Students wanting to complete practicum/observations in SVSD are welcome to contact the building directly to coordinate their practicum of 40 hours or less (observation only) as long as the below items are met/followed prior to starting.

Practicum/Observation Requirements

• Students completing observations must complete a WATCH background check at the school where they will be completing the practicum.
• Students are never to be left unsupervised when completing observations.
• Observation hours have no evaluation requirement for the student. 

In order to be considered for placement in one of our schools, the student’s university or college must contact SVSD’s Placement Coordinator and have required information on file:

• Current university contract/agreement with SVSD
• Liability insurance

Note: Students should not be contacting schools or the District directly to request placement.

Application Process

The University/College coordinator must submit all required documentation via email to be considered for placement:

• University overview of level of program being requested
• Student’s résumé and cover letter
• Proof of current fingerprints

The State of Washington requires everyone who has contact with students in a school setting to be fingerprinted prior to starting their assignments. Individuals will not be allowed into the classroom without proof of current fingerprints.

Placement Process

Depending on the student’s program, SVSD Human Resources and principals will work together to determine student placement based on the following criteria:

• Availability of qualified staff/teacher(s) in requested areas
• School's availability to take a student
• Agreement of an individual cooperating teacher following a review of candidate materials and/or meeting

Prior to Beginning Student Teaching

The student teacher must submit the following documents with their signature to the Placement Coordinator. One document also requires the mentor teacher’s signatures.

• Confidentiality Agreement
• Technology Agreement (requires mentor teacher signature also)
• Copy of Pre-Residency Clearance from OSPI
  • For information about obtaining a Pre-Residency Clearance if you are completing a teaching program in Washington State go here.
  • For information about obtaining a Pre-Residency Clearance if you are completing a teaching program outside of Washington State go here.

We will make every effort to place students at their requested location or with their requested mentor/principal. If the request cannot be met, we will forward the request to all remaining schools accepting student teachers in the subject/level.