Placement File in General

What is a placement file?

A placement file is a portfolio of the student's credentials, sent out to school districts in order to help students get a job and complete the application process.

What is in a placement file?

A student's resume, progress report (formerly known as an ABC report), and evaluations from cooperating teacher and university supervisors are all in a placement file. Letters of recommendation are suggested, but not required, parts of a placement file. Students can also upload a cover letter to be sent as a part of their placement file. The most important parts of a placement file are the evaluations.

Why do I need one?

Most school districts will require as part of the hiring process (and many times, as part of the application process) that you have your student teaching evaluations sent to them. BYU Education Placement is the only authorized place that can send these official BYU Education records.

What if I already have a job lined up or what if I'm having a baby and not going to teach?

Whatever your plans for the future are, it is still wise to register for a placement file. The placement file website is an electronic home for your evaluations. If you do not register, your records cannot be referenced or retrieved later without significant effort on your part-and without any guarantee of success.

Even if you have a job lined up, the district may still want your file sent before they will complete your contract.

To accommodate those who are not planning to teach in the first few years after graduation, your placement file will remain active for five years. Once you make your first request to send it out, you will have one year to use all your mailings. After the five year mark (or one year after your first request to send your file), your file is inactivated. To reactivate it, call Education Placement. You will also need to pay for a new set of mailings, which may be done through the website.

What is meant by an open or closed file and which does BYU have?

BYU has an open file, which means that students are allowed to come into the Placement Center and look at their evaluations. (They are not, however, allowed to have an official copy.) They are also able to keep the original copies of letters of recommendation and put copies in their Placement File.

Things in a placement file

What is in a placement file?

A student's resume, progress (ABC) report, and evaluations from cooperating teacher and university supervisors are all in a placement file. Letters of Recommendation and cover letters are optional additions.

BYU Records Office Policy about Transcripts?

Transcripts cannot be kept in the placement file. They need to be ordered from the Records Office in B-150 ASB, 801-422-2681.

Resumes

What if I can't get my resume to load?

Your resume must be a .pdf file. If it is not, you will need to convert it. This can be done by using one of the links found under Education Resources, PDF Conversion Links. This ensures that your resume retains its format without becoming distorted. Another problem might be that your document may be open. Try closing your document and then uploading it. If you are still having problems please ask the MCKB lab to help you with a Macintosh or call Education Placement for help with PCs.

Progress (ABC) Report

Where can I obtain a copy of my Progress Report?

You may obtain your Progress Report through AIM. (Please note that it must be a .pdf file.)

What about the BYU Records Office Policy about Transcripts?

Transcripts cannot be kept in the placement file. They need to be ordered from the Records Office in B-150 ASB, 801-422-2631.

Cover Letters

What if I want to send my placement file to multiple school districts with a different cover letter with each?

In this case, upload the personalized cover letter and request for your placement file to be sent to the first school district. Then upload another letter and request for your placement file to be sent to the next school district. When you are finished, remember to upload a generic cover letter or a blank piece of paper as your cover letter to replace the personalized letter.

Letters of Recommendation

Why do I have to have them?

Letters of recommendation are NOT required to be in the placement file. However, many school districts require letters of recommendation as part of the application process. Therefore, we recommend that students put three letters of recommendation in their placement file. You may have more or less than three and may remove or replace them at any time.

Who do I ask to write my Letters of Recommendation? Is there anyone who should not write them?

School districts have given the feedback that letters of recommendation are useful if they are written by individuals who have seen you teach. Those who filled out your official student teaching evaluations should not write letters of recommendation, since it would be a duplication of information. Professors and past employers can write letters of recommendation if necessary. It is strongly suggested that ecclesiastical leaders not be the author of letters of recommendation for teaching jobs.

What are Student Teacher Evaluation Forms? What are the differences between these and letters of recommendation?

Student Teacher Evaluations are official university records given to us from the School of Education. At the end of a students' student teaching experience, their cooperating teachers and university supervisors evaluate them. Once we receive the copies of the evaluations, we put them in the placement file.

On the other hand, letters of recommendation are letters that the student asks others to write for him/her. The student should pick these letters up from the author, keep the original, and send a copy to the Placement Center. Letters of recommendation are not university property and can be removed or replaced by the student.

How do they arrive in your office?

They can be faxed, mailed, emailed or hand delivered.
Fax: 801-422-0577
Mail to: 2400 WSC, Provo, Utah 84602
Email: education_placement@byu.edu
Hand delivered: 2400 WSC

Should I bring them each in as soon as I receive them?

If you can, hold on to them until you have receive all of them. This cuts down on our costs (which keeps your cost lower) and makes our processes less labor intensive and more efficient.

Who should keep the originals?

You, the student, should keep the original letters of recommendation and provide a nice copy to the Education Placement Center.

What are my options if I receive a new and better letter of recommendation than the one I already have in my placement file?

You may ask that a letter of recommendation be replaced with the better one, or you can simply add the new letter to the existing collection of letters. Put your request in writing, including your full name & BYU ID number, attach it to the documents, and send them to us.

Why have I been asked to include my BYU student identification number on my stack of Letters of Recommendation?

It helps for us to identify your correct file. We have had several instances of identical names (including middle names) with identical majors. We want your records to be accurate.

Evaluations

How will I know my evaluations have arrived?

Once your evaluations are available to be sent out, the name of your evaluator or author will show up on your electronic profile.

FERPA

What is FERPA -- what does it stand for and what does it mean I need to do one?

FERPA stands for Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. In order to protect your privacy, we cannot share your official education records (student teacher evaluations), without your written consent. By signing the FERPA statement, you are giving your permission to Education Placement to send out your placement file as requested on the Placement File Website

Where can a student get a FERPA form?

You can obtain a FERPA form from our office (we can hand, fax, mail or email you a copy), from the Education Placement website, or from the Placement File website.

How do I get my signed FERPA to your office?

Via fax, mail, email, or hand delivery.

Placement File Website

What are the differences between eRecruiting and the Placement File Website?

eRecruiting is used for on-campus interviewing as well as recruiting. From this website Education Placement can send bundles of student resumes to employers. This website is not connected to the Placement File Website. Changing documents or editing one profile does not change the documents or profile on the other site. All BYU students can use eRecruiting at no cost (which explains why students can access it from Route Y).

The Placement File Website is for education majors only. It is the website where your placement file is housed. From this website you may request your file be sent to a school district. There is a $20 (current student) or $25 (alumni) fee for using this website. It can be reached by going toeducationplacement.byu.edu.

What should I do if the school district I requested receive my file still doesn't have it and it has been 2 or 3 days?

Please call the school district and make sure it is not sitting unopened in the person's email box. If the email is indeed not there, call Education Placement at 801-422-6934 and we can resend it. However, you will need to verify the email address.

I can't get my documents to upload?

Documents must be in .pdf format. If you need to convert your document into a .pdf file, use one of the links found on our website (educationplacement.byu.edu), under Other Resources. Another problem might be that your document is open. Try closing your document and then uploading it. If you are still having problems please ask the MCKB lab to help you with a Macintosh or call Education Placement for help with PCs.

I sent my file but it doesn't show that I did?

Make sure you click on "add request" and "submit". If you retry and it still doesn't show up, try clicking on refresh(F5). As a last resort please call Education Placement.

Does it matter which I use -- Social Security Number (SSN) or BYU Identification Number?

By law, we are required to use your BYU Identification Number and may not request you disclose your SSN. Note, however, that prior to about 2002, BYU Identification Numbers were the same as your SSN, so you would still be referenced by your SSN if you graduated before then.

Sending Out Your Placement File

When will my evaluations be available to send to districts?

Cooperating Teachers & University Supervisors evaluate up to 15 student teachers a block. They ask that you patiently allow them 10 days to complete the evaluation paperwork and turn it in to the David O. McKay School of Education. Once it reaches the Education Advisement Center, they will process payment of services accomplished by the Cooperating Teachers & University Supervisors. The McKay School of Education then has two days to get the evaluations to our office, and we request two days to get evaluations into your electronic placement file. Thus it takes a minimum of 14 days from the time a student finishes student teaching, to the time the evaluations are available to send to districts.

At what point do I request to have my placement file sent?

When your file is completed with the FERPA signed, resume and list of courses uploaded, and evaluations available, you may send your file. You can send your file with no letters of recommendation. Your file can also be sent without evaluations; however, this could be a waste of money, because most school districts want your evaluations. The Placement File Website will warn you if your evaluations are not yet in your profile, and you may choose to send the file anyway.

Is there a warning given if my file is not ready to be sent?

There is a warning if the evaluations have not been received, since they are the official part of the file. You are welcome to send your file without evaluations, but one of your mailings will be used. Also, it is likely the district will want it sent again after the evaluations are included. You might consider simply sending the documents you have in your possession (resume, progress report, and letters of recommendation), explaining to the district that your evaluations are not yet available.

How do I request my file to be sent to a School District or Principal?

The processes to send your file to a school district or school/principal are all very similar:

• To send to a school district: From the Placement File Website homepage, click on "Send Placement File." Select the state in which the district is located. Then select the school district. (If the district is not listed in the directory, you will need to fill out the information in the Manual Write-In Information box.) Then click "Add to Request". If you want to send your file to more than one district, simply repeat this process. If you have successfully submitted your request it will appear in your request history.
• To a school/principal: Principals usually get the placement file from the district office. However, we can accommodate this request after verifying the principal's e-mail address. Follow the same process as outlined above, with the exception of entering the principal's address.

What if I want to send my placement file more than 10 times (5 times for alumni)?

You may purchase additional mailings on the website.

What if I want to send my file to a school district but the school district won't accept my file electronically?

With a little effort we have had great success with school district acceptance of electronic files. You should call the district office, ask for the individual who handles or accepts placement files. It is their email address you need. You should write down names & phone numbers of the people you speak with so we can retrace the steps if necessary.

If necessary, the Education Placement Staff will take the information you have gathered, and pursue it further.

What if I want to hand carry my file to a district?

The Education Placement's file system is dependent on electronic record keeping. Therefore, we use the electronic system rather than other means of delivery.

What if the district (or principal) isn't listed in the drop down menu under Send Placement File?

You should call the district and obtain the contact information for the person that receives placement files. Then, when sending your file, select the state in which the district resides and then fill out the required information in the Manual Write-in Information box.

What if I sent my file but it doesn't show that I did?

Make sure you click on "add request" and "submit". If you retry and it still doesn't show up, try clicking on refresh(F5). As a last resort please call Education Placement.

How do I go about getting a copy of my file for myself?

Students may obtain an unofficial copy of their placement file by making a request online. Go to Send Placement File. Type "unofficial" in the school district field and submit your request. We will then mail to you a paper copy that has been stamped "unofficial". It will be mailed to the address listed on as your Current Address in your Personal Profile (on the Placement File Website). We cannot email the file to you.

Job Posting/Searching (Services We Offer)

How soon should I seriously start the job search?

You should be networking when you first start college. You can never start too early to discover your resources. The earliest we see school districts begin recruiting for the next school year is October of the year prior. Therefore, if you are graduating in December, April, or August you should be prepared to job search by October.

Where can I look to know about job openings?

• Go to alumni website at alumni.byu.edu/placement then click on search for jobs. Hard copies of these postings are also on a bulletin board outside Career Placement. (This should only be ONE of your sources)
• You should check the websites of all districts in the areas you would like to live. The addresses of several districts are listed on educationplacement.byu.edu under Education Resources.
• Other web addresses (including international opportunities and job posting websites) are included also at educationplacement.byu.edu under Education Resources.

How many different requirements are there for applying to school districts?

Each school district has different requirements. You should read all application procedures carefully and follow all instructions for each school district.

How do I know if a school district accepts a statewide application form?

The best thing to do is to call the school district and ask. You may also find the answers on their website.

How do I stop your correspondence from coming to me?

Either email us or call us and ask us to deactivate you from our system. We will need your name, BYU Identification Number, major and where you are employed or the reason you want to stop correspondence. (This is all for statistical purposes)

Interviewing

What is required in order to interview on campus?

You must be a BYU student or alumnus. You must be registered on eRecruiting and the Placement File Website. Also, you must have a resume uploaded on both sites. Further, you cannot have a history of skipping past interviews scheduled with Career Placement Services.

What is the procedure for scheduling an interview using eRecruiting?

You must first have an account on eRecruiting at byu.erecruiting.com. Once you have an account and have uploaded a resume, you can sign up for an interview. Go to Employer and search the school/district by name. Then, click on the number of jobs to the right and select the position for which you wish to interview. At the bottom of the job description page, click on the Apply button. Select the resume on eRecruiting that you wish to submit. The website will automatically take you to the interview schedule, where you can select the time slot during which you wish to interview.

Certification

What level of license or certification am I getting?

As a beginner teacher you will receive a level 1 certification.

What do I do if I have questions about any of this?

The best thing to do is to go to the state's certification office website or to call them. However, the School of Education Advisement Center, 801-422-3426, is responsible for licensing and certification.