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On January 9, we hosted a gathering of students, teachers, and administrators from districts receiving funding for Recruiting Washington Teachers (RWT) and RWT Bilingual Educators Initiative (BEI) programs. Teachers and administrators participated in a professional development opportunity that covered recruitment, college credit, and the exploration of “what does success look like.”
Students engaged with each other about the elements of their programs that work well, areas in which they’d like to see growth, and discussed their visions of success and their goals for the future of education in Washington.
 On January 10, the students presented to both the Paraeducator Board and the Professional Educator Standards Board on their experience in the programs and provided members with opportunities to ask questions.
One student commented “RWT has created a family in the classroom where we support and inspire each other to become someone we know our peers and schools can be proud of.”
To view the students’ presentation, please see our Facebook live recording (begins at time stamp 2:29:03).
Educators are eligible for clock hours at no cost for certain certification-related activities, including serving as a cooperating teacher for a student teacher and submitting complete components towards National Board certification. At the January joint meeting, members heard a presentation and discussed this policy topic.
This presentation was provided so board members could be aware of this option if they wished to offer clock hours for certification-related activities in the future, such as those related to the paraeducator certificate program.
See Board meeting materials to learn more about this presentation.
At the January meeting, the Board approved changes in requirements for alternative route pathways.
What are the changes?
- Alternative route 1 candidates will be able to conditionally enroll in a program while working to pass the WEST-B, and they may enter a program with the equivalence of an associate degree.
- Alternative routes 2-4 candidates will be required to attempt the WEST-E at least once prior to beginning their program, a change to the previous requirement of needing to pass the WEST-E prior to beginning a program.
- All routes now have the same requirements of candidates earning at least one subject matter or geographic shortage area endorsement.
To see all the changes, please review the board materials. To learn more about alternative routes, visit our website.
In January, the Board approved the structure, procedure, and calendar of the 27-month review process.
What is the 27-month review?
The 27-month review is a full review of all applicable indicators and domain components for each new educator preparation program approved by the board. In the coming months, we will develop and share guidance and orientations for program leaders preparing for review.
View Board meeting materials to see details of deliberations and decisions. Please contact Nicholas.gillon@k12.wa.gov with any questions you may have.
What is the case-by-case exceptions workgroup?
During the testing barriers workgroup meetings, members strongly recommended the Board create a case-by-case exception process for the current requirements of WEST-B and WEST-E/NES. The case-by-case workgroup is a follow-up of this recommendation and is charged with formulating recommendations for consideration on how to establish a process of permitting candidates exceptions from assessment requirements on a case-by-case basis.
Board meeting decision
The Board has approved their recommendations of case-by-case exceptions process for both basic skills assessments and content knowledge assessments.
See Board meeting materials to learn more about these workgroup recommendations. If you have questions or would like to provide your input on these recommendations, please contact Jisu.Ryu@k12.wa.us by Friday, February 22.
Individuals holding one-year CTE counselor and occupational informational specialist (OIS) certificates now have options for certificate renewal. These educators are eligible to obtain an initial career guidance specialist certificate, and will be considered to have met the requirements for that certificate. Similarly, holders of three-year and five-year OIS and CTE counselor certificates will be considered to have met the requirements for the continuing career guidance specialist certificate.
Educators with questions regarding their individual certificates should contact the OSPI certification office at (360) 725-6400, or cert@k12.wa.us.
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