[atlas:bill]

AN ACT Relating to peer mentor programs; amending RCW 28A.415.250; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that good teachers are the cornerstone of the state's education system. The legislature also finds that the state has a pool of excellent and experienced educators who could be an invaluable resource to help beginning teachers weather their difficult first years of teaching. Research indicates that providing mentors for first year teachers results in an improved retention rate of those teachers, therefore every beginning teacher should have an opportunity to work with a trained peer mentor. Research also indicates that mentors must be skilled and well-trained in order to effectively assist new teachers. The legislature finds that matching excellent educators with new teachers will help school districts begin to develop additional leadership and compensation opportunities for those exemplary teachers who act as mentors for beginning teachers and other interested colleagues. The legislature further finds that the existing beginning teacher assistance program needs to be refocused to more effectively provide training and peer mentors for new teachers.

The legislature intends to refocus the beginning teacher assistance program and replace it with a peer mentor program that emphasizes close working relationships between a beginning teacher and an experienced peer mentor, frequent observations, the development and implementation of professional development plans, the provision to beginning teachers of assistance in devising strategies to raise student achievement, and high-quality research-based training programs for peer mentors.

Sec. 2. RCW 28A.415.250 and 1993 c 336 s 401 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The peer mentor program is established. The purpose of the program is to nurture professional growth and excellence in a beginning teacher through special training and focused assistance provided by an experienced, trained, and excellent peer mentor.

(2) To the extent that funding is provided for this specific purpose, the superintendent of public instruction shall ((adopt rules to establish and operate a teacher assistance program. For the purposes of this section, the terms "mentor teachers," "beginning teachers," and "experienced teachers" may include any person possessing any one of the various certificates issued by the superintendent of public instruction under RCW 28A.410.010. The program shall provide for:

(1) Assistance by mentor teachers who will provide a source of continuing and sustained support to beginning teachers, or experienced teachers who are having difficulties, or both, both in and outside the classroom. A mentor teacher may not be involved in evaluations under RCW 28A.405.100 of a teacher who receives assistance from said mentor teacher under the teacher assistance program established under this section. The mentor teachers shall also periodically inform their principals respecting the contents of training sessions and other program activities;

(2) Stipends for mentor teachers and beginning and experienced teachers which shall not be deemed compensation for the purposes of salary lid compliance under RCW 28A.400.200: PROVIDED, That stipends shall not be subject to the continuing contract provisions of this title;

~~(3) Workshops for the training of mentor and beginning teachers;~~

(4) The use of substitutes to give mentor teachers, beginning teachers, and experienced teachers opportunities to jointly observe and evaluate teaching situations and to give mentor teachers opportunities to observe and assist beginning and experienced teachers in the classroom;

~~(5) Mentor teachers who are superior teachers based on their evaluations, pursuant to RCW 28A.405.010 through 28A.405.240, and who hold valid continuing certificates;~~

(6) Mentor teachers shall be selected by the district and may serve as mentors up to and including full time. If a bargaining unit, certified pursuant to RCW 41.59.090 exists within the district, classroom teachers representing the bargaining unit shall participate in the mentor teacher selection process; and

(7) Periodic consultation by the superintendent of public instruction or the superintendent's designee with representatives of educational organizations and associations, including educational service districts and public and private institutions of higher education, for the purposes of improving communication and cooperation and program review)) distribute funding to an eligible peer mentor program. An eligible peer mentor program is a program that provides to a beginning teacher services that include but need not be limited to:

(a) An orientation process and individualized assistance to help a beginning teacher prepare for the start of a school year;

(b) The assignment of a peer mentor whose responsibilities to the beginning teacher include but need not be limited to constructive feedback, the modeling of instructional strategies, and frequent meetings and other forms of contact;

(c) The provision by peer mentors of strategies, training, and guidance in critical areas such as classroom management, student discipline, curriculum management, instructional skill, assessment, communication skills, and professional conduct. A district may provide these components through a variety of means including one-on-one contact and workshops offered by peer mentors to groups, including cohort groups, of beginning teachers;

(d) Since observation is one of the critical tools that peer mentors need to use to help assess a beginning teacher's professional development, the provision of release time, substitutes, mentor training in observation techniques, and other measures for both peer mentors and beginning teachers, to allow each an adequate amount of time to observe the other and to provide the classroom experience that each needs to work together effectively;

(e) Assistance in the incorporation of the essential academic learning requirements into instructional plans and in the development of complex teaching strategies, including strategies to raise the achievement of students with diverse learning styles and backgrounds;

(f) Guidance and assistance in the development and implementation of a professional growth plan. The plan shall include a professional self-evaluation component and one or more informal performance assessments. A peer mentor may not be involved in any evaluation under RCW 28A.405.100 of a beginning teacher whom the peer mentor has assisted through this program.

(3) In addition to the services provided in subsection (2) of this section, an eligible peer mentor program shall include but need not be limited to the following components:

(a) Strong collaboration among the peer mentor, the beginning teacher's principal, and the beginning teacher; and

(b) Stipends for peer mentors and, at the option of a district, for beginning teachers. The stipends shall not be deemed compensation for the purposes of salary lid compliance under RCW 28A.400.200 and are not subject to the continuing contract provisions of this title.

(4) To the extent that resources are available for this purpose and that assistance to beginning teachers is not adversely impacted, the program may serve more experienced teachers who request the assistance of peer mentors.

(5) To the extent that funding is provided for this specific purpose, the superintendent of public instruction shall operate a mentor academy to help districts provide effective training for peer mentors. Districts are encouraged to include in their programs academy training for peer mentors.

(6) To the maximum extent possible, the superintendent shall simplify and minimize reporting requirements for the peer mentor program. As part of the program, the superintendent may develop a system to track data on the teaching assignments, retention, and mobility of beginning teachers and may conduct surveys of participants to assess program effectiveness. Districts that are participating in the peer mentor program shall provide such data to the tracking system.

(7) By December 1, 2001, districts shall incorporate into their state-funded assistance programs for beginning teachers the requirements in subsection (2) of this section. Until December 1, 2001, districts may receive state funds to assist beginning teachers without meeting all the requirements of subsection (2) of this section.

(8) The definitions in this subsection apply throughout this section.

(a) "Peer mentor" means an educator, including an individual in retirement status, who is selected by the district to serve in that capacity up to and including full time, and who meets the following qualifications:

(i) Possession of one or more valid certificates issued by the superintendent of public instruction under RCW 28A.410.010;

(ii) Possession of five or more years of teaching experience;

(iii) Stature as an excellent teacher as determined by criteria developed by the district in cooperation with the local bargaining unit representing classroom teachers;

(iv) Experience, skills, and interest in facilitating adult learning.

If a bargaining unit, certified pursuant to RCW 41.59.090, exists within the district, classroom teachers representing the bargaining unit shall participate in the peer mentor selection process.

(b) "Beginning teacher" means a first or second year teacher who holds a valid residency, provisional, or initial certificate issued by the superintendent of public instruction under RCW 28A.410.010.

(c) "Mentor academy" means a statewide training program for peer mentors organized and coordinated by the superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with the state board of education, the professional educator standards board, the association of school principals, and other interested organizations.

(d) "District" means a school district or educational service district.