PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR

STANDARDS BOARD

Notwithstanding other requirements prescribed in this chapter for eligibility for certification in the state of Washington, the following certificates shall be issued under specific circumstances set forth below for limited service:

(1) Conditional certificate.

(a) The purpose of the conditional certificate is to assist local school districts, approved private schools, and educational service districts in meeting the state's educational goals by giving them flexibility in hiring decisions based on shortages or the opportunity to secure the services of unusually talented individuals. The professional educator standards board encourages in all cases the hiring of fully certificated individuals and understands that districts will employ individuals with conditional certificates only after careful review of all other options. The professional educator standards board asks districts when reviewing such individuals for employment to consider, in particular, previous experience the individual has had working with children.

(b) Conditional certificates are issued upon application by the local school district, approved private school, or educational service district superintendent to persons who meet the age, good moral character, and personal fitness requirements of WAC 181-79A-150 (1) and (2), if one of the following conditions is verified:

(i) The applicant is highly qualified and experienced in the subject matter to be taught and has unusual distinction or exceptional talent which is able to be demonstrated through public records of accomplishments and/or awards; or

(ii) No person with regular teacher certification in the endorsement area is available as verified by the district or educational service district superintendent or approved private school administrator, or circumstances warrant consideration of issuance of a conditional certificate.

(c) In addition, conditional certificates are issued to persons in the following categories only if no person with regular certification is available:

(i) The applicant qualifies to instruct in the traffic safety program as paraprofessionals pursuant to WAC 392-153-020 (2) and (3); or

(ii) The applicant is assigned instructional responsibility for intramural/interscholastic activities which are part of the district or approved private school approved program; or

(iii) The applicant possesses a state of Washington license for a registered nurse: Provided, That the district will be responsible for orienting and preparing individuals for their assignment as described in (e)(iii) of this subsection; or

(iv) The applicant has completed a bachelor's degree or higher from a regionally accredited college/university. All speech-language pathologists or audiologists providing services under a current and valid conditional certificate issued as of June 30, 2003, will be fully qualified consistent with WAC 181-79A-223 by the year 2010. First conditional certificates, issued to speech-language pathologists or audiologists after June 30, 2003, which are valid for up to two years, may be reissued once for up to two years, if the individual provides evidence that he/she is enrolled in and completing satisfactory progress in a master's degree program resulting in the initial ESA school speech-language pathologists or audiologist certificate.

(v) The applicant for a conditional teaching certificate in special education shall hold a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college/university.

(vi) The issuance of a conditional certificate to a special education teacher after July 1, 2003, is contingent upon the individual being enrolled in an approved teacher preparation program resulting in a residency teacher certificate endorsed in special education. The conditional certificate is valid for up to two years and may be reissued once for one year upon verification by the college/university that the individual is completing satisfactory progress in the residency teacher certificate program.

(vii) An individual with full certification and endorsed in special education shall be assigned as a mentor to the special education teacher serving on a conditional certificate for the duration of the conditional certificate.

(d) The educational service district or local district superintendent or administrator of an approved private school will verify that the following criteria have been met when requesting the conditional certificate:

(i) The district or educational service district superintendent or approved private school administrator has indicated the basis on which he/she has determined that the individual is competent for the assignment;

(ii) The individual is being certificated for a specific assignment and responsibility in a specified activity/field;

(e) When requesting the conditional certificate for persons who provide classroom instruction, the educational service district superintendent or local district superintendent or approved private school administrator will verify that the following additional criteria will be met:

(i) After specific inclusion on the agenda, the school board or educational service district board has authorized submission of the application.

(ii) The individual will be delegated primary responsibility for planning, conducting, and evaluating instructional activities with the direct assistance of a school district or approved private school mentor and will not be serving in a paraprofessional role which would not require certification;

(iii) Personnel so certificated will be oriented and prepared for the specific assignment by the employing district or approved private school. A written plan of assistance will be developed, in cooperation with the person to be employed within twenty working days from the commencement of the assignment. In addition, prior to service the person will be apprised of any legal liability, the responsibilities of a professional educator, the lines of authority, and the duration of the assignment;

(iv) Within the first sixty working days, personnel so certificated will complete sixty clock hours (six quarter hours or four semester hours) of course work in pedagogy and child/adolescent development appropriate to the assigned grade level(s) as approved by the employing school district or approved private school.

(f) The certificate is valid for two years or less, as evidenced by the expiration date which is printed on the certificate, and only for the activity specified. The certificate may be reissued for two years and for two-year intervals thereafter upon application by the employing local school district, approved private school, or educational service district and upon completion of sixty clock hours (six quarter hours or four semester hours) of course work since the issuance of the most recent certificate. The requesting local school district, approved private school, or educational service district shall verify that the sixty clock hours taken for the reissuance of the certificate shall be designed to support the participant's professional growth and enhance the participant's instructional knowledge or skills to better assist students meeting the state learning goals and/or essential academic learning requirements.

(2) Substitute certificate.

(a) The substitute certificate entitles the holder to act as substitute during the absence of the regularly certificated staff member for a period not to exceed one hundred eighty days during the school year in any one assignment. Districts or approved private schools employing a teacher holding a substitute certificate in any one assignment for more than thirty days must within twenty days develop a plan of professional learning for the individual that is appropriate to the assignment and designed to support their professional growth and enhance instructional knowledge and skills to meet district needs and better assist students in meeting the state learning goals. This certificate may be issued to:

(i) Teachers, educational staff associates or administrators who hold or have held a regular state of Washington certificates: Provided, educational staff associates may only substitute in the role of their certificate; or

(ii) Persons who have completed state approved preparation programs and baccalaureate degrees at accredited colleges and universities for certificates; or

(iii) Persons applying as out-of-state applicants who qualify for certification pursuant to WAC 181-79A-257 (1)(c) and (d); or

(iv) Persons who hold or have held a continuing career and technical education teacher certificate.

(b) The substitute certificate is valid for life.

(3) Emergency certification.

(a) Emergency certification for ((specific positions)) the roles of principal, teacher, school counselor, school psychologist, and school social worker may be issued upon the recommendation of school district and educational service district superintendents or approved private school administrators to persons who hold ((the appropriate degree and have substantially completed a program of)) a bachelor's degree and are enrolled in a state-approved preparation program for the role in accordance with Washington requirements for certification and shall be the best qualified of the candidates for the position as verified by the employing school district: Provided, That a qualified person who holds regular certification for the requested role is not available or that the position is essential and circumstances warrant consideration of issuance of an emergency certificate: Provided further, That ((a candidate for emergency certification as a school counselor, school psychologist, or social worker shall be the best qualified of the candidates for the position as verified by the employing school district and shall have completed all course work for the required master's degree with the exception of the internship)) an emergency certificate issued with a special education endorsement may be reissued once for one school year upon verification by the college/university that the individual is completing satisfactory progress in the residency teacher certificate program: Provided further, That a candidate for emergency certification as a principal holds a master's degree and has substantially completed the state-approved preparation program: Provided further, That a candidate for emergency certification as a school psychologist shall be enrolled in ((an)) a state-approved school psychologist preparation program, shall have completed all course work for the required master's degree, and shall be participating in the required internship.

(b) The emergency certificate is valid for one year or less, as evidenced by the expiration date which is printed on the certificate.

(4) Emergency substitute certification.

(a) If the district or approved private school has exhausted or reasonably anticipates it will exhaust its list of qualified substitutes who are willing to serve as substitutes, the superintendent of public instruction may issue emergency substitute certificates to persons not fully qualified under subsection (2) of this section for use in a particular school district or approved private school once the list of otherwise qualified substitutes has been exhausted.

(b) Such emergency substitute certificates shall be valid for three years or less, as evidenced by the expiration date which is printed on the certificate.

(c) To ensure that related services personnel deliver special education services in their respective discipline or profession, the office of superintendent of public instruction may not issue emergency substitute certificates for individuals to serve in an educational staff associate role in accordance with 34 C.F.R. Part 300.156 (b)(2)(ii).

(5) Nonimmigrant alien exchange teacher. Applicants for certification as a nonimmigrant alien exchange teacher must qualify pursuant to WAC 181-79A-270 and be eligible to serve as a teacher in the elementary or secondary schools of the country of residence.

(6) Intern substitute teacher certificate.

(a) School districts and approved private schools may request intern substitute teacher certificates for persons enrolled in student teaching/internships to serve as substitute teachers in the absence of the classroom teacher.

(b) The supervising college or university must approve the candidate for the intern substitute teacher certificate.

(c) Such certificated substitutes may be called at the discretion of the school district or approved private school to serve as a substitute teacher only in the classroom(s) to which the individual is assigned as a student teacher/intern.

(d) The intern substitute teacher certificate is valid for one year, or less, as evidenced by the expiration date which is printed on the certificate.

(7) Transitional certificate.

(a) An individual whose continuing or residency certificate has expired according to WAC 181-85-040 or 181-79A-251 may be issued a transitional certificate to be employed on a conditional basis upon request by a school district, approved private school, or educational service district superintendent. The holder of the transitional certificate must successfully complete the external assessment established by the professional educator standards board within two years of the date the holder was issued the transitional certificate in order to continue to be employed: Provided, one year has elapsed since the final renewal expired and the teacher registers and passes the professional certificate assessment within the two years under WAC 181-79A-251. The transitional certificate expiration date shall not be calculated under professional educator standards board policy WAC 181-79A-117.

(b) No individual whose continuing certificate has been suspended or revoked shall be eligible to be employed under this section.

(c) School districts, approved private schools, and educational service districts are strongly encouraged to develop with the holder of a transitional certificate a plan of assistance to be sure the holder completes the necessary continuing certificate reinstatement requirements under WAC 181-85-130 within the two-year conditional employment period specified under (a) of this subsection if the holder is to continue to be employed.

(d) The transitional certificate is not renewable and may not be reissued.

(8) Provisional alternative administrative certificate.

(a) This certificate shall be issued to individuals admitted to the professional educator standards board alternative route to principal certification pilot program.

(b) The certificate is valid for one year from date of issue.

(c) A comprehensive assessment of the intern's performance by school officials and program faculty and a recommendation that the person be issued a residency principal certificate upon successful completion of the program.