Seattle Teacher Residency Program
What you can earn
Duration
Credits earned
Format
Time commitment
Upcoming deadline
A community of educators with a fierce passion and commitment to equity
The Seattle Teacher Residency (STR) program prepares you to become an elementary or special education teacher within the Seattle Public Schools system in a Title I setting. STR combines classroom practicum with aligned, graduate-level coursework and a rigorous resident/mentor partnership. Graduates emerge with a solid foundation in research-based teaching practices and a profound understanding of the curricula and resources used in Seattle schools.
Curriculum
Overview
STR spans five consecutive quarters. After two months of initial summer coursework, you will spend the entire academic year teaching in a Seattle Public Schools classroom alongside an experienced mentor. This unique combination enables Residents to bridge classroom experience with the latest in education theory and research, all within the context of the local education environment and district-specific goals.
There are two pathways for your first endorsement:
- General education pathway
- Residents are placed in a general education K-5 classroom
- You will choose either special education or English language learners for your second endorsement
- Special education pathway
- Residents take the same foundational coursework as general education residents
- Placed in a special education classroom
- Some additional coursework throughout the academic school year
- You will earn a second endorsement in elementary education
Courses
The following sequence is an example of the courses you might take with your cohort. Courses and order is subject to change.
- Quarter 1: Summer (17 credits)
- EDTEP 501 Summer Field Experience (2 credits)
- EDTEP 511 School & Society (3 credit)
- EDTEP 521 Teaching & Learning in Numeracy I (4 credits)
- EDTEP 531 Teaching & Learning in Literacy I (3 credits)
- EDTEP 544 Differentiated Instruction: Learning Theory
- (2 credits)
- EDSPE 503 A: Culturally Responsive Classroom Management for Elementary School Educators (1)
- EDSPE 520 A: Seminar in Applied Special Education (1)*
- EDC&I 495A: Workshop in Instruction Cultural & Linguistic Diversity (1)
- Quarter 2: Autumn (16 credits)
- EDTEP 502 Autumn Field Experience (2 credits)
- EDTEP 522 Teaching & Learning in Numeracy II (3 credits)
- EDTEP 532 Teaching & Learning in Literacy II (4 credits)
- EDTEP 544 Differentiated Instruction: Workshop in Instruction Cultural & Linguistic Diversity (2 credits)
- EDTEP 564 Working in Schools (1 credits)
- EDSPE 503 A: Culturally Responsive Classroom Management for Elementary School Educators (1)
- EDTEP 555 B: Understanding Indigenous Perspectives: Implications for Teaching & Learning (2)
- EDTEP 552 Assessment in Elementary Education (1 credits)
- Quarter 3: Winter (18 credits)
- EDTEP 503 Winter Field Experience (4 credits)
- EDTEP 533 Teaching & Learning in Literacy III (3 credits)
- EDSPE 504 Special Education and the Law (3 credits)
- EDC&I 465 A: Teaching & Learning in Social Studies* (3)
- EDTEP 564 Working in Schools (1 credits)
- EDSPE 503 Culturally Responsive Classroom Management for Elementary Educators (2 credits)
- EDC&I 494 Issues of Abuse (1 credit)
- EDTEP 544 D: Differentiated Instruction: Workshop in Instruction Cultural & Linguistic Diversity (1)
- Quarter 4: Spring (18 credits)
- EDTEP 601 Spring Field Experience (4 credits)
- EDTEP 523 Teaching & Learning in Science (3 credits)
- EDTEP 552 Assessment in Elementary Education (1 credit)
- EDSPE 503 Culturally Responsive Classroom Management for Elementary Educators (2 credits)
- EDTEP 564 Working in Schools (1 credit)
- EDC&I 324 Physical Education and Health in Schools (2 credits)
- EDTEP 544 D: Differentiated Instruction: Workshop in Instruction Cultural & Linguistic Diversity (1)
- EDC&I 539 Students’ Mathematical Thinking, Curriculum, and Pedagogy (4 credits)
- Quarter 5: Summer
Students in the General Education Pathway will focus on preparing for their 2nd endorsement in either Special Education or English Language Learners. If you are in the Special Education Pathway, you will continue your SPED coursework, in addition to a summer SPED practicum.
Admission requirements and process
Requirements
To apply for the Seattle Teacher Residency program, you must:
- Hold a bachelor’s degree by the time the program starts
- Have a minimum 3.0 GPA*
- Take the WEST-B test or equivalent basic skills test
- Be legally authorized to work in the United States
While it is not a requirement to have experience working with children in a K - 5th grade setting, we strongly suggest having prior experience in the classroom prior to applying. These opportunities help an applicant be more competitive in the admissions and selection process.
*Applicants who do not meet the GPA threshold may still apply to the program and their application would be considered.
Materials
- Bachelor's degree and unofficial transcripts
- Degree can be in-progress when applying but must be completed before program starts
- Include transcripts from all schools attended within the previous five years
- Include transcripts from all schools from which a degree was earned
- Minimum GPA of 3.0*
*The UW Graduate School requires a cumulative GPA of 3.0, or 3.0 for your most recent 90 graded quarter credits (60 semester credits). However, we will review your application holistically. If your GPA is below 3.0, contact uwteach@uw.edu for advice on how to strengthen your overall application.
- Professional resume
Your professional resume should include work, education, awards, organizations or any volunteer experience - especially with children or serving and supporting marginalized communities. Ensure that you have dates, location and descriptors of what you accomplished. Active verbs are helpful! Please use our resume template and name the file FirstNameLastName_Resume
- Three professional references
You should ask three different references to complete your reference forms. Select references who can speak to your professional career and personal values as it relates to teaching in Seattle Public Schools. Please download the following templates:
Before sending your recommender the template, please rename the file to YourFirstNameLastName_Reference#RecommenderLastName. For example, Crystal Visperas has asked Sam Nelson to be their second reference. The file should be name CrystalVisperas_Reference1Nelson
Once your recommender has completed their reference form, they should directly email the document to crystal@alliance4ed.org before the application deadline. Do not email the references yourself. Crystal will email you and the recommender to confirm we have received it.
Important: You don’t not need to add any recommenders when completing your UW Grad School application. Crystal will upload recommendations to the grad school application on your behalf.
A few tips:
- Ensure that you tell your reference it is NOT a letter of recommendation
- Please do not choose a personal friend or family member
- Anticipate that your reference form may need more time to complete the form! Ask well ahead of the application deadline in December
- If you are working with students in a school, please ask an administrator or lead teacher to complete a reference form for you
- Basic skills test
You must complete this test(s) before submitting your application. Most applicants take the Washington Educator Skills Test-Basic (WEST-B) for their basic skills test. In lieu of WEST-B, you may also use reading, writing and math subtest scores from the following providers:
- Praxis I
- CBEST
- ACT
- Older scores that do not include a writing subtest can be used for reading and math, but must be supplemented with a new writing test
- Call 319-337-1270 to order your ACT score report, to request that your scores be sent to University of Washington, Seattle (code 4484)
- SAT
- Older scores that do not include a writing subtest can be used for reading and math, but must be supplemented with a new writing test
- Call 866-756-7346 and ask that your scores be sent to University of Washington, Seattle (code 4854)
You can upload your score report when completing your application. Official scores are only needed if you don’t have a score report or if you haven’t previously submitted scores to UW as an undergraduate.
- Three statements of purpose
Your statements of purpose include responding to 3 different section prompts. Each document template corresponds to the 3 different prompts. Please rename your files using this pattern: FirstNameLastName_Section1
A few tips:
- We recommend that documents are submitted to the portal in PDF format.
- Please respond in essay format (include paragraphs when needed).
- Double-space with 12 font size. Consider using fonts such as Times New Roman.
- Completed essays should be clear, concise, and free of grammatical errors in order to demonstrate your writing proficiency.
Submitting
- Gather all required documents
- Visit the Graduate School website
- Log into your account or create a new profile if you are a first-time applicant
- Complete all steps in application process and upload your documents
- Pay the nonrefundable $85 application fee
- You may request a fee waiver during the application process
- Submit your application
When completing your application, you will select: Education - Seattle (MIT - Teacher Education -Elementary Seattle Teacher Residency
Next Steps
Costs and funding
Estimated Costs
We are a tuition-based program. All STR residents pay in-state tuition regardless of their state of residence at the time of their application:
- Washington state residents: $6,327 per quarter
Estimates are subject to change and may differ due to course load and summer quarter enrollment. Estimates include building fees, technology fees, U-Pass, etc. Additional program-specific fees are not included in this estimate.
View the UW tuition dashboard →
Visit the Office of Planning & Budgeting →
Funding & Scholarships
All STR residents receive a $20k scholarship that is distributed across the length of the program during quarters enrolled, beginning with the summer quarter. As enrolled graduate students at the University of Washington, residents are eligible to apply for scholarships, student loans and TEACH Grant. Many Residents choose to supplement their scholarship and any other grants by applying for student loans.
Frequently asked questions
Visit the STR website for a list of frequently asked questions.
