| November 22, 2019
This year, school districts are providing 14 hours of required training on the Fundamental Course of Study (FCS) to their paraeducators. Almost all districts have begun training at this point.
We are collecting data on how school districts across the state are implementing the FCS training. If you are the FCS implementation lead for your district and have not yet been contacted by us, please reach out to Zoe Hammes-Hefti to schedule a short call about your implementation strategy.
We have recently released iGrants data on our website, including a preliminary reimbursement rate. This rate will continue to be adjusted and is not final. Learn more.
On November 13, the Paraeducator Board heard presentations and took action on several policies, including:
- Discussed how the Fundamental Course of Study will incorporate Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) standards to the paraeducator standards of practice. The Fundamental Course of Study will include SEL training beginning in January 2020. The online course, “Paraeducators: what we do matters”, will be updated to address the new standards.
- Listened to representatives from Longview and Vancouver school districts on their approaches to implementing the Fundamental Course of Study.
- A joint presentation from PESB and the OSPI Certification Office on how the paraeducator certificate fees were established
- An update on how community colleges are providing the Fundamental Course of Study with EDUC 101.
- A presentation on the paraeducator apprenticeship program
For a complete review of the board meeting, including summaries for each agenda item, please visit the meetings material folder.
Linda Hahn, a paraeducator in the Longview School District, is the first in the state to complete her General Paraeducator Certificate. She participated in Longview’s paraeducator pilot program and was able to complete all 70 hours for the general certificate. On behalf of the Paraeducator Board, we congratulate you on all your hard work.
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"I so appreciated being in the Paraeducator Certificate Program. The material and information presented was very comprehensive, yet easily understood. It has changed my perspectives on what’s important for our children today, as they all are facing new challenges. I feel the program has been a definite help in establishing a stronger basis from which to teach." -Linda |
Alternative Routes Block Grant (ARBG) provides funding for preparation programs, districts, and candidate loan scholarships to support Alternative Routes programs engaging grow your own teacher strategies to address district and teacher candidate needs. Awardees for the 2020-22 biennium were just announced. Many of the awardees offer routes 1, 2, or both, which are designed for paraeducators interested in earning their residency teacher certificates. Learn more about the ARBG and new awardees here.
OSPI has published clock hour forms for the Fundamental Course of Study and the Subject Matter Certificates. The forms will provide paraeducators and districts written documentation of course completion. The forms are available in our Implementation Folder on Google Drive and on the OSPI Certification website.
The Board approved the release of the final report on the Paraeducator Certificate Program pilot. The report explores learnings from each pilot site and implementation recommendations. Read the report.
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