PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR

STANDARDS BOARD

(1) Conceptual framework.

(a) The conceptual framework establishes the shared vision for the unit's efforts in preparing educators to work effectively in P-12 schools.

(b) The conceptual framework:

(i) Provides coherence among curriculum, instruction, field experiences, clinical practice, candidate assessment, and program evaluation;

(ii) Establishes the philosophy, purpose, goals, and standards of the program or unit;

(iii) Reflects renewing commitment to current research and best practices; and

(iv) Supports the state's goals for P-12 student learning and program approval Standard V.

(2) Transition elements.

(a) Programs recruit, admit, retain, and transition candidates to the field who meet program goals and state standards.

(b) Learner expectations for program requirements, progression, and completion are identified, published, and accessible.

(c) Faculty regularly review recruitment and retention data for effectiveness of program.

(i) Programs create, implement and communicate a recruitment and retention plan in response to data.

(ii) Programs annually report the data, the plan, and proposed modifications to the professional educator advisory board and other stakeholder groups supporting the program's efforts.

(iii) Program completers meet the state and partner districts' goals for increasing underrepresented populations in the workplace.

(iv) Program completers hold endorsements in shortage content areas identified by workforce data of the state and region.

(3) Field experiences and clinical practice.

(a) The program(s) and its school partners design, implement, and evaluate field experiences and clinical practices.

(b) Field experiences are integrated throughout the preparation program.

(i) Field experiences provide opportunity to plan, practice and reflect on methods of instruction and differentiation;

(ii) Field experiences provide opportunities to work with diverse communities and populations, e.g., racial and ethnic, low socioeconomic, and English language learners;

(iii) Faculty supervision, including on-site visits, will be provided on an on-going basis.

(c) Mentors are instructional leaders identified collaboratively with the partner school of district.

(i) Mentors and principals are provided with a set of internship expectations;

(ii) Mentors receive or provide evidence of training on mentoring of adult learners;

(iii) Mentors must be fully certificated school personnel and have a minimum of three years of professional experience in the role they are supervising;

(iv) Effectiveness of mentor preparation and communication are reviewed annually by faculty.

(d) All Washington educator preparation programs operating field experiences in Washington state shall establish and maintain field placement agreements with all Washington school districts in which candidates are placed for field experiences leading to certification or endorsement under WAC 181-78A-125.

(e) Entry and exit criteria and a process for mitigating concerns during clinical practice are provided for candidates and the mentor.

(f) Requirements for specific educator preparation programs.

(i) Teacher programs.

(A) Programs shall administer the teacher performance assessment adopted by the professional educator standards board to all candidates in a residency certificate program.

(B) Clinical practice (defined as supervised planning, instruction, and reflection) for teacher candidates should consist of no less than four hundred fifty hours in classroom settings.

(ii) School counselor programs.

(A) Candidates complete a supervised internship in the schools that includes a minimum of four hundred hours of on the job professional service and one hour per week of individual supervision provided by the mentor.

(B) Prior to the internship, the candidate will complete a faculty supervised practicum (a distinctly defined clinical experience intended to enable the candidate to develop basic counseling skills and integrate professional knowledge).

(iii) School psychology programs.

(A) Candidates complete a supervised internship in the schools that includes a minimum of one thousand two hundred hours of on the job professional service and one hour per week of individual supervision provided by the mentor.

(B) Prior to the internship, the candidate will complete a faculty supervised practicum (a distinctly defined clinical experience intended to enable the candidate to develop basic school psychology skills and integrate professional knowledge).

(iv) Administrator programs.

(A) The internship for administrators shall take place in an education setting serving under the general supervision of a certificated practitioner who is performing in the role for which certification is sought.

(B) Components of the required internship shall include demonstration by the candidate that he or she has the appropriate, specific relevant skills pursuant to WAC 181-78A-270.

(C) An approved preparation program for superintendents shall require an internship of at least three hundred sixty hours.

(D) An approved preparation program for principals shall require for those persons beginning their internship August 1, 2009, and after, an internship which requires practice as an intern ((during the)) for five hundred forty hours of which at least one-half shall be during school hours, when students and/or staff are present, and for the duration of a full school year. A "full school year" shall mean ((five hundred forty hours of which at least one-half shall be during school hours, when students and/or staff are present)) at least the academic year: Provided further, That an approved preparation program for principals shall require an internship that shall include demonstration by the candidate that she or he has the appropriate, specific skills pursuant to the standards identified in WAC 181-78A-270(2) and meets, at minimum, the standards-based benchmarks approved and published by the professional educator standards board. The benchmarks may not be changed without prior professional educator standards board approval.

(4) Collaboration.

(a) Faculty within the program and unit collaborate for continuous program improvement.

(b) Faculty collaborate with content area specialists.

(c) Programs collaborate with P-12 schools to assess and respond to work force, student learning, and professional development needs.

(d) Faculty collaborate with members of the broader professional community.

(e) Faculty collaborate with members of under-represented populations for program improvement.

(5) Diversity in learning experiences.

(a) Candidates have significant interaction with diverse populations including colleagues, faculty, P-12 practitioners, and P-12 students and families.

(i) Candidates reflect on interactions with diverse populations in order to integrate professional growth in cultural competency as a habit of practice.

(ii) Candidates integrate their cultural and linguistic backgrounds into classroom activities in order to build the multicultural capacity of the preparation program cohort.

(b) Faculty model equity pedagogy through:

(i) Interaction with diverse populations;

(ii) Reflective practice on their own professional growth in cultural competency;

(iii) Culturally relevant communication and problem solving; and

(iv) Personalized instruction that addresses cultural and linguistic backgrounds.