H-3577              _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 2533

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1990 Regular Session

By Representatives Jacobsen, Van Luven, Heavey, Ballard, Hine, Miller, Peery, Cooper, Betrozoff, G. Fisher, Walker, Rector, Dellwo, Scott, Fuhrman, May, Wood, Tate, Brumsickle, Ferguson and Sprenkle

Read first time 1/15/90 and referred to Committees on Education/Appropriations. Referred from Committee on Appropriations to Rules on 2/6/90.

AN ACT Relating to the local master's degree teacher training program; creating a new section; and making an appropriation.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     (1) The superintendent of public instruction shall establish the local master's degree teacher training program.  The goals of the program shall be to:

          (a) Assure teacher expertise in the "art of teaching" utilizing the latest research based techniques and technologies;

          (b) Build for a core group of teachers a comprehensive induction model that incorporates a specific set of skills and understandings;

          (c) Permit study in specific subject matter content areas applicable to the individual teacher;

          (d) Assure collegial support in learning activities on an extended basis; and

          (e) Build a research basis for a field based and implemented "master's level" program.

          (2) The program shall provide up to five grants to fund pilot projects establishing a local master's degree teacher training program.  The grants shall be awarded on a competitive basis to local school districts who, in cooperation with an institution of higher education, have developed and submitted a proposal.  A minimum of two grants shall be awarded to cooperatives formed by two or more school districts.  The proposals shall be developed by local advisory boards formed by a local school district or a cooperative of school districts.  The local advisory boards shall meet the requirements established by the state board of education for professional education advisory boards, and at least fifty percent of the members shall be classroom teachers.  Local advisory boards shall work with university professional education advisory boards and local education associations to develop a proposal that includes recommendations to the university and the higher education coordinating board to implement the proposal.

          (3) Proposals shall be submitted to the office of the superintendent of public instruction by August 31, 1990, and shall document:

          (a) Research on collegiality and peer coaching that has been considered;

          (b) The program will facilitate the "art of teaching" utilizing the latest teaching research and technologies;

          (c) The program will utilize field based teacher research to document the effectiveness of the training;

          (d) Innovation in staffing will provide field based graduate level instruction;

          (e) The degree of local district commitment; and

          (f) Availability of graduate level credits and degrees to program participants.

          (4) The grants shall be awarded by November 15, 1990.  In awarding the grants, the superintendent shall consider:

          (a) The extent to which the program is field based and of convenience to teachers;

          (b) Evidence that the program utilizes technology and research on teaching;

          (c) Evidence that there is substantial classroom coaching and feedback to participants;

          (d) Evidence of innovation in staffing to provide field based graduate level instruction;

          (e) The availability of graduate level credits to participants from a public or private institution of higher education; and

          (f) The degree of the local district's commitment.

          (5) Funding for the 1990-91 school year shall be used for program development and planning.  Any unused funds may be used for teacher centered research projects and coordination during the 1991-93 program years.  The purpose of the research project shall be to document the impact of the training program on teaching and K-12 schools.

          (6) The superintendent shall submit a report on the program to the state board of education and the legislature by January 1993.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     The sum of three hundred thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the general fund to the superintendent of public instruction for the biennium ending June 30, 1991, to carry out the purposes of this act.