H-2178              _______________________________________________

                                          SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL NO. 1759

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1989 Regular Session

By House Committee on Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Peery, Betrozoff, Crane and Winsley)

Read first time 3/6/89.

AN ACT Relating to educational staff; adding new sections to chapter 28A.100 RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The legislature finds that there is a need to enhance educational programs by improving adult/pupil ratios in the classroom.  The hiring of paraprofessional classroom assistants can address this need and also provide a means of recruiting prospective teachers, especially minorities.  The use of classroom assistants has been much more effective when adequate training has been provided, both for the classroom assistants and for the teachers working with them.  Therefore, the legislature intends to encourage the development of such training and to establish grants for this purpose.  This act shall be known as the educational staff diversification act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     (1) The superintendent of public instruction may grant funds to educational service districts or school districts, or both, to develop a twenty-five hour training program for classroom assistants.  In selecting educational service districts and school districts for grants, the superintendent shall give preference to proposals that include training for employees newly hired or assigned as assistants for basic education classrooms.  However, such proposals may also provide training for experienced classroom assistants and assistants assigned to other programs.

          (2) As used in this section, a "classroom assistant" is an individual who:  (a) Assists teachers in the classroom with preparing materials, working with small groups, grading papers, and supervising of students at recess, in the lunchroom, on the bus, and in other ways as assigned by the classroom teachers; and (b) has at least a high school diploma or its equivalent, or one or more years of previous employment with the district performing the duties of a classroom assistant.

          (3)  Districts shall submit an application outlining the content of the training and the number of classroom assistants and certificated instructional staff who will participate.  Training shall include, but not be limited to, a review of the rules and procedures of the school, operation of equipment, the psychology and development of children, and discipline policies and procedures.  The training shall be presented by the school district or educational service district before the first day of classroom duty for the classroom assistant.  Training shall also be provided to certificated instructional staff on methods of working with and providing direction to classroom assistants.

          (4)  The training program shall be developed during the 1989-90 school year for implementation during the 1990-91 school year.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     (1)   The superintendent of public instruction, the state board of education, the state apprenticeship training council, community colleges, and the higher education coordinating board shall develop a ninety unit educational paraprofessional associate of arts degree.

          (2) As used in this section, an "educational paraprofessional" is an individual who has completed an associate of arts degree for an educational paraprofessional.  The educational paraprofessional may be hired by a school district to assist certificated instructional staff in the direct instruction of children in small and large groups, individualized instruction, testing of children, recordkeeping, and preparation of materials.  The educational paraprofessional shall work under the direction of instructional certificated staff.

          (3) The training program for an educational paraprofessional associate of arts degree shall include, but is not limited to, the general requirements for receipt of an associate of arts degree and training in the areas of introduction to childhood education, orientation to handicapped children, fundamentals of childhood education, creative activities for children, instructional materials for children, fine art experiences for children, the psychology of learning, introduction to education, child health and safety, child development and guidance, first aid, and a practicum in a school setting.

          (4)  The educational paraprofessional associate of arts degree shall be developed during the 1990-91 and 1991-92 school years for implementation during the 1992-93 school year.

          (5) In developing the program, consideration shall be given to transferability of credit earned in this program to teacher preparation programs at colleges and universities.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.     Sections 2 and 3 of this act are each added to chapter 28A.100 RCW.