The legislature acknowledges that passing the evidence-based assessment of teaching effectiveness, known as the edTPA, is a barrier to some candidates becoming fully certificated teachers in Washington. The legislature is particularly concerned with evidence that candidates of color and candidates for whom English is a second language underperform their peers. The legislature is also concerned that candidates from low-income households have difficulty paying for the edTPA, which is administered by a third party.
The legislature finds that the state approval process requires each teacher preparation program to ensure that teacher candidates demonstrate the most recently published interstate teacher assessment and support consortium standards, the state-adopted cultural competency standards, and the state-adopted social-emotional learning standards. The legislature recognizes that teacher candidates may demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and competencies in a variety of ways and settings. The legislature trusts that teacher preparation programs can use multiple measures to evaluate whether teacher candidates meet or exceed the standards, without relying on a statewide assessment. Therefore, the legislature intends to eliminate taking or passing the edTPA as prerequisite for residency teacher certification.
Washington professional educator standards board-approved teacher preparation programs must recommend for residency teacher certification each person who, during the 2019-20, 2020-21, or 2021-22 academic years, met all statutory and program requirements except for completion of the evidence-based assessment of teaching effectiveness under RCW 28A.410.280, as repealed by this act. The programs must attempt to notify each person who meets the requirements of this subsection of the recommendation.
Except when required under subsection (1) of this section, Washington professional educator standards board-approved teacher preparation programs may, upon request, recommend for residency teacher certification any person who was required to pass the evidence-based assessment of teaching effectiveness under RCW 28A.410.280, as repealed by this act, as a prerequisite to residency teacher certification, provided that the person met all other statutory and program requirements in effect at the time of enrollment in the teacher preparation program.
This section expires September 1, 2022.
This section adds a new section to an existing chapter 28A.410. Here is the modified chapter for context.
The Washington professional educator standards board may not adopt rules requiring that candidates for residency teacher certification take or pass a uniform, statewide performance assessment of teaching effectiveness.
This section modifies existing section 28A.410.270. Here is the modified chapter for context.
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The 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. For candidates recommended for residency teacher certification by a board-approved preparation program, the standards adopted by the board must be the most recent teaching standards published by a consortium of state and national education organizations dedicated to the reform of the preparation, licensing, and ongoing professional development of teachers since 1987.
In developing the standards, the board shall, to the extent possible, incorporate standards for cultural competency**, as defined in RCW 28A.410.260,** along the entire continuum.
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 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 board must include related competencies, such as trauma-informed practices, consideration of adverse childhood experiences, mental health literacy, antibullying strategies, and culturally sustaining practices.
The 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 board, teachers certified through the national board for professional teaching standards shall be considered master teachers.
3.
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.
Educator preparation programs approved to offer the residency teaching certificate shall be required to demonstrate how the program produces effective teachers as evidenced by multiple measures of the knowledge, skills, performance, and competencies described in subsection (1) of this section and other criteria established by the board.
Before a board-approved teacher preparation program may recommend a candidate for residency teacher certification, the candidate must meet or exceed the knowledge, skill, performance, and competency standards described in subsection (1) of this section.
For the purpose of this section, "board" means the Washington professional educator standards board.
This section modifies existing section 28A.410.2211. Here is the modified chapter for context.
The professional educator standards board shall revise assessments for prospective teachers and teachers adding subject area endorsements required for teacher certification under RCW 28A.410.220 to measure the revised standards in RCW 28A.410.221.
The professional educator standards board shall require that successful candidates for the residency certificate demonstrate effective subject specific instructional methods that address the revised standards.