(1) The professional educator standards board shall transition the alternative route partnership grant program from a separate competitive grant program to a preparation program model to be expanded among approved preparation program providers. Alternative routes are partnerships between professional educator standards board-approved preparation programs, Washington school districts, and other partners as appropriate.

     (2) Each prospective teacher preparation program provider, in cooperation with a Washington school district or consortia of school districts applying to operate [an] alternative route certification program shall include in its proposal to the Washington professional educator standards board:

     (a) The route or routes the partnership program intends to offer and a detailed description of how the routes will be structured and operated by the partnership;

     (b) The estimated number of candidates that will be enrolled per route;

     (c) An identification, indication of commitment, and description of the role of approved teacher preparation programs and partnering district or consortia of districts;

     (d) An assurance that the district or approved preparation program provider will provide adequate training for mentor teachers specific to the mentoring of alternative route candidates;

     (e) An assurance that significant time will be provided for mentor teachers to spend with the alternative route teacher candidates throughout the internship. Partnerships must provide each candidate with intensive classroom mentoring until such time as the candidate demonstrates the competency necessary to manage the classroom with less intensive supervision and guidance from a mentor;

     (f) A description of the rigorous screening process for applicants to alternative route programs, including entry requirements specific to each route, as provided in RCW 28A.660.040;

     (g) A summary of procedures that provide flexible completion opportunities for candidates to achieve a residency certificate; and

     (h) The design and use of a teacher development plan for each candidate. The plan shall specify the alternative route coursework and training required of each candidate and shall be developed by comparing the candidate's prior experience and coursework with the state's new performance-based standards for residency certification and adjusting any requirements accordingly. The plan may include the following components:

     (i) A minimum of one-half of a school year, and an additional significant amount of time if necessary, of intensive mentorship during field experience, starting with full-time mentoring and progressing to increasingly less intensive monitoring and assistance as the intern demonstrates the skills necessary to take over the classroom with less intensive support. Before the supervision is diminished, the mentor of the teacher candidate at the school and the supervisor of the teacher candidate from the teacher preparation program must both agree that the teacher candidate is ready to manage the classroom with less intensive supervision;

     (ii) Identification of performance indicators based on the knowledge and skills standards required for residency certification by the Washington professional educator standards board;

     (iii) Identification of benchmarks that will indicate when the standard is met for all performance indicators;

     (iv) A description of strategies for assessing candidate performance on the benchmarks;

     (v) Identification of one or more tools to be used to assess a candidate's performance once the candidate has been in the classroom for about one-half of a school year;

     (vi) A description of the criteria that would result in residency certification after about one-half of a school year but before the end of the program; and

     (vii) A description of how the district intends for the alternative route program to support its workforce development plan and how the presence of alternative route interns will advance its school improvement plans.

     (3) To the extent funds are appropriated for this purpose, alternative route programs may apply for program funds to pay stipends to trained mentor teachers of interns during the mentored internship. The per intern amount of mentor stipend provided by state funds shall not exceed five hundred dollars.

[2010 c 235 § 503; 2006 c 263 § 816; 2004 c 23 § 2; 2003 c 410 § 1; 2001 c 158 § 3.]

NOTES:

     Finding -- 2010 c 235: See note following RCW 28A.405.245.

     Findings -- Purpose -- Part headings not law -- 2006 c 263: See notes following RCW 28A.150.230.