5044-S.E AMH ED H1408.1
ESSB 5044 - H COMM AMD
By Committee on Education
NOT ADOPTED 04/11/2021
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds that state resources have been invested to: (a) Identify model standards for cultural competency; (b) incorporate these cultural competency standards into both the standards for effective teaching and the standards of practice for paraeducators; (c) develop cultural competency training programs for school district staff from paraeducators to administrators; and (d) develop a plan for the creation and delivery of cultural competency training for school board directors and superintendents.
(2) The legislature plans to continue the important work of dismantling institutional racism in public schools and recognizes the importance of increasing equity, diversity, inclusion, antiracism, and cultural competency training throughout the entire public school system by providing training programs for classified staff, certificated instructional staff, certificated administrative staff, superintendents, and school directors that will be provided in an ongoing manner.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28A.415 RCW to read as follows:
The definitions in this section apply throughout sections 3 through 7 of this act and RCW 28A.415.445 unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
(1) "Cultural competency" includes knowledge of student cultural histories and contexts, as well as family norms and values in different cultures; knowledge and skills in accessing community resources and community and parent outreach; and skills in adapting instruction to students' experiences and identifying cultural contexts for individual students.
(2) "Diversity" describes the presence of similarities and differences within a given setting, collective, or group based on multiple factors including race and ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, age, educational status, religion, geography, primary language, culture, and other characteristics and experiences.
(3) "Equity" includes developing, strengthening, and supporting procedural and outcome fairness in systems, procedures, and resource distribution mechanisms to create equitable opportunities for all individuals. The term also includes eliminating barriers that prevent the full participation of individuals and groups.
(4) "Inclusion" describes intentional efforts and consistent sets of actions to create and sustain a sense of respect, belonging, safety, and attention to individual needs and backgrounds that ensure the full access to engagement and participation in available activities and opportunities.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 28A.345 RCW to read as follows:
(1) The Washington state school directors' association shall:
(a) Develop cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion standards for school director governance;
(b) Collaborate with the Washington professional educator standards board to compare and align the standards for school director governance developed under (a) of this subsection with the standards of practice developed under section 4 of this act. The review must include the educational opportunity gap oversight and accountability committee and may include the office of equity established under RCW 43.06D.020; and
(c) Maintain the final cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion standards for school director governance on its website at no cost to school districts.
(2) By November 1, 2030, and every 10 years thereafter, the Washington state school directors' association shall review the definitions in section 2 of this act and the cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion standards for school director governance developed under subsection (1) of this section and report, in compliance with RCW 43.01.036, to the appropriate committees of the legislature with any recommendations for revising the definitions in section 2 of this act.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4. A new section is added to chapter 28A.410 RCW to read as follows:
(1) The Washington professional educator standards board shall:
(a) Develop or update cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion standards of practice for preparation, continuing education, and other training of school district staff;
(b) Collaborate with the Washington state school directors' association to compare and align the standards of practice developed under (a) of this subsection with the standards of governance developed under section 3 of this act. The review must include the educational opportunity gap oversight and accountability committee and may include the office of equity established under RCW 43.06D.020; and
(c) Post on its public website the cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion standards of practice for school district staff.
(2) By November 1, 2030, and every 10 years thereafter, the Washington professional educator standards board shall review the definitions in section 2 of this act and the cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion standards of practice for school district staff developed under subsection (1) of this section and report, in compliance with RCW 43.01.036, to the appropriate committees of the legislature any recommendations for revising the definitions in section 2 of this act.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5. A new section is added to chapter 28A.345 RCW to read as follows:
(1) The Washington state school directors' association shall identify or develop and periodically update governance training programs that align with the cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion standards for school director governance developed under section 3 of this act. The governance training programs must also include the foundational elements of cultural competence, focusing on multicultural education and principles of English language acquisition, including information regarding best practices to implement the tribal history and culture curriculum. Governance training programs may be developed in collaboration with other entities.
(2) Beginning with the 2022 calendar year, the Washington state school directors' association shall provide a governance training program identified or developed under subsection (1) of this section at the frequency necessary for school directors to meet the requirement in section 7 of this act.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 6. A new section is added to chapter 28A.410 RCW to read as follows:
(1) The Washington professional educator standards board shall identify, or develop and periodically update, training programs for school district staff and superintendents that align with the cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion standards of practice developed under section 4 of this act. These training programs must also include the foundational elements of cultural competence, focusing on multicultural education and principles of English language acquisition, including information regarding best practices to implement the tribal history and culture curriculum. Training programs may be developed in collaboration with other entities.
(2) In establishing policies and requirements for the preparation and certification of educators under RCW 28A.410.210, the Washington professional educator standards board shall require that the programs of courses, requirements, and other activities leading to educator certification align with the cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion standards of practice developed under section 4 of this act.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 7. A new section is added to chapter 28A.343 RCW to read as follows:
Beginning with the 2022 calendar year, each member of a board of directors shall complete a governance training program provided by the Washington state school directors' association as required by section 5 of this act once per term of elected office, except that newly elected directors must complete a governance training program within two years of election.
Sec. 8. RCW 28A.415.445 and 2019 c 360 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) Beginning in the 2020-21 school year, and every other school year thereafter, school districts must use one of the professional learning days funded under RCW 28A.150.415 to train school district staff in one or more of the following topics: Social-emotional learning, trauma-informed practices, using the model plan developed under RCW 28A.320.1271 related to recognition and response to emotional or behavioral distress, consideration of adverse childhood experiences, mental health literacy, antibullying strategies, or culturally sustaining practices.
(2)(a) In the 2021-22 school year, school districts must use one of the professional learning days funded under RCW 28A.150.415 to train school district staff in one or more of the following topics: Cultural competency; diversity; equity; or inclusion.
(b) Beginning in the 2023-24 school year, and every other school year thereafter, school districts must use one of the professional learning days funded under RCW 28A.150.415 to provide to school district staff a training program identified or developed under section 6 of this act.
(3) For the purposes of this section, "school district staff" includes classified staff, certificated instructional staff, certificated administrative staff, and superintendents.
Sec. 9. RCW 28A.405.106 and 2016 c 72 s 202 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) Subject to funds appropriated for this purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction must develop and make available a professional development program to support the implementation of the evaluation systems required by RCW 28A.405.100. The program components may be organized into professional development modules for principals, administrators, and teachers. The professional development program shall include a comprehensive online training package.
(2) The training program must include, but not be limited to, the following topics:
(a) Introduction of the evaluation criteria for teachers and principals and the four-level rating system;
(b) Orientation to and use of instructional frameworks;
(c) Orientation to and use of the leadership frameworks;
(d) Best practices in developing and using data in the evaluation systems, including multiple measures, student growth data, classroom observations, and other measures and evidence;
(e) Strategies for achieving maximum rater agreement;
(f) Evaluator feedback protocols in the evaluation systems;
(g) Examples of high quality teaching and leadership; and
(h) Methods to link the evaluation process to ongoing educator professional development.
(3) The training program must also include the foundational elements of cultural competence, focusing on multicultural education and principles of English language acquisition, including information regarding best practices to implement the tribal history and culture curriculum. The content of the training must be aligned with the standards ((for cultural competence))of practice developed by the Washington professional educator standards board under ((RCW 28A.410.270))section 4 of this act. The office of the superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with the Washington professional educator standards board, the steering committee established in RCW 28A.405.100, and the educational opportunity gap oversight and accountability committee, must integrate the content for cultural competence into the overall training for principals, administrators, and teachers to support the revised evaluation systems.
(4) To the maximum extent feasible, the professional development program must incorporate or adapt existing online training or curriculum, including securing materials or curriculum under contract or purchase agreements within available funds. Multiple modes of instruction should be incorporated including videos of classroom teaching, participatory exercises, and other engaging combinations of online audio, video, and print presentation.
(5) The professional development program must be developed in modules that allow:
(a) Access to material over a reasonable number of training sessions;
(b) Delivery in person or online; and
(c) Use in a self-directed manner.
(6) The office of the superintendent of public instruction must maintain a website that includes the online professional development materials along with sample evaluation forms and templates, links to relevant research on evaluation and on high quality teaching and leadership, samples of contract and collective bargaining language on key topics, examples of multiple measures of teacher and principal performance, suggestions for data to measure student growth, and other tools that will assist school districts in implementing the revised evaluation systems.
(7) The office of the superintendent of public instruction must identify the number of in-service training hours associated with each professional development module and develop a way for users to document their completion of the training. Documented completion of the training under this section is considered approved in-service training for the purposes of RCW 28A.415.020.
(8) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall periodically update the modules to reflect new topics and research on performance evaluation so that the training serves as an ongoing source of continuing education and professional development.
(9) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall work with the educational service districts to provide clearinghouse services for the identification and publication of professional development opportunities for teachers and principals that align with performance evaluation criteria.
Sec. 10. RCW 28A.410.270 and 2019 c 386 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:
(1)(a) The Washington professional educator standards board shall adopt a set of articulated teacher knowledge, skill, and performance standards for effective teaching that are evidence-based, measurable, meaningful, and documented in high quality research as being associated with improved student learning. The standards shall be calibrated for each level along the entire career continuum.
(b) ((In developing the standards, the board shall, to the extent possible, incorporate standards for cultural competency along the entire continuum. For the purposes of this subsection, "cultural competency" includes knowledge of student cultural histories and contexts, as well as family norms and values in different cultures; knowledge and skills in accessing community resources and community and parent outreach; and skills in adapting instruction to students' experiences and identifying cultural contexts for individual students.
(c))) By January 1, 2020, in order to ensure that teachers can recognize signs of emotional or behavioral distress in students and appropriately refer students for assistance and support, the Washington professional educator standards board shall incorporate along the entire continuum the social-emotional learning standards and benchmarks recommended by the social-emotional learning benchmarks work group in its October 1, 2016, final report titled, "addressing social emotional learning in Washington's K-12 public schools." In incorporating the social-emotional learning standards and benchmarks, the Washington professional educator standards board must include related competencies, such as trauma-informed practices, consideration of adverse childhood experiences, mental health literacy, antibullying strategies, and culturally sustaining practices.
(2) The Washington professional educator standards board shall adopt a definition of master teacher, with a comparable level of increased competency between professional certification level and master level as between professional certification level and national board certification. Within the definition established by the Washington professional educator standards board, teachers certified through the national board for professional teaching standards shall be considered master teachers.
(3) The Washington professional educator standards board shall maintain a uniform, statewide, valid, and reliable classroom-based means of evaluating teacher effectiveness as a culminating measure at the preservice level that is to be used during the student-teaching field experience. This assessment shall include multiple measures of teacher performance in classrooms, evidence of positive impact on student learning, and shall include review of artifacts, such as use of a variety of assessment and instructional strategies, and student work.
(4) Award of a professional certificate shall be based on a minimum of two years of successful teaching experience as defined by the board, and may not require candidates to enroll in a professional certification program.
(5) Educator preparation programs approved to offer the residency teaching certificate shall be required to demonstrate how the program produces effective teachers as evidenced by the measures established under this section and other criteria established by the Washington professional educator standards board.
Sec. 11. RCW 28A.413.050 and 2019 c 386 s 5 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) The board shall adopt state standards of practice for paraeducators that are based on the recommendations of the paraeducator work group established in chapter 136, Laws of 2014. These standards must include:
(a) Supporting instructional opportunities;
(b) Demonstrating professionalism and ethical practices;
(c) Supporting a positive and safe learning environment;
(d) Communicating effectively and participating in the team process; and
(e) ((Demonstrating cultural competency aligned with))The standards of practice developed by the Washington professional educator standards board under ((RCW 28A.410.270))section 4 of this act.
(2) By January 1, 2020, in order to ensure that paraeducators can recognize signs of emotional or behavioral distress in students and appropriately refer students for assistance and support, the board shall incorporate into the standards of practice for paraeducators adopted under subsection (1) of this section the social-emotional learning standards, benchmarks, and related competencies described in RCW 28A.410.270.
Sec. 12. RCW 28B.50.891 and 2017 c 237 s 20 are each amended to read as follows:
Beginning with the 2015-16 academic year, any community or technical college that offers an apprenticeship program or certificate program for paraeducators must provide candidates the opportunity to earn transferable course credits within the program. The programs must also incorporate the standards ((for cultural competence, including))of practice developed by the Washington professional educator standards board under section 4 of this act and include multicultural education and principles of language acquisition((, developed by the professional educator standards board under RCW 28A.410.270)). Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, by September 1, 2018, the paraeducator apprenticeship and certificate programs must also incorporate the state paraeducator standards of practice adopted by the paraeducator board under RCW 28A.413.050.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 13. The following acts or parts of acts are each repealed:
(1) RCW 28A.345.100 (Cultural competency training for school board directors and superintendents) and 2016 c 72 s 201;
(2) RCW 28A.410.260 (Washington professional educator standards boardModel standards for cultural competencyRecommendations) and 2009 c 468 s 5;
(3) RCW 28A.415.420 (Cultural competence professional development and training) and 2016 c 72 s 204; and
(4) RCW 28A.415.440 (Professional learning daysSocial-emotional learning) and 2019 c 386 s 7."
Correct the title.
EFFECT: Replaces the provisions of the underlying bill with provisions that:
(1) Define the terms diversity, equity, and inclusion, and maintains the definition of cultural competency;
(2) Direct the Washington State School Directors' Association (WSSDA) to develop cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion (CCDEI) standards for school director governance;
(3) Direct the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) to develop CCDEI standards of practice for preparation, continuing education, and other training of school district staff;
(4) Require both the WSSDA and the PESB to collaborate to align their CCDEI standards; post final CCDEI standards on their public websites; review the CCDEI standards every ten years; and report to the Legislature every ten years with any recommendations to revise the CCDEI definitions;
(5) Direct the WSSSA and the PESB to separately identify or develop and periodically update training programs that align to the CCDEI standards and include specified content;
(6) Require, beginning with the 2022 calendar year, each school director to complete every four years a training program provided by the WSSDA, except that newly elected directors must complete the training program within two years of election;
(7) Direct school districts to use one of three state-funded professional learning days every other year to provide to school district staff a training program;
(8) Require alignment of the following programs to the CCDEI standards: Educator preparation and certification programs; paraeducator preparation and certificate programs; and the professional development program to support the implementation of the Teacher Principal Evaluation System;
(9) Repeal redundant statutes, for example a statute that requires the development of a plan for cultural competency training for school directors and superintendents and a statute that requires development of standards for cultural competency; and
(10) Modify the intent language.
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