SENATE BILL REPORT

                  2SHB 1729

              As Reported By Senate Committee On:

               Higher Education, March 31, 1999

                  Ways & Means, April 5, 1999

Title:  An act relating to a teacher training pilot program.

Brief Description:  Creating the Washington teacher training pilot program.

Sponsors:  House Committee on Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Kenney, Carlson, Lantz, Quall, Skinner, Reardon, Gombosky, Edwards, Anderson, Veloria, Edmonds, Dunn, Stensen, McIntire, Kagi, Conway, Regala, Lovick, D. Schmidt, Ogden, Keiser, Dickerson and Santos).

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Higher Education:  3/29/99, 3/31/99 [DP-WM].

Ways & Means:  4/2/99, 4/5/99 [DP, DNP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION

Majority Report:  Do pass and be referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

  Signed by Senators Kohl-Welles, Chair; Shin, Vice Chair; Finkbeiner, Horn, Jacobsen, McAuliffe, Sheahan and B. Sheldon.

Staff:  Natalie Adams (786-7444)

SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS

Majority Report:  Do pass.

  Signed by Senators Loveland, Chair; Bauer, Vice Chair; Brown, Vice Chair; Fairley, Fraser, Kline, Kohl-Welles, Long, Rasmussen, B. Sheldon, Snyder, Spanel, West and Winsley.

Minority Report:  Do not pass.

  Signed by Senator Zarelli.

Staff:  Karen Barrett (786-7711)

Background:  Currently, the State Board of Education is responsible for approving teacher preparation programs and establishing the criteria for obtaining teacher certification.  Some believe that a more seamless approach to training teachers will result in higher quality teacher training programs and attract more candidates to the profession.

Summary of Bill:  The teacher training pilot program is established to address the need for a coordinated program of teacher training that involves high schools, community colleges,  and four-year institutions in a collaborative effort.  Two-year grants are awarded on a competitive basis to institutions of higher education with priority given to proposals that involve shared facilities, shared resources, and cocurricular planning.

The Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB), in consultation with the State Board of Education, administers the program.  A review committee assists the boards in evaluating proposals and establishing outcome goals.

The outcome goals for the 1999-2001 biennium include:  (1) designing a college level course for high school students interested in teaching; (2) designing lower division courses that support K-12 education reform; (3) designing an educational studies minor; (4) designing mentoring and service learning activities at the community college level; and (5) designing a certification process that involves course work and internships.

Beginning in December 2001, the HECB is responsible for submitting an annual status report to the Education and Higher Education committees of the Legislature, the State Board of Education, and the office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.  The pilot would conclude by January of 2005.

The bill contains a null and void clause.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  Nationwide, it is predicted that it will be necessary to recruit and train more than 2.2 million teachers over the next decade.  The Office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction indicates that teacher attrition rates have increased by 70 percent since 1990.  We hope that creating an integrated and collaborative program for teacher training will lead to higher quality training programs and help recruit new candidates to the teaching profession.  This bill would encourage a seamless approach to teacher training beginning in high school and continuing throughout the higher education process.  The Higher Education Coordinating Board and the State Board of Education look forward to working together on this project.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified (Higher Education):  PRO:  Representative Phyllis Kenney, prime sponsor; Victoria Richart, Cascadia Community College; Stanley Slater, University of Washington Bothell; Patty Martin, State Board of Education; Bruce Botka, Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Testified (Ways & Means):  PRO:  Jan Yoshiwara, SBCTC; Bruce Botka, HECB.