BILL REQ. #: H-2051.2
| State of Washington | 60th Legislature | 2007 Regular Session |
Read first time 02/21/2007. Referred to Committee on Education.
AN ACT Relating to professional certification of 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 supports the intent of
professional certification of teachers, which is to award a second-level state certificate based on competencies and a demonstration of a
positive impact on student learning. However, the legislature finds
that a uniform, objective, and rigorous performance assessment would be
a more credible measure of competency in the classroom than completion
of an additional professional development program. The legislature
recognizes that some teachers will want and seek additional
professional development through a professional certificate program and
intends to continue to offer this as an option, as long as candidates
for professional certification also complete the performance
assessment. Once the competencies and performance expected from
professional certificate holders are proven to have a positive impact
on student learning, the legislature intends to reward this level of
performance through the compensation system.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 A new section is added to chapter 28A.410
RCW to read as follows:
(1) The professional educator standards board shall adopt standards
for and develop, field test, and implement a uniform and externally
administered performance assessment for the professional certification
of teachers. The assessment shall measure demonstrated teaching skill
and shall include objective data and evidence that the teacher has a
positive impact on student learning.
(2) The professional educator standards board shall adopt rules for
professional certification of teachers that allow candidates to
complete an approved professional certificate program and successfully
complete the performance assessment or to successfully complete the
performance assessment without completing an approved program.
(3) The professional educator standards board shall conduct a
rigorous evaluation of the outcomes of the professional certificate
performance assessment in this section, using a methodology that
includes comparison groups and objective, data-driven measures of
student learning. The purpose of the evaluation is to determine the
impact of a professionally certified teacher on student learning, based
on the demonstrated knowledge and skills measured by the performance
assessment.
(4) After the professional educator standards board determines,
based on the evidence, that professionally certified teachers have a
positive impact on student learning, the legislature intends to provide
professionally certified teachers with a compensation bonus.