H-0959.1 _______________________________________________
HOUSE BILL 1400
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State of Washington 57th Legislature 2001 Regular Session
By Representatives Romero, Talcott, Quall, Hunt, Keiser, Rockefeller, Linville, Haigh and Schual‑Berke
Read first time 01/25/2001. Referred to Committee on Education.
AN ACT Relating to cooperating teachers; adding a new section to chapter 28A.410 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 preparing future teachers is critical to the well-being of our state. An essential component of teacher preparation is the opportunity for students in teacher preparation programs to learn from experienced classroom teachers. These cooperating teachers are able to provide advice and counsel based on the many lessons they have learned from their experience in the classroom.
The legislature recognizes the importance of actual classroom experience in the training of new teachers, and therefore intends to provide an incentive to exceptional, experienced teachers to guide student teachers' classroom‑based student teaching experiences.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28A.410 RCW to read as follows:
(1) "Cooperating teacher" means a teacher who:
(a) Holds a continuing or professional certificate and supervises and mentors a student teacher in a public school;
(b) Is an excellent teacher based on the teacher's evaluations pursuant to RCW 28A.405.100;
(c) Has at least four school years of teaching experience; and
(d) Holds high expectations for students and demonstrates the ability to help students achieve at high levels and meet or exceed any academic standards adopted by the school district and the state.
(2) "Student teacher" means a candidate for initial or residency teacher certification who is in a state board of education-approved teacher preparation program in a public or private institution of higher education in Washington, and who is student teaching in a public school.
(3) "Student teaching" means a field experience lasting a minimum of approximately a full academic quarter during which the student teacher participates in instructional activities and assumes both part-time and full-time teaching responsibilities under the supervision of the cooperating teacher. Student teaching does not mean field experiences that are limited to opportunities for observation, tutoring, microteaching, extended practicums, and clinical and laboratory experiences that do not fall within the meaning of student teaching.
(4) If funding to pay stipends to cooperating teachers is provided in the omnibus appropriations act, the amount of the stipend shall be adjusted to conform with any budget proviso and funding for the stipends shall be provided by the office of the superintendent of public instruction to the school district that employs the cooperating teacher or to the educational service district to which the district belongs, as appropriate. The school district or educational service district shall pay the full amount of the stipend to the cooperating teacher. Any funds provided through the omnibus appropriations act for stipends shall supplement and not supplant stipends and other forms of monetary assistance provided to cooperating teachers during the previous academic year by institutions of higher education with approved teacher preparation programs. The institution of higher education shall use, at a minimum, the base year funding amounts to directly support cooperating teachers. The support may include, in combination or separately, higher stipends, material and supplies, and tuition assistance or academic scholarships.
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