Brief Description: Regarding educator preparation, professional development, and compensation.

Sponsors: Representatives P. Sullivan, McDermott and Ormsby.

Hearing Date: 2/6/07

Staff: Barbara McLain (786-7383).

Background:

The Washington Learns comprehensive education study, chaired by Governor Gregoire, issued final recommendations in November 2006. The Governor proposes implementation of a number of the recommendations regarding educator preparation, professional development, and compensation through her proposed budget for the 2007-09 biennium and proposed legislation.

School and District Leadership. There are two state-supported programs for training and mentoring school administrators. The Education Leadership Internship Program provides funds for release time for individuals to obtain some of the field experience required to complete a principal, program administrator, or superintendent certification program. The Principal Support Program provides new principals with skill assessment, development of a professional growth plan, and mentoring. The Principal Support Program is operated under contract with the Association of Washington School Principals.

Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB). The PESB is a twenty-member board responsible for establishing requirements for state certification of educators and approving educator preparation and certification programs.

Within five years of receiving an initial or residency teaching certificate, teachers must enroll in a program to earn a professional certificate. Professional certification programs are performance-based and include a pre-assessment seminar, a professional growth team and plan, and a culminating seminar. Reviews of the programs have found variation in their requirements and expectations, degree of collaboration among higher education institutions and school districts, and cost and accessibility to candidates.

Professional Development. Professional development for teachers is offered by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), Educational Service Districts (ESDs), and local school districts. Much of the professional development provided by ESDs is individual courses on a fee-for-service basis. Core funding for ESDs is allocated to support administration and facilities, cooperative administrative and curriculum services, personnel services, learning resource services, and special needs of local education agencies. The remainder of ESDs budgets comes from special programs, fee-for-service, and charges for cooperative services provided under agreement with school districts.

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). The NBPTS is a national, nonprofit organization that has developed standards for highly accomplished teaching and a voluntary system to certify teachers who meet those standards. In Washington, teachers can use NBPTS certification in lieu of a professional certificate. Funding is provided through federal and private sources to assist candidates with the application fee. State funding is provided through the appropriations act for a $3,500 annual bonus for NBPTS teachers. As of January 2007, there were 1,310 NBPTS teachers in Washington.

Certificated Instructional Staff Salaries. The statewide salary allocation schedule for certificated instructional staff is based on a combination of two factors: 1) years of experience in Washington's public schools; and 2) academic degrees and numbers of continuing education credits. The schedule does not reflect such factors as performance, skill, difficulty of assignment, shortage areas, or level of state certification.

Teacher compensation practices among the 50 states vary widely regarding base pay, supplemental contracts, bonuses, and other benefits. This variation makes it difficult to identify an "average salary" for teachers in comparison to other states.

Summary of Bill:

School and District Leadership. A public-private partnership is established to develop, pilot, and implement the Washington State Leadership Academy (Academy), whose goal is to develop leadership characteristics, effective practices, skills for school and district administrators. Academy partners include the superintendent and principal professional associations, private nonprofit foundations, the SPI, the PESB, the ESDs, and others. The partners must establish a board of directors and designate an independent organization to act as fiscal agent for the Academy. The Academy will be supported by a national research institution with expertise in educational leadership.

Initial development of course content and activities must be supported by private funds. Initial tasks include finalizing the design of the Academy, developing and pilot-testing a curriculum, and modifying the design based on the pilot test results.

The Academy board must report semi-annually to the SPI on the financial contributions provided to the Academy, and must report by December 31 of each year on the programs, participants, evaluations, and plans for future development of the Academy.

PESB. The PESB must take certain steps to develop quality teaching knowledge and skills in the state's teaching ranks:

1.   By December 2007: a) adopt new standards that prepare all individuals seeking a residency teaching certificate to integrate mathematics across all content areas of instruction; and b) adopt new residency certification requirements for elementary teachers and middle level and secondary mathematics teachers to assure preparation to teach the state's mathematics and science standards.

2.   By June 2009: a) set standards for and develop, pilot, and implement a uniform and external professional-level certification assessment based on demonstrated teaching skill. Consideration must also be given to changing professional certification program components such as the culminating seminar; and b) review and revise the approval standards for higher education teacher preparation programs to incorporate updated practices in a knowledge and skill-based performance system.

3.   By December 2009: review and revise teacher preparation standards to focus on diversity in cultural knowledge and respect.

Professional Development. Targeted professional development programs are authorized in order to develop outstanding mathematics and science teaching and learning. Expected outcomes include meaningful, targeted professional development for all middle, junior high, and high school teachers of mathematics and science; increased knowledge and instructional skills; increased use of curriculum that aligns with state standards; increased rigor of course offerings; and increased student success.

The OSPI and the ESDs must create a partnership to develop and deliver professional development opportunities. Each ESD must create a performance agreement with the SPI that articulates partner responsibilities, including participation in the development of professional development programs, qualifications of staff, consistent delivery of services, and reporting responsibilities. Professional development services that are identified in statute or the omnibus appropriations act become part of ESD core funding.

For the 2007-09 biennium, school districts that receive professional development resources are directed to the following activities:

1.   In the 2007-08 school year, the focus for fourth and fifth-grade mathematics and science teachers and middle and junior high school mathematics teachers is development of basic content knowledge and instructional skills. For middle, junior high, and high school science teachers, the focus is examination of science assessment data and identification of areas needing additional instructional attention. For high school mathematics teachers, the focus is on implementing state mathematics learning modules, the segmented mathematics class and assessment, the collection of evidence, and basic content knowledge and instructional skills.

2.   The focus for all levels of mathematics and science teachers for 2008-09 is implementing new international mathematics and science standards.

3.    For the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school years, one mathematics and one science teacher from each middle, junior high, and high school must be provided specialized professional development to bring new rigor to course offerings or expand opportunities for students to take applied mathematics and science courses.

The SPI will develop the methodology for providing formula-driven resources for this professional development. School districts must submit reports to the SPI regarding the use of funds.

For the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school years, 20 teachers each year from middle, junior high, and high schools will be provided professional development to implement a specialized science, technology, engineering, and mathematics curriculum in their school. Schools apply to the OSPI for this program.

NBPTS. Instructional staff with an NBPTS certificate receive a bonus calculated as 10 percent of their salary from the statewide salary allocation model for each year they hold the certificate. No individual receives a smaller amount than the bonus received in the 2006-07 school year.

NBPTS certificate holders with an instructional assignment in a school where at least 70 percent of the students qualify for free and reduced-price lunch receive an additional $5,000 bonus, and teachers with an NBPTS certificate in middle level or high school mathematics or science who teach in such a school receive a $10,000 bonus.

Certificated Instructional Staff Salaries. The Office of Financial Management (OFM) leads a committee to develop recommendations for a new comprehensive expertise and incentive pay structure for K-12 staff. The director of the OFM or designee serves as the committee chair. Committee members include four legislators; the SPI or designee; a member of the PESB; members from statewide education organizations representing teachers, principals, superintendents, school directors, human resource professionals, and parents; and business organizations.

The committee's recommendations include:

• changes to the statewide salary allocation model to include pay for performance, knowledge, and skills;
• elements to recognize difficult assignments; and
• recognition of the professional teaching certificate in the salary allocation model.

The recommendations also include a plan to implement the expertise and incentive pay structure, support elements such as professional development, and the transition from the current model to the new structure. The committee's final recommendations must be submitted to the Governor and the fiscal committees of the Legislature by December 15, 2008.

The OFM and the OSPI must jointly conduct a review of teacher pay systems in the Global Challenge States and develop a methodology for comparing teacher salaries among the states. Findings from this review and the initial comparisons must be reported to the Governor and the Legislature by January 10, 2008.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available

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