Are you ready for professional year?  Professional year includes EDUC 430 & 43X in the fall through clinical practice/student teaching in the spring.  This page will walk you through the steps to apply for professional year/clinical practice. 

If you are not sure if you are ready for professional year/clinical practice during the upcoming semester, check your eligibility and program status with your Education Advisor.  

Start early and read the following information carefully. Many of the steps need to be completed in a particular order.

Application Process: Details Below

  1. Compose a Personal Statement (share with Education Advisor, including editing rights, BEFORE your advising appointment)
  2. Research Partner Schools and Contemplate your Preferences
  3. Meet with your Education Advisor during the UNCA Advising Period
  4. Complete the Professional Year Application Google Form as soon as possible.
    • YOU WILL NEED YOUR FORMAL ADMIT CONTRACT DATE OR REASON FOR DELAY FROM YOUR EDUCATION ADVISOR
  5. Use Sign Up Genius to schedule a conference with the Field Coordinator BEFORE the PY Application Process Deadline (as indicated by the last available appointment.) 
  6. Note: The Professional Year Conference with me is up to 1 hour and informal. (We will talk about all your hopes and dreams for this exciting part of your program experience.)
  7. Complete the NC Health Form and TB Test NO LATER THAN your return to campus in August. (Email it to the Field Coordinator.)

Personal Statement

In a Google Doc, write a 1 page personal statement. Imagine this as your presentation to a future employer. These statements will be shared with Principals and potential Mentor Teachers during the placement request process.

Share your Personal Statement, including editing rights, with your Education Advisor (before your advising session) and the Field Placement Coordinator (before your conference). Your Education Advisor will review and make editing suggestions to your personal statement.

Suggestions for your Personal Statement: You are not limited to these topics.

  • Strengths as a future teacher
  • Reasons for choosing the profession
  • Leadership positions
  • Work experiences related to education
  • Teaching philosophies
  • Unique aspects of you and your experience
  • Degree areas
  • Hopes or goals for your professional year and clinical practice (student teaching)

Professional Year Application

Click here to Complete Professional Year Application Google Form

NOTE: You will need your Formal Admit Contract Date or reason for delay from your Education Advisor. If your formal contract is submitted you may be able to view it in Anthology.

Complete the Professional Year Application as soon as you have the needed information. The application asks the following:

  1. Have you written your personal statement and shared it with your Education Advisor and Field Placement Coordinator?
  2. Education Advisor meeting Date (must be before Field Coordinator Meeting)
  3. Have you researched schools (very important to do on your own before meeting with your Education Advisor and Field Coordinator)
  4. Does your Education Advisor have specific placement suggestions for you? This is a question important to our program accreditation (you do not need to know what the accreditation part means). 
  5. Formal Admit Contract details from your Education Advisor (completion date, in process, or reason it is delayed)

Meet with your Education Advisor during UNCA’s Advising Period

Schedule a meeting with your Education Advisor during the UNCA’s advising period.  Have your completed personal statement ready and shared (with editing rights) before your meeting. 

In the meeting, ask questions about your Contract and if they have Specific Placement Suggestions for you.

Meet with the Field Placement Coordinator

Click Here to Schedule your Professional Year Conference with the Field Coordinator

The Professional Year Conference is up to an hour and informal! We will meet in my office (ZAG 116) and I will send you a calendar invite. If your schedule changes, please let me know.

Teacher Candidates will schedule a Professional Year Conference with the Field Placement Coordinator via SignUpGenius:  The deadline indicated by the last available meeting time is a HARD DEADLINE for meeting to secure a professional year field placement. 

Before this meeting, you must have fully completed all steps above: application, personal statement, advisor meeting, and plan for meeting with your health care provider to complete the NC Health Form.   

I am excited to meet with each of you to discuss your plans and preferences for your professional year & clinical practice (student teaching). Email me with any questions, I am happy to help via email or in-person!

Registration for EDUC 430 & 43X

You will NOT be able to register for the 430 and 43x courses without the group override.  Go ahead and register for all of your other classes.  Mid April, the 430/43x group override will be approved by the Chair of the Education Department and you will be notified via email when you are able to register.  These classes cannot fill up so there is no need to worry. Everyone who needs a 430/43X spot will be able to register after the group override.  Your education advisor should not make this override.  

North Carolina Public Schools Health Certificate Form

Download NC Health Form Here

You will need to visit your health care provider to complete the NC Health Form.  A new TB test is required but full vaccination records are not; just the single form. You will email the completed form to the Field Placement Coordinator NO LATER THAN your return to campus in August. Periodically there is a TB test shortage, in that case doctors do a risk survey. That is okay, just not preferred.

Partner School Districts

All field placements for professional year/clinical practice must be made within our USTEC partner school districts for which we have an MOU. This is a benefit for students because you will have a university supervisor who is accessible for support during student teaching.

USTEC partner school districts include

There are interactive maps for some school locations

Background Checks

Background Checks are conducted yearly for students enrolled in EDUC courses. For background check concerns, contact Rebecca Bodenheimer for an appointment rbodenhe@unca.edu. 

Some school districts require you to complete an additional background check for their school district (Asheville City Schools for example) specifically for professional year/clinical practice. I will notify you if this is the case and provide instructions for completion. There is no additional cost for school district background checks. School district background checks do not replace the UNCA background check requirement.

What is edTPA?

The following information is just an FYI resource (nothing required) to help if you are feeling anxious about or want to learn a more about what edTPA is. During fall semester of professional year, you will do a practice edTPA. During student teaching spring semester, you will complete edTPA for real. While it is not recommended to deep dive into edTPA handbooks and rubrics, there is a document called Making Good Choices that gives a brief overview of the tasks and how people organize or prepare for completing edTPA. You can also find it on the edTPA Getting Started page of the official Pearson edTPA website.

AmeriCorps

$1956.35 Segal Education Award for Participation (Spring 2025)

This is an OPTIONAL opportunity to be a part of a national community service program during your time student teaching through UNCA. Project POWER is an AmeriCorps program through Children First Communities in schools of Buncombe county. The belief behind this program is that students, schools and communities will thrive when provided resources and support. Our goal is through our work we improve attendance, engagement and increase high-school graduation rates and expand college enrollment. UNCA Students who will student teach in Asheville City, Buncombe, Madison or Henderson Counties might be eligible to receive an education award through this three-month commitment that can be completed during your time student teaching. If you are interested, talk with Rebecca Bodenheimer about it during your meeting or the AmeriCorps contact Ashley Campbell ashleyc@childrenfirstbc.org for whom you will submit the application.

Scan QR to Let AmeriCorps you may be Interested. A representative will reach out with additional information.

AmeriCorps Background Check Policy