Regulated by Alberta Education certification, Alberta’s postsecondary teacher preparation program requirements include the use of regular oral and written formative student teacher evaluations during the field experience and a formal summative evaluation upon completion of the field experience. Feedback should be specific, descriptive, detailed and based on competencies required of students in the Teaching Quality Standard.

Given the increasing number of teacher preparation programs in Alberta, a variety of evaluative tools and methods are being used across the province. Cooperating teachers are advised to review individual institutions’ field experience handbook guidelines for specific evaluation information and to discuss expectations with faculty advisors.

According to Henry and Weber (2016, 24), student teacher evaluation should:

• Be an implicit and routine part of the student teaching process
• Be accurate and based on consistent, observable data
• Focus on those skills and techniques that are essential for good performance as a teacher
• Identify areas that need improvement, as well as recognize those that are satisfactory
• Provide guidelines for the next steps in learning about teaching
• Furnish an objective description of the student teacher’s ability and readiness for teaching

Furthermore, the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Education provides additional advice on field experiences:

• Feedback provided throughout the field experience should be considered when completing the final assessment.
• Utilize specific examples from classroom teaching, extracurricular activities and/or interactions with staff, parents, and students wherever possible.
• Use formal academic language.
• Create the evaluation document in consultation with the student teacher and the university facilitator (faculty advisor) as appropriate.