AN ACT Relating to professional certification for teachers and school administrators; amending RCW 28A.410.210, 28A.410.250, and 28A.410.270; adding new sections to chapter 28A.410 RCW; providing an expiration date; and declaring an emergency.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.410 RCW to read as follows:

By September 1, 2017, the Washington professional educator standards board shall adopt rules allowing teachers and principals with at least two years of experience, who hold or have held a residency certificate and have not achieved the professional certificate, to renew their residency certificate in five-year intervals based on completion of ten credits or one hundred clock hours as defined in RCW 28A.415.020 and 28A.415.023.

Sec. 2.  RCW 28A.410.210 and 2009 c 531 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:

The purpose of the Washington professional educator standards board is to establish policies and requirements for the preparation and certification of educators that provide standards for competency in professional knowledge and practice in the areas of certification; a foundation of skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to help students with diverse needs, abilities, cultural experiences, and learning styles meet or exceed the learning goals outlined in RCW 28A.150.210; knowledge of research-based practice; and professional development throughout a career. The Washington professional educator standards board shall:

(1) Establish policies and practices for the approval of programs of courses, requirements, and other activities leading to educator certification including teacher, school administrator, and educational staff associate certification;

(2) Establish policies and practices for the approval of the character of work required to be performed as a condition of entrance to and graduation from any educator preparation program including teacher, school administrator, and educational staff associate preparation program as provided in subsection (1) of this section;

(3) Establish a list of accredited institutions of higher education of this and other states whose graduates may be awarded educator certificates as teacher, school administrator, and educational staff associate and establish criteria and enter into agreements with other states to acquire reciprocal approval of educator preparation programs and certification, including teacher certification from the national board for professional teaching standards;

(4) Establish policies for approval of nontraditional educator preparation programs;

(5) Conduct a review of educator program approval standards at least every five years, beginning in 2006, to reflect research findings and assure continued improvement of preparation programs for teachers, administrators, and school specialized personnel;

(6) Specify the types and kinds of educator certificates to be issued and conditions for certification in accordance with subsection (1) of this section, section 1 of this act, and RCW 28A.410.010;

(7) Apply for and receive federal or other funds on behalf of the state for purposes related to the duties of the board;

(8) Adopt rules under chapter 34.05 RCW that are necessary for the effective and efficient implementation of this chapter;

(9) Maintain data concerning educator preparation programs and their quality, educator certification, educator employment trends and needs, and other data deemed relevant by the board;

(10) Serve as an advisory body to the superintendent of public instruction on issues related to educator recruitment, hiring, mentoring and support, professional growth, retention, educator evaluation including but not limited to peer evaluation, and revocation and suspension of licensure;

(11) Submit, by October 15th of each even-numbered year and in accordance with RCW 43.01.036, a joint report with the state board of education to the legislative education committees, the governor, and the superintendent of public instruction. The report shall address the progress the boards have made and the obstacles they have encountered, individually and collectively, in the work of achieving the goals set out in RCW 28A.150.210;

(12) Establish the prospective teacher assessment system for basic skills and subject knowledge that shall be required to obtain residency certification pursuant to RCW 28A.410.220 through 28A.410.240; and

(13) ((By January 2010, set performance standards and develop, pilot, and implement a uniform and externally administered professional-level certification assessment based on demonstrated teaching skill. In the development of this assessment, consideration shall be given to changes in professional certification program components such as the culminating seminar; and

(14))) Conduct meetings under the provisions of chapter 42.30 RCW.

Sec. 3.  RCW 28A.410.250 and 2016 c 233 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:

The agency responsible for educator certification shall adopt rules for professional certification that:

(1) ((Provide maximum program choice for applicants, promote portability among programs, and promote maximum efficiency for applicants in attaining professional certification;

(3))) Grant professional certification to any teacher who attains certification from the national board for professional teaching standards;

(8))) (2) Identify an expedited professional certification process for out-of-state teachers who have five years or more of successful teaching experience, including a method to determine the comparability of rigor between the Washington professional certification process and the advanced level teacher certification process of other states. A professional certificate must be issued to these experienced out-of-state teachers if the teacher holds: (a) A valid teaching certificate issued by the national board for professional teaching standards; or (b) an advanced level teacher certificate from another state that has been determined to be comparable to the Washington professional certificate; and

Sec. 4.  RCW 28A.410.270 and 2009 c 548 s 402 are each amended to read as follows:

(1)(a) ((By January 1, 2010,)) The Washington professional educator standards board shall adopt a set of articulated teacher knowledge, skill, and performance standards for effective teaching that are evidence-based, measurable, meaningful, and documented in high quality research as being associated with improved student learning. The standards shall be calibrated for each level ((of certification and)) along the entire career continuum. In developing the standards, the board shall, to the extent possible, incorporate standards for cultural competency along the entire continuum. For the purposes of this subsection, "cultural competency" includes knowledge of student cultural histories and contexts, as well as family norms and values in different cultures; knowledge and skills in accessing community resources and community and parent outreach; and skills in adapting instruction to students' experiences and identifying cultural contexts for individual students.

(b) ((By January 1, 2010,)) The Washington professional educator standards board shall adopt a definition of master teacher, with a comparable level of increased competency between professional certification level and master level as between professional certification level and national board certification. Within the definition established by the Washington professional educator standards board, teachers certified through the national board for professional teaching standards shall be considered master teachers.

(2) ((By January 1, 2010, the professional educator standards board shall submit to the governor and the education and fiscal committees of the legislature:

(b) A proposal for)) The Washington professional educator standards board shall maintain a uniform, statewide, valid, and reliable classroom-based means of evaluating teacher effectiveness as a culminating measure at the preservice level that is to be used during the student-teaching field experience. This assessment shall include multiple measures of teacher performance in classrooms, evidence of positive impact on student learning, and shall include review of artifacts, such as use of a variety of assessment and instructional strategies, and student work. ((The proposal shall establish a timeline for when the assessment will be required for successful completion of a Washington state-approved teacher preparation program. The timeline shall take into account the capacity of the K-12 education and higher education systems to accommodate the new assessment. The proposal and timeline shall also address how the assessment will be included in state-reported data on preparation program quality; and

(5) Beginning no earlier than September 1, 2011,)) (3) Award of a professional certificate shall be based on a minimum of two years of successful teaching experience as defined by the board ((and on the results of the evaluation authorized under RCW 28A.410.210(14) and under this section)), and may not require candidates to enroll in a professional certification program.

(((6) Beginning July 1, 2011,)) (4) Educator preparation programs approved to offer the residency teaching certificate shall be required to demonstrate how the program produces effective teachers as evidenced by the measures established under this section and other criteria established by the Washington professional educator standards board.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.410 RCW to read as follows:

THE COLLABORATIVE. (1) For the purpose of this section, "educator" means a paraeducator, teacher, principal, administrator, superintendent, school counselor, school psychologist, school social worker, school nurse, school physical therapist, school occupational therapist, or school speech-language pathologist or audiologist. "Educator" includes persons who hold, or have held, certificates as authorized by rule of the Washington professional educator standards board.

(2)(a) The professional educator collaborative is established to make recommendations on how to improve and strengthen state policies, programs, and pathways that lead to highly effective educators at each level of the public school system.

(b) The collaborative shall examine issues related to educator recruitment, certification, retention, professional learning and development, leadership, and evaluation for effectiveness. The examination must consider what barriers and deterrents hinder the recruitment and retention of professional educators, including those from underrepresented populations. The collaborative shall also consider what incentives and supports could be provided at each stage of an educator's career to produce a more effective educational system. Specifically, the collaborative must review the following issues:

(i) Educator recruitment, including the role of school districts, community and technical colleges, preparation programs, and communities, and the effectiveness of financial incentives and other types of support;

(ii) Educator preparation, including traditional and alternative route program design and content, the role of community and technical colleges, field experience duration and quality, financial assistance and incentives, school district and community connections, and academic and social support for students;

(iii) Educator certificate types and tiers, including requirements for an initial or first-tier certificate, requirements to advance to the next tier, and requirements that are transferable between certificate types;

(iv) Educator certificate renewal requirements, including comparing professional growth plan requirements with the teacher and principal residency certificate renewal requirements established in section 1 of this act;

(v) Educator evaluation, including comparison to educator certificate renewal requirements to determine inconsistent or duplicative requirements or efforts, relationship with educator compensation;

(vi) Educator certificate reciprocity;

(vii) Professional learning and development opportunities, particularly for mid-career teachers;

(viii) Leadership in the education system, including best practices of high quality leaders, training for principals and administrators, and identifying and developing teachers as leaders; and

(ix) Systems monitoring, including collection of outcomes data on educator production, employment, and retention, and the value in a cost-benefit analysis of state recruitment and retention activities.

(3)(a) The members of the collaborative must include representatives of the following organizations:

(i) The two largest caucuses of the senate and the house of representatives, appointed by the majority and minority leaders of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives, respectively;

(ii) The Washington professional educator standards board;

(iii) The office of the superintendent of public instruction;

(iv) Washington professional educator standards board-approved educator preparation programs;

(v) The Washington state school directors' association;

(vi) The Washington education association;

(vii) The Washington association of school administrators;

(viii) The association of Washington school principals; and

(ix) The association of Washington school counselors.

(b) Each organization listed in (a) of this subsection must designate one voting member, except that each legislator is a voting member.

(c) The collaborative shall choose its chair or cochairs from among its members.

(d) The voting members of the collaborative, where appropriate, may consult with stakeholders, including representatives of other educator associations, or ask stakeholders to establish an advisory committee. Members of such an advisory committee are not entitled to expense reimbursement.

(4)(a) Staff support for the collaborative must be provided by the Washington professional educator standards board, and from other state agencies, including the office of the superintendent of public instruction, if requested by the collaborative.

(b) The Washington professional educator standards board must convene the initial meeting of the collaborative within sixty days of the effective date of this section.

(5) The collaborative must contract with a nonprofit, nonpartisan institute that conducts independent, high quality research to improve education policy and practice and that works with policymakers, researchers, educators, and others to advance evidence-based policies that support equitable learning for each child for the purpose of consultation and guidance on meeting agendas and materials development, meeting facilitation, documenting collaborative discussions and recommendations, locating and summarizing useful policy and research documents, and drafting required reports.

(6) Legislative members of the collaborative are reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 44.04.120. Nonlegislative members are not entitled to be reimbursed for travel expenses if they are elected officials or are participating on behalf of an employer, governmental entity, or other organization. Any reimbursement for other nonlegislative members is subject to chapter 43.03 RCW.

(7)(a) By November 1, 2018, and in compliance with RCW 43.01.036, the collaborative shall submit a preliminary report to the education committees of the legislature that makes recommendations on the educator certificate types, tiers, and renewal issues described in subsection (3) of this section. The report must also describe the activities of the collaborative to date, and include any preliminary recommendations agreed to by the collaborative on other issues described in subsection (3) of this section.

(b) By November 1, 2019, and in compliance with RCW 43.01.036, the collaborative shall submit a final report to the education committees of the legislature that describes the activities of the collaborative since the preliminary report and makes recommendations on each issue described in subsection (2) of this section.

(8) This section expires August 31, 2020.

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