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Teacher Residency Requirements

Effective July 1, 2019, the Louisiana State Department of Education (LDOE) requires all teacher candidates to complete a two-semester (consecutive) year-long teacher residency (Residency I and Residency II).

Secondary Education and Teaching Minor

A teacher candidate with a minor in Secondary Education and Teaching is not eligible for Teacher Residency I or Teacher Residency II. If a candidate declares a minor in Secondary Education and Teaching, he/she must complete all requirements to graduate with the declared Secondary Education and Teaching minor. Once the candidate graduates, the candidate must then apply for admission into the Certification-Only Program to complete Teacher Residency I and Teacher Residency II.

Undergraduate Program

A teacher candidate in the yearlong teacher residency (Residency I and Residency II) will be supervised in all residency clinical experiences by a team comprised of the Director of the Office of Teacher Clinical Experiences, the school-based mentor teacher, the residency school site principal or designee, and the UL Lafayette faculty member.

Teacher Residency I Requirements

A candidate must meet all requirements as outlined below prior to receiving approval from the Office of Teacher Clinical Experiences to start Teacher Residency I:

  • Pass all parts of the PRAXIS II tests (Content Knowledge and the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT)).
    • Official ETS score report with passing scores for all Praxis II tests must be received by UL Lafayette from ETS by no later than May 1st for candidates anticipating Teacher Residency I in the Fall semester.
    • Official ETS score report with passing scores for all Praxis II tests must be received by UL Lafayette from ETS by no later than December 1st for candidates anticipating Teacher Residency I in the Spring semester.
  • Complete the Teacher Residency I application by the established deadline during the semester prior to the start of Teacher Residency I (EDCI 472, 473, 474, 475, or 480).
  • Attend the mandatory Teacher Residency I meeting.
  • Apply for a valid resident teacher certificate. The resident teacher certificate is valid for one school year and allows a candidate to simultaneously serve as a paid substitute teacher for up to ten days per semester. The hours accrued during the days of serving as a substitute teacher will be counted towards the hours required for Teacher Residency I. NOTE: The application for the resident teacher certificate will be completed at the mandatory Teacher Residency I meeting.
  • Have a minimum 2.5 overall GPA (includes both transfer GPA and institutional GPA) and a minimum 2.5 overall major GPA (includes both the required professional education coursework and the required content area coursework).
  • Successfully earn credit for all prior coursework attempted. A candidate will not be allowed to start Residency I with an incomplete (I) in a course(s).
  • Enroll in Teacher Residency I (EDCI 472, 473, 474, 475, or 480) and all additional required coursework with the exception of Teacher Residency II- 2022-2023 catalog (EDCI 476, 477, 478, 479, or 488) or Teacher Residency II- 2023-2024 catalog or later (EDCI 490, 491, 494, or 497) and EDCI 440 (if applicable). NOTE: A candidate is required to complete all coursework prior to the start of Residency II; however, if necessary, only one non-education course, which excludes courses with a prefix of EDCI, EDFL, HLTH, IRED, KNES, LTCY, or SPED, may be scheduled after residency school hours during the same semester as Residency II.
  • Submit to the Office of Teacher Clinical Experiences proof of affiliation with a professional educational organization offering education liability insurance, such as A+PEL, LAE, LAHPERD, Kappa Delta Pi, etc. See Organizations & Association for more information.

Upon approval to start Residency I, a candidate will receive an email from the Office of Teacher Clinical Experiences to inform the candidate of their mentor teacher and school placement. A candidate must then complete the following:

  • Create a set schedule, with the assigned mentor teacher, which includes completing a minimum of 40% of the school district’s instructional time (exclusive of recess and lunch) co-teaching at the PK-12 school (with the aspiration of reaching 50%). The set schedule must include a minimum of 12 hours per week. The required minimum 12 hours per week must be completed in a minimum of 2 visits per week and a minimum of 2 hours per visit. The schedule must be approved by the Office of Teacher Clinical Experiences. NOTE: Teacher Residency I starts the first day of the assigned school district’s calendar and ends on the last day of the assigned school district’s calendar. Site assignment(s) will be the same for the consecutive semesters. Site assignment(s) will be used to meet course field experiences as well as state certification requirements.

NOTE: A teacher candidate who does not earn a "C" or better in Teacher Residency I (EDCI 472, 473, 474, 475, or 480) and/or a candidate who must repeat coursework is required to repeat Teacher Residency I (EDCI 472, 473, 474, 475, or 480).

NOTE: A teacher candidate must successfully complete Residency I and Residency II in two consecutive semesters.

Teacher Residency II Requirements

A teacher candidate must meet all requirements outlined below prior to receiving approval from the Office of Teacher Clinical Experiences to start Teacher Residency II:

  • Earn a "C" or better for Teacher Residency I (EDCI 472, 473, 474, 475, or 480) in the semester consecutive to Teacher Residency II- 2022-2023 catalog (EDCI 476, 477, 478, 479, or 488) or Teacher Residency II- 2023-2024 catalog or later (EDCI 490, 491, 494, or 497).
  • Have a minimum 2.5 overall GPA (includes both transfer GPA and institutional GPA) and a minimum 2.5 overall major GPA (includes both the required professional education coursework and the required content area coursework).
  • Earn credit for all coursework required in the program with the exception of Teacher Residency II- 2022-2023 catalog (EDCI 476, 477, 478, 479, or 488) or Teacher Residency II- 2023-2024 catalog or later (EDCI 490, 491, 494, or 497)) and EDCI 440 (if required in curriculum). A candidate will not be allowed to start Residency II with an incomplete (I) in a course(s). NOTE: A candidate is required to complete all course work prior to the start of Residency II; however, if necessary, one non-education course, which excludes courses with a prefix of EDCI, EDFL, IRED, KNES, LTCY, or SPED, may be scheduled after school hours during the same semester as Residency II.
  • Hold a valid resident teacher certificate. The resident teacher certificate is valid for one school year and allows a candidate to simultaneously serve as paid a substitute teacher for up to ten days per semester. The hours accrued during the days of serving as a substitute teacher will be counted towards the hours required for Residency II.
  • Attend the mandatory Teacher Certification meeting. NOTE: The application for the initial teacher certification will be completed at the mandatory meeting.
  • Enroll in Teacher Residency II- 2022-2023 catalog (EDCI 476, 477, 478, 479, or 488) or Teacher Residency II- 2023-2024 catalog or later (EDCI 490, 491, 494, or 497) and EDCI 440 (if required in curriculum).

Upon approval to start Residency II, a candidate will receive an email with the official letter of placement from the Office of Teacher Clinical Experiences to verify the mentor teacher and school placement. A candidate must then complete the following:

  • Attend the assigned school to participate in the required clinical experiences, consisting of full-day assignments, under the joint supervision of the mentor teacher and the university supervisor. A candidate is required to spend 100% of the school district’s instructional time at the assigned school’s site. NOTE: Residency II starts on the first day of the assigned school district’s calendar and ends on the last day of UL Lafayette’s finals week.

A teacher candidate enrolled in Residency II will receive either credit (CR), which signifies satisfactory completion of the course, or no credit (NC), which signifies unsatisfactory completion of the course. In either case, no quality-point-bearing grade is assigned to the course. The credit hour value of the course is counted as hours earned and are applicable towards the degree, but it is not used in computing the semester cumulative GPA, the major cumulative GPA, nor the overall cumulative GPA. A teacher candidate receiving no credit (NC) for Residency II will not be allowed to graduate or receive initial teacher certification.

Requirements to earn credit (CR) for Teacher Residency II:

  • Complete all required residency hours.
  • Complete and submit all Residency II Watermark Learning artifacts.

Certification-Only Program

In addition to coursework, you must complete 6 credit hours of either the academic internship or the teacher residency as part of the Certification-Only Program requirements. The academic internship or the teacher residency must be completed in two consecutive semesters as required by the Louisiana Department of Education.

Academic Internship

If the Louisiana Department of Education issued you a Practitioner’s License (PL2) and you have 0-2 years of teaching experience in your certification area, you may be eligible for the academic internship. The academic internship begins only in the fall semester and is one full school year, or two consecutive semesters. Candidates are required to register for EDCI 485 (3 cr. hrs.) in the fall semester and EDCI 487 (3 cr. hrs.) in the spring semester.

The approval to enroll in the academic internship will be given by the Director of the Office of Teacher Clinical Experiences. Upon approval, it is your responsibility to register for the appropriate course and pay the fees for the required course.

NOTE: Teacher candidates enrolled in Health & Physical Education, Instrumental Music Education, or Vocal Music Education are required to complete teaching assignments in both an elementary school setting and a secondary (middle or high) school setting.

To enroll in the academic internship, you must meet the following requirements in addition to the program requirements for Certification-Only Program:

  • Submit a copy of the contract from the school system in which you are teaching, or you must submit a letter (on school letterhead) from the principal verifying at least one year of full-time employment relevant to your certification area during enrollment in the program. NOTE: The letter from the principal must specifically state the subject area and grade level you are currently teaching.
  • Submit a copy of your current teaching schedule.
  • Submit a copy of of your passing score for the Praxis Series Test-the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT).
  • Earn a "C" or better for all courses required courses listed the prescription.
  • Earn a minimum 2.5 cumulative grade point average.
  • Complete and pass all coursework requirements.
  • Submit an academic internship application to the Office of Teacher Clinical Experiences.

Teacher Residency I and Residency II

You must complete the teacher residency if you currently do not have a teaching job. The teacher residency is a year-long residency which consist of  EDCI 485 (3 cr. hrs.) in the fall semester and EDCI 487 (3 cr. hrs.) in the spring semester. The teacher residency must be completed in two consecutive semesters as required by the Louisiana Department of Education.

The approval to enroll for the teacher residency will be given by the Director of the Office of Teacher Clinical Experiences. Upon approval, it is your responsibility to register for the appropriate course and pay the fees for the required courses. The Director of the Office of Teacher Clinical Experiences will assign you to a school based on your certification area. Candidates will complete Residency I and Residency II under the supervision of the cooperating teacher at the assigned school. In addition, the Director of the Office of Teacher Clinical Experiences will send an assigned university supervisor to the school to evaluate your teaching.

NOTE: Candidates enrolled in Health & Physical Education, Instrumental Music Education, or Vocal Music Education are required to complete teaching assignments in both an elementary school setting and a secondary (middle or high) school setting.

To enroll in the teacher residency, you must meet the following requirements in addition to the program requirements for Certification-Only Program.

  • Submit a copy of your passing score for the Praxis Series Test-the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT).
  • Earn a "C" or better for all courses required courses listed the prescription.
  • Earn a minimum 2.5 cumulative grade point average.
  • Submit proof of affiliation with a professional educational organization offering education liability insurance, such as A+PEL, LAE, LAHPERD, Kappa Delta Pi, etc. Visit Organizations and Associations for more information.
  • Complete and submit the teacher residency application.