When I started my masters program two years ago, I learned about teaching practicum, which refers to "experiences that teacher trainees have in the classroom before they take on the full range of responsibilities required for student teaching." This made me think about all the Instructional assistants that have years of experience with the schools they are at. Based on what I have done over the last 5 quarters of school at UW, there is no one that can tell me that some instructional assistants don't already have the practicum hours necessary to satisfy a teaching preparation program practicum requirements. For that reason, any I.A. with multiple years on the job that is planning on attending school should be exempt from practicum requirements.