levels will count towards SEDU 290.
· TESL 410- waive all hours of the 60 hour field experience; register for TESL 410 and complete the written assignments. This waiver is only available to those students seeking completion of an TESL endorsement while on a conditional license. Teaching English as a Second Language hours of experience will count towards TESL 410. Time log for experience will need to note location of student’s TESL hours. A copy of the student’s conditional license in TESL must be on file along with the TESL Field Experience Waiver Outline.
Please provide a detailed description of your responsibilities in the classroom. The more detail you provide, the clearer picture we have regarding your experiences. Your letter should contain the following:
Ø Places of employment
Ø Dates of employment and approximate total hours in the classroom
Ø Duties and responsibilities in the classroom, such as
o Instruction responsibilities
o Tasks assigned by the classroom teacher
o Describe any supervising duties
o Any staffing or conferences you participated in
o Any lesson planning or lesson presentations
A letter, on official school letterhead, from your building principal or the human resources office will be acceptable to verify your employment. The letter from the school district should include the following:
Ø Place of employment
Ø Verify dates of employment
Ø Approximate number of hours in the classroom
Ø Job title and duties
If you have any additional questions, please contact your advisor.
January 2016