Brief Description: Changing alternative route teacher certification provisions.

Sponsors: Senators Johnson and Rossi; by request of Office of Financial Management.

Hearing Date:

Staff: Denise Graham (786-7137).

Background:

The 2001 Legislature, at the recommendation of the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB), created three alternative routes to prepare new teachers for subjects and geographic locations in which there are a shortage of qualified educators.

The first route is limited to para-educators who hold an Associate of Arts Degree. In order to qualify for the program, these para-educators had to seek an endorsement to teach in special education, bilingual education or English as a second language. Participants in this route could take two years to complete the program.

The second route is a one-year certification program limited to public school classified staff. These students had to hold a baccalaureate degree and seek certification in an identified subject or geographic shortage area.

The third route is a one-year program limited to persons outside the public school system. These participants were required to have five years of work experience, a baccalaureate degree and a demonstrated ability to work with children or students.

Participants in all three routes were also required to meet background record checks and to pass the subject matter tests developed by the PESB. The one-year certification programs were developed as partnerships between one or more school districts and an institution of higher education. The majority of the education was to take place in a K-12 classroom under the direction of a mentor teacher, with higher education helping to fill in the gaps a student needed.

The participants were eligible to receive 80 percent of a beginning teacher's salary (about $22,500). The remaining funds were to go to the district and the mentor teacher.

Classified staff in routes one and two are also eligible to receive $4000 conditional scholarships to help pay for any tuition charged by the higher education partners in the program. The conditional scholarships may be repaid through service in a public school. Route three participants are not included in the conditional scholarship program.

$1,916,000 was appropriated to support the program during the 2003 fiscal year.

Summary of Bill:

Districts may apply for funds through the Partnership Grant program to pay stipends to trained teachers who mentor interns in the program. The mentor's stipend amount is limited to $500 for each intern the teacher mentors. Interns will not receive stipends.

The list of factors that the PESB and OSPI may use to select participating districts is clarified to be non-exclusive.

Interns under the third route become eligible to receive conditional scholarships. The total scholarship amount is increased from $4000 to $8,000.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.