SENATE BILL REPORT
ESHB 1252
This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent. |
As Reported by Senate Committee On:
Early Learning & K-12 Education, March 27, 2013
Title: An act relating to K-12 professional development for teachers and principals.
Brief Description: Establishing the Washington K-12 online professional development project.
Sponsors: House Committee on Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Stonier, Carlyle, Sullivan, Lytton, Hunt, Maxwell, Harris, Takko, Fitzgibbon, Morrell, Tarleton, Jinkins, Hawkins, Haigh, Bergquist, Dahlquist, Tharinger, Freeman and Roberts).
Brief History: Passed House: 3/08/13, 92-5.
Committee Activity: Early Learning & K-12 Education: 3/18/13, 3/27/13 [DPA-WM].
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EARLY LEARNING & K-12 EDUCATION |
Majority Report: Do pass as amended and be referred to Committee on Ways & Means.
Signed by Senators Litzow, Chair; Dammeier, Vice Chair; McAuliffe, Ranking Member; Rolfes, Assistant Ranking Member; Billig, Brown, Cleveland, Fain, Hill, Mullet and Rivers.
Staff: Eric Wolf (786-7405)
Background: Professional development for K-12 educators comes in many forms, including in-person delivery through a course or seminar using a traditional lecture format. Workshops sometimes use a more interactive format where participants break into small groups for discussion or development of materials. Other professional development is embedded in the educators' work week through inservice days, shared planning time, or creation of professional learning communities where groups of educators gather to work together on selected topics, such as how to use data to inform instruction or curriculum alignment.
Technology provides additional opportunities for educator professional development, including through video teleconferencing, webinars, blogs on specific topics, videos of classroom instruction, and immediate access to research and collections of curriculum, lesson plans, classroom activities, classroom-based assessments, and other materials.
Due to the wide array of forms and delivery methods, little is known about how much professional development current educators receive, on what topics, or how it is funded.
Summary of Bill (Recommended Amendments): Subject to funds appropriated for this purpose, the K-12 Online Professional Development Project (Project) is established. The purpose of the Project is to make online professional development modules available on-demand and at no cost to teachers and principals.
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) must develop a request for proposals and select, through a competitive process, a facilitator and administrator for the Project. The duties of the facilitator include the following:
appointing and convening a steering committee of K-12 educators who are responsible for the overall design and structure of the Project, including selection of the content;
overseeing and providing support for creation of the professional development modules by K-12 educators;
providing technical support and infrastructure; and
actively seeking public-private partnerships to support the Project.
The professional development modules under the Project must incorporate a variety of media, including hybrid learning modules that combine online with face-to-face collaboration, and provide for data collection on usage and customer feedback. The modules must cover a range of topics including academic content aligned with the Common Core State Standards, closing the educational opportunity gap, and topics of particular interest to principals.
Each module must contain an assessment that documents the user’s successful completion. In consultation with OSPI, the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) must adopt rules that establish standards for minimum content, documentation of participation, and verification of completion of the online modules. Completion of the modules may only be considered approved inservice training for purposes of the state salary allocation schedule according to PESB rules, and only after the rules take effect.
The steering committee must submit a status report by December 1, 2015, including data on usage, costs to refresh the modules, and recommendations for expanding and improving the Project.
The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC) must conduct an analysis that examines the level of resources and sources of funds expended on professional development for teachers and principals, the type and content of professional development, and the basis for selection of the content. The JLARC analysis must include traditional and nontraditional, job-embedded forms of professional development. A report is due by December 1, 2014.
EFFECT OF CHANGES MADE BY EARLY LEARNING & K-12 EDUCATION COMMITTEE (Recommended Amendments): A codification error in Section 2 is corrected. PESB must adopt rules regarding the online professional development program in consultation with OSPI.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.
Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.
Staff Summary of Public Testimony on Engrossed Substitute House Bill: PRO: The bill is very timely because professional development is a hot topic among teachers and districts. The potential of using the internet as a low-cost delivery method is an attractive feature of the bill.
OTHER: The bill should be amended to remove section 3, which was added on the House floor.
Persons Testifying: PRO: Andrea Cobb, OSPI; David Brenna, PESB.
OTHER: Lucinda Young, WA Education Assn.