AN ACT Relating to an ongoing and collaborative process to help approved teacher preparation programs respond to the continuously changing needs of the modern classroom; and adding a new section to chapter 28A.410 RCW.

(1) The board shall: Develop and facilitate an ongoing and collaborative process to help programs in Washington state respond to the continuously changing needs of the modern classroom; provide a feedback loop between school staff and programs; and promote continuity, consistency, and coherence across the teacher preparation system regarding implementing new and existing standards. This process must meet the requirements in this section.

(2) By August 1, 2024, the board, in collaboration with the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the state board of education, shall develop a list of changes to the educational system in statute and rule during the last 10 years that might require pedagogical changes in programs.

(3)(a) By October 1, 2024, the board shall convene a group of educators, including principals and teachers, to identify what the programs must be providing candidates to prepare them for the modern classroom. This group shall review the list developed in subsection (2) of this section to help meet this requirement.

(b) The group of educators must include a wide variety of representatives from different subject matter areas including, but not limited to, any shortage areas, different grade levels, rural and urban school districts, large and small school districts, schools participating in the mastery-based learning collaborative, schools implementing inclusionary practices to support students with disabilities, and educators of color.

(c) By March 1, 2025, the board shall compile a summary of the findings from the group of educators. Members of the legislature may review this summary upon request.

(4)(a) By January 1, 2025, the board shall convene a group representing the programs at institutions of higher education. The group shall review the list developed in subsection (2) of this section and the summary compiled under subsection (3)(c) of this section.

(b) Each program must perform a gap analysis of their programs. The board shall determine the components of this gap analysis in accordance with subsection (6)(b)(i) of this section. By December 1, 2025, each program must submit the gap analysis and if improvement is needed as determined by the board, each program must submit an action plan to the board to show how the program will address these gaps and areas of needed improvement.

(c) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the board may administer one-time grants to institutions of higher education to allow faculty to complete the gap analysis required in this subsection.

(d)(i) The board shall monitor compliance with the action plans and submit a report to the education committees of the legislature summarizing progress on the action plans by December 1, 2026, and then every December 1st of even-numbered years thereafter.

(B) A profile of a program finisher based on the information gathered under this subsection and subsections (2) and (3) of this section and national standards. The purpose of this profile is to create a cohesive and coherent baseline of what is expected of all programs.

(5) After December 1, 2026, the board, in collaboration with policy experts from relevant education agencies, shall develop an ongoing and collaborative process to help programs continue to update their action plans and respond to the continuously changing needs of the modern classroom. This process must include convening a group of educators as described in subsection (3) of this section and the gap analysis and action plan described in subsection (4) of this section. The board shall establish a schedule for programs that are found to need improvement to complete this process at least once every three years. The board may stagger the completion of this process and must align this process with other review processes.

(i) The components of the gap analysis required in subsection (4) of this section. The components must help programs determine what candidates are not getting to be prepared to begin teaching and areas of needed improvement when compared to the list developed in subsection (2) of this section and the summary published under subsection (3)(c) of this section; and

(ii) How the board will monitor compliance with the action plans required in subsection (4) of this section and the consequences if programs do not make sufficient progress on their action plans.

(b) "Program" or "programs" mean approved teacher preparation programs. "Programs" do not include alternative route teacher certification programs. The board may include alternative route teacher certification programs in the ongoing and collaborative process developed under subsection (5) of this section.