Documents and Guidelines

Table of Contents

LAUSD defines a pre-student teacher as a university or college student aged 18 or older who wishes to fulfill a university or college classroom observation requirement. They are pursuing a degree in education or teaching credentials and have not yet entered the student-teaching phase of their program. This individual typically engages in coursework and may participate in observational experiences in classrooms, but they have not yet taken on the responsibilities of a student teacher, which usually involves direct teaching under the supervision of a mentor teacher.

Pre-student teachers conducting classroom observations are cleared through the LAUSD Volunteer Program as community members.  Pre-student teachers wanting to conduct observation hours must complete the online volunteer application on the School Management Volunteer System. IHEs do not need to submit a roster to the Teacher Development and Support Branch (TDAS) using the placement confirmation sheet for pre-student teachers.  Please note that the Teacher Development and Support Branch does NOT have access to the School Volunteer Management System or have the authority to approve classroom observations.

The university supervisor may need to apply as a volunteer via the Volunteer Portal if a school site administrator requests it. 

Student teachers, practicum students, and interns seeking to gain practical experience in a classroom or school setting under the supervision of a certified teacher or clinical supervisor are to request their placement with the IHE.  

Field experience placements provide university/college (IHE) students (candidates) with experiences that meet IHE requirements and introduce them to essential facets of the profession in the educational setting. Please review the items below, which outline the actions required to secure placement for a practicum field experience. Before starting any required actions, the IHE must have an active Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreement with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Candidates seeking a placement at an LAUSD school site MUST receive a fingerprint clearance email from the IHE or the Teacher Development and Support (TDAS) Branch before starting their practicum field experience. 

Practicum Field Experience Placement Confirmation Roster *Do not share with candidate

If placements are already confirmed, scroll down to "Placement and Clearance Procedures for Student Teachers, Practicum Students, and Interns" and submit a "Placement Confirmation Roster"

Practicum Field Experience Request Form (for use with less than 5 students)

Practicum Field Experience Request Form (for use with 5 or more students) *Do not share with candidate

• University students who attend a university or college (IHE) with a current memorandum of understanding with LA Unified may seek student teaching, practicum, and internship experiences within our District.   To date, LA Unified has matched over 700 student teachers with a guiding/host teacher during the 2024-2025 school year.
  
  As student teachers may be required to video record their delivery of instruction to meet state credentialing requirements, current guidance for recording lessons is as follows:

  • Parents must provide written consent via the LAUSD Student Teacher Lesson Recording Video Release Form.

  • Only students with parent/guardian consent may be video recorded. Students without consent should not be recorded.

  • Notification and copies of consent forms must be provided to the guiding/host teacher and principal. 

  • Student teachers may record on a separate device after obtaining authorization from parents and/or guardians.

  • No recording shall be made through the Zoom platform, as doing so may not meet FERPA requirements.

  • The university supervisor may observe lessons conducted by the student teacher but must obtain permission from the guiding/host teacher and inform the principal of the date and scheduled timeframe.

  • The university supervisor may not record any video or other images from their observations.

  • The official LAUSD Student Teacher Recording Request Form is available for distribution and use.  Click on links below to download the form to provide to your candidates.