FINAL BILL REPORT

SHB 1741

C 172 L 17

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Concerning educator preparation data for use by the professional educator standards board.

Sponsors: House Committee on Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Slatter, Hargrove, Dolan, Stonier, Senn, Ortiz-Self, Jinkins, Tarleton, Pollet and Santos).

House Committee on Higher Education

House Committee on Appropriations

Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education

Senate Committee on Ways & Means

Background:

The Professional Educator Standards Board.

The Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) is a 13-member board that establishes policies and requirements for educator preparation and certification. The PESB maintains data concerning educator preparation programs, including data on quality, educator certification, and educator employment trends and needs.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the United States Department of Education (US DOE). The FERPA allows schools to disclose information from a student's education record, without consent, to certain parties or under certain conditions. A school may disclose information in a student's records, without consent, to authorized representatives of state and local educational authorities for audit or evaluation of federal or state supported education programs. A school may also disclose information in a student's records, without consent, to organizations conducting studies or research on behalf of educational agencies or institutions when:Ÿ

• the study is conducted so only representatives of the organization who have legitimate interests in the information can identify the student or parents;

• the information is destroyed when it is no longer needed; and

• the educational agency or institution, the state, or local educational authority agrees to these terms.

The Education Research and Data Center.

The Education Research and Data Center (ERDC), in the Office of Financial Management, compiles data about students as they move through school. The Office of Public Instruction collects data on kindergarten through twelfth grade student enrollment and outcomes, whereas the post secondary institutions collect data about their enrolled students. The ERDC receives the data from both of these sectors, in addition to early learning and workforce data, to create a longitudinal data system and contribute to cross-sector research.

Federal Teacher Preparation Regulations.

The federal Higher Education Act (HEA) requires states and institutions of higher education that receive funds under the HEA to report annually on various characteristics of their teacher preparation programs. An institution that does not provide the required information in a timely or accurate manner may be fined.

In October 2016 the US DOE released teacher preparation regulations that build on the HEA's annual reporting requirements.  The final regulations define quality indicators that a state must use to assess the performance of its teacher preparation programs, including additional indicators of program inputs and outcomes, such as the ability of the program's graduates to produce gains in student learning. The final regulations link assessments to eligibility for the federal Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant program, which provides grants of up to $4,000 annually to eligible teacher preparation candidates who agree to serve full-time in high-need fields at low-income schools.

Summary:

State-approved educator preparation programs are required to collect and provide data to the ERDC as required for approval by the PESB. The ERDC and the state-approved educator preparation programs must enter into data-sharing agreements to facilitate the transfer of data required by the PESB. The ERDC must hold, analyze, and make data on educator preparation available for research and monitoring by the PESB, state-approved educator preparation programs, and other researchers with appropriate data-sharing agreements.

Votes on Final Passage: