H-2122.1  _______________________________________________

                    SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1867

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

By House Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Representatives Linville, Ruderman and Kagi)

Read first time 02/26/2001.  Referred to Committee on .

Requiring a review of national certification standards for educational staff associates.

    AN ACT Relating to salary bonuses for educational staff associates receiving board or association certification; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  (1) The legislature finds that educational staff associates provide many services that are vital to the educational attainment and physical and mental well-being of Washington's public school students.  The legislature also finds that these well-trained and accomplished professionals are an essential and valued part of the state's teaching corps.  The legislature further finds that these professionals have rigorous certification processes, but that the national associations that provide that certification do not all have advanced certification for experienced members within the various professions.  Therefore, the legislature intends to ask the professional educator standards board to recommend a means to recognize the accomplishments of experienced educational staff associates through an advanced certification process that is comparable to the certification process of the national board for professional teaching standards.

    (2) The professional educator standards board shall review national certification standards for educational staff associates and recommend a way that Washington may recognize the accomplishments of educational staff associates who successfully complete rigorous, advanced certification that is comparable to the certification of the national board for professional teaching standards.  By June 30, 2002, the board shall report its findings and recommendations to the governor, the legislative education and fiscal committees, the state board of education, the superintendent of public instruction, and other interested parties.

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