The cooperating teacher should evaluate student teachers on a weekly basis using both formative and summative measures. Much of the student teacher’s grade for his/her student teaching course will be determined by the cooperating teacher’s evaluation of the student teacher’s performance (see “Grade Assignment”). Just as it is unfair to the student teacher to evaluate too harshly, it is equally unfair to lead the student teacher to believe he/she is performing at a level above his/her actual level of performance. The final grade of the student teacher is calculated from the scores determined by the cooperating teacher, university supervisor, the student teacher’s satisfactory completion of assigned student teaching experiences, weekly journal entries, and portfolio/notebook. Each of these areas stands alone in its importance in the evaluation of the student teacher’s performance. Remember, the student teacher is in total control of his/her grade. Your job in the evaluation process is to correctly evaluate those items contained on the Student Teaching Summative Evaluation Form. Note that weekly evaluations (Student Teaching Weekly Evaluation Form) are formative in nature and are not reflected in the final grade, except as they influence the final evaluation.
The cooperating teacher will complete weekly evaluations (Student Teaching Weekly Evaluation Form) of the student teacher (one for each week the student teacher has teaching responsibilities) and a final evaluation (Student Teaching Summative Evaluation Form). The College of Education should also send you a University of Georgia Student Teaching Performance Evaluation Form that is returned directly to the college. Cooperating teachers should complete a minimum of 10 observation forms to document student teacher progress and assist in completing the weekly evaluation form. At approximately the midpoint of student teaching, and again at the conclusion of student teaching, cooperating teachers will be asked to rate student teachers on their subject matter knowledge.
Enclosed in this manual are forms to assist the cooperating teacher in observing teaching performance. These include the Formative Assessment of Teaching (for the subject matter or competency based approaches) and the Teaching Performance Review. It is suggested that the cooperating teacher complete observations using each of these forms.