CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT

SECOND ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1377

Chapter 221, Laws of 2024

68TH LEGISLATURE

2024 REGULAR SESSION

EDUCATOR CONTINUING EDUCATION—APPROVED COURSES AND PROVIDERS

EFFECTIVE DATE: June 6, 2024

SECOND ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1377

AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE

ByHouse Education (originally sponsored by Representatives Santos, Reed, and Ortiz-Self)

AN ACT Relating to posting of approved courses and providers of continuing education on equity-based school practices, the national professional standards for education leaders, and government-to-government relationships, which is currently required for administrators and teachers; amending RCW 28A.410.277; and adding a new section to chapter 28A.410 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. RCW 28A.410.277 and 2021 c 77 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The Washington professional educator standards board must adopt rules for renewal of administrator certificates and teacher certificates that meet the continuing education requirements of this section.

(2) To renew an administrator certificate on or after July 1, 2023, continuing education must meet the following requirements: 10 percent must focus on equity-based school practices, 10 percent must focus on the national professional standards for education leaders, and five percent must focus on government-to-government relationships with federally recognized tribes.

(3) To renew a teacher certificate on or after July 1, 2023, 15 percent of continuing education must focus on equity-based school practices. This subsection (3) does not apply to a person renewing both a teacher certificate and an administrator certificate.

(4)(a) Except as provided under (((b)))(c) of this subsection (4), continuing education must be provided by one or more of the following entities, if they are an approved clock hour provider:

(i) The office of the superintendent of public instruction;

(ii) A school district;

(iii) An educational service district;

(iv) A Washington professional educator standards board-approved administrator or teacher preparation program;

(v) The association of Washington school principals; ((or))

(vi) The Washington education association; or

(vii) Other organizations approved by the Washington professional educator standards board.

(b) ((Continuing))Beginning with the 2025-26 school year, the professional educator standards board must approve clock hour providers under this section through a revised application process. As part of the revised application process, entities must submit an application to the professional educator standards board that, at a minimum, includes the following:

(c) To meet the requirements of subsection (2) of this section, continuing education related to government-to-government relationships with federally recognized tribes must be provided by one or more subject matter experts approved by the governor's office on Indian affairs in collaboration with the tribal leaders congress on education and the office of Native education in the office of the superintendent of public instruction.

(((5)))(d) The office of the superintendent of public instruction and the Washington professional educator standards board must maintain a list of subject matter experts approved under (c) of this subsection on their respective websites.

(6) Continuing education focused on equity-based school practices must be aligned with the standards ((for cultural competency developed))of practice developed by the Washington professional educator standards board under RCW 28A.410.260.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28A.410 RCW to read as follows:

(1) By September 1, 2024, the Washington professional educator standards board must develop a process for the temporary or permanent revocation of continuing education provider status.

(a) Continuing education provider status may be revoked for providers that meet any of the following criteria:

(i) Providers that receive a substantial number of complaints filed against the provider, as determined by the board;

(ii) Providers found to not be in substantial compliance with RCW 28A.410.277; or

(iii) Providers found to offer course material that is not in substantial alignment with the cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion standards of practices adopted in RCW 28A.410.260, as determined by the board.

(b) Entities authorized to submit a complaint under this section are limited to the following:

(i) Educators;

(ii) Local education agencies;

(iii) The office of the superintendent of public instruction;

(iv) Organizations representing principals;

(v) Organizations representing school board members;

(vi) Organizations representing school administrators;

(vii) Labor organizations representing classified instructional staff; and

(viii) Labor organizations representing teachers.

(2) By December 1, 2024, the professional educator standards board in consultation with the office of the superintendent of public instruction must submit to the relevant committees of the legislature a report on how to implement an auditing system of continuing education providers and other recommendations for improving the clock hour system.

(3) For the purposes of this section, "approved provider" and "provider" have the same meaning as "approved in-service education agency" in WAC 181-85-045, but apply only to providers of administrator or teacher continuing education programs focused on either equity-based school practices or the national professional standards for education leaders.

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