teachers
Gov: Legislation needed to compete for R2T
Posted on 18. Jan, 2010 by Heather.
Gov. Gregoire held a press conference today to formally announce Washington’s plan to become competitive for a Race to the Top (R2T) grant. [We were given a sneak peek last Thursday by Judy Hartmann, the governor's education policy advisor.]
To co-present her plan, Gov. Gregoire was joined by Randy Dorn, superintendent of public instruction; Mary Jean Ryan, chair of the State Board of Education; Dr. Bette Hyde, director of the Department of Early Learning; Mary Lindquist, president of the Washington Education Association; Gary Kipp, executive director of the Association of Washington School Principals; and Jennifer Wallace, executive director of the Professional Educator Standards Board.
The plan includes adopting legislation that would do the following:
- Allow the state to intervene and oversee schools where student achievement is persistently low.
- Revise teacher and principal evaluations to focus on instruction and use multiple measures, including student academic performance.
- Extend probationary period for teachers to 3 years, and allow districts to grant continuing contracts after 2 years.
- Allow non-institutions of higher education to offer teacher and principal preparation programs.
- Encourage increased parent involvement and input.
- Provide for adoption of Common Core Standards.
- Encourage local dollars to be used to close the achievement gap and increase STEM instruction. (e.g. TRI pay, changing the I from Incentives to Innovation).
Gov. Gregoire made the statement that she is ”confident that if we don’t pass this legislation we won’t qualify” for R2T.
We also learned that Washington State will participate in a pilot of National Board certification for principals, and Dr. Hyde presented the governor’s proposed early learning program, called All Start.
The Senate Early Learning &K-12 committee will hold a work session on R2T shortly where Superintendent Dorn, Ms. Ryan and Ms. Hartmann will present their R2T plan. You can watch their presentation on TVW.
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Kudos to Washington’s teachers
Posted on 16. Dec, 2009 by Mike.
The Seattle Times is reporting good news today about Washington’s teachers. We added 1,248 National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) this year, just behind North Carolina’s 1,509. This makes Washington State 2nd in the nation for the number of teachers who pursued and obtained National Board certification in 2009. These teachers will now receive a $5,000 annual bonus from the state. The state offers an additional $5,000 annual bonus (total of $10,000 per year) to those NBCTs who opt to teach in a high-needs school. In addition, some districts may offer additional incentives (this may have changed recently due to budget cuts).
This is great news for Washington’s children who are fortunate to be taught by NBCTs. LEV has been supportive of the program and the annual bonus, however, we would like to see other ways of measuring and rewarding effective teaching besides the National Board certification. Also, we would support additional incentives in the future to increase the number of highly effective teachers in struggling schools.
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Congratulations to the 2010 Washington State Teachers of the Year!
Posted on 29. Sep, 2009 by Maggie.
Yesterday afternoon at the Experience Music Project’s Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, families, friends and education supporters gathered to recognize and celebrate the work of Washington’s best teachers. With over 60,000 teachers in the state of Washington, it was a tremendous honor for the nine educators that were nominated. League of Education Voters would like to recognize and thank the 2010 Regional Teachers of the Year:
James Loucks, West Valley High School
Madeline Dunn, Garfield Elementary School
Kenneth Roberts, Fort Vancouver High School
Heather Rader, North Thurston Public Schools
Danyell Laughlin, Klahowya Secondary School
Michelle Kelly, Kent Elementary School
Aimee Simington-Pearce, McLoughlin Middle School
Thomas Robinson, Chelan High School
Special congratulations to Washington’s 2010 Teacher of the Year:
James Yoos, Bellingham High School
Thank you teachers!
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PESB meeting recap
Posted on 25. Sep, 2009 by Heather.
The Professional Educator Standards Board meet Wednesday and Thursday in Spokane. The agenda featured a lot of good updates, as well as some interesting discussion.
On the updates side:
- The ProTeach portfolio is plowing ahead — to earn Professional Certification educators will need to complete a portfolio (ProTeach) — the submission webportal looks very user-friendly and appears on track.
- Looks like Washington will participate in a cross-state pilot of a pre-service teacher assessment.
- Judy Hartmann, K-12 policy advisor to Gov. Gregoire, updated the PESB on Race to the Top funds and Washington’s proposed plan of action – we will apply in Round 1 in December, receive feedback from the U.S. Department of Education then submit a (hopefully successful) application for Round 2 in June 2010.
- Update from OSPI on implementing ESHB 2261 and areas involving the PEB.
- Survey results from first-year teachers and educators who complete alternate route programs provided some anecdotal insight into their experiences, but cannot be considered representative of all teachers in each cohort.
On the discussion side:
- Length of residency certificate: Currently Residency Certificates can be valid for up to nine years. The PESB needs to decide if this is the timeline it wants for beginning educators. ESHB 2261 and PESB discussion in July indicate seven years may be the more appropriate limit. This issue brought up a lot of questions for PESB members, especially around those educators that take time off for medical reasons, or have trouble finding teaching positions.
- Master-level certification: ESHB 2261 tasked the PESB with creating a new tier of certification. A drafting group working on the standards for Master Certification presented, and highlighted that a Master educator would be one who not only improves student learning but also works with fellow educators to improve their classrooms. Discussion focused around confusion over the need for Master Certification, since it’s meant to be synonymous with National Board certification. Other concerns over cost to educators, as well as no associated pay increase with obtaining this level of certification [Jennifer Wallace and others clarified that it is the intent that the educator pay model be revised to match certification levels.]
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PESB meeting Sept. 23-24 in Spokane
Posted on 22. Sep, 2009 by Heather.
The Professional Educator Standards Board is meeting tomorrow and Thursday in Spokane. The agenda is available here.
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“So… what are you going to be when you grow up?”
Posted on 14. Jul, 2009 by Elle.
“So… what are you going to be when you grow up?”-the quintessential question asked by many throughout the course of my life. We’ve all been asked this question time and again and now that I’m in college, the question seems to haunt me. My parents, friends, and strangers alike constantly shoot this question at me. (Do I have a sign over my head that tells people to ask me about my future?) Back in kindergarten, I answered “doctor and ballerina” (yes, I wanted to be both at the same time). But my views have definitely changed as I’ve grown older. As a rising junior in college, I finally have to make a decision…and a career in education is callin’ my name.
I have always loved school. I love the challenge of learning material, collaborating with other students, discussing pertinent issues and subjects with my teachers, the feeling of mastery over a subject once I’ve fully grasped it, arguing and defending my viewpoints in papers, and simply reading about new ideas and concepts. But I would not have gained my love for education without the help of my parents and great teachers. I feel a rush of exhilaration at the thought that I could possibly help other students learn to love school, too. You know that feeling you get when you fully and completely understand a concept in school? Teachers must feel that 100 times more when their own students master the subject matter-and how cool is that?!
Hopefully everyone has at least a few of those outstanding teachers that are forever ingrained within their memories of school. The standout teachers in my life have definitely shown me how integral teachers are to students, the educational system, and life in general So what does it take to be a good teacher? Now that I’m considering a career in teaching, I did some research. How does one become a teacher? And how does our state ensure that we have quality teachers?
Potential Washington State teachers have three options: a residency certificate (for beginning teachers), a professional certificate (must have prior experience), and a substitute certificate. In order to be eligible for certification, teachers-to-be must have a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university, must finish an approved teaching program, and must pass the Washington Educators Skills Test.
This results in teachers with college degrees and the capacity to pass a basic standardized test. But to me, the most important of these is the approved teaching program-the experience. Our state has 21 state-approved teacher certification programs at local public and private colleges. According to U.S. News & World Reports, the University of Washington’s education program is ranked 12th in the nation and Washington State University’s education program is ranked 96th. Not too shabby, Washington. (How the rankings were obtained and evaluated is explained here: http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/best-graduate-schools/2009/04/16/education-program-rankings-methodology.html?s_cid=related-links:TOP)
However, rankings do not completely determine our state’s teacher quality. Not every single Washington teacher is from Washington or has gone through our own state’s teaching programs. I think our state can do more to ensure that our students have quality teachers, more than requiring a degree and the passing of a test. Knowing how to learn does not translate into knowing how to teach. So what more do we expect of our teachers? What do you expect of our teachers?
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“Our teachers, our voice”
Posted on 15. May, 2009 by admin.
Um, wow.
Bonnie and I just got back from a student rally at Franklin High School, and it was awesome and inspiring and empowering.
Clayton, a Franklin senior, speaks to the crowd
More than 100 students gathered to protest teacher layoffs during their lunch period. Organized by passionate seniors Sunny Nguyen and Clayton Ruthruff, the students chanted “our teachers, our voice” in support of teachers who recently received layoff notices. Students are frustrated with the layoff policies weighing years in the classroom over demonstrated performance.
Clayton, who came running at the bell with megaphone in hand, opened the rally with, “We want quality teachers, not teachers who have been here longer.” He encouraged students the channel their anger into positive change. Sunny followed, encouraging attendance at the next Seattle School Board meeting. They then pulled Bonnie up, who offered additional words of encouragement.
Sunny asks other students to sign petition cards.
The rally ended with students filling out petition cards against the “last hired, first fired” layoff policy and voting for the top school issue. Students overwhelmingly identified “termination of our teachers” as the most pressing issue facing Franklin.
We weren’t the only over-18s in the crowd. A small group of parents and educators joined the students in supporting quality teachers.
No matter how many events like this I attend, I am always inspired — especially when students are acting as their own advocates. So often we speak on behalf of students. It’s nice to hear things straight from the horse’s mouth, as it were.
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Becoming Señora Wallace: Identity Crisis: Quack goes the…Dawg?
Posted on 04. Feb, 2009 by admin.
It’s official — I am headed for Huskydom.
How did I decide? First of all, I just couldn’t justify paying $30K for Seattle U (almost twice as much as the UW Masters in Teaching program costs).
More importantly, UW’s new and improved Secondary Teacher Education Program seems like an appropriate fit. These are the highlights and advantages that convinced me to…gulp…become a Husky:
- I can pursue a second endorsement in ESL right off the bat (once again, it’s cost effective!).
- I will take classes through the summer, and I get to work with a high school summer program!
- After four quarters, I will wrap up “traditional coursework” and have the spring (2010) free to hunt for job openings.
- I will have my own classroom by fall 2010! While I won’t earn my master’s until after my first year of teaching, I will have ongoing support during the first year. Plus, the capstone project I will complete during the second year of the program will prepare me to pursue National Board Certification.
Three years ago during my last term at the University of Oregon, if someone told me I’d be headed to UW to become a teacher, I probably would have laughed. Yet, here I am — less than two months from being a full-time student again, and I can’t imagine pursuing any other path.
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LIVE BLOG: BEFTF
Posted on 09. Dec, 2008 by admin.
9:10am-9:20am
Presentation on 2008 National Board Certified Teachers
Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards released numbers for 2008:
- 919 teachers in Washington, rank 3rd
- 2,726 total National Board Certified teachers in Washington, rank 8th
- 5 percent of WA teachers are National Board Certified, rank 7th
- 191 districts (of 295) have at least one National Board Certified teacher
See the press release from OSPI here. See the NBPTS press release on Washington here.
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Live blog: BEFTF
Posted on 10. Nov, 2008 by admin.
9:20am
Chair Grimm opened the meeting by thanking Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson for her 12 years of service in her position.
9:25am-11am
Teacher Pay in Washington State: A Comparable Wage Update
Dr. Lori Taylor, Texas A&M University
Information/Findings:
- Seattle wages for college graduates are 28 percent higher than in rural Eastern Washington and 9 percent higher than in Olympia. Wages in Olympia are 11 percent higher than in Bellingham. (2005, NCES)
- 16 labor markets in Washington; 9 urban (Seattle, Bellingham, Bremerton, Kennewick, Olympia, Portland, Spokane, Tacoma, Yakima); 7 clusters of rural counties. Every school district is associated with a labor market.
- Wages for college graduates increased about 3.5 percent per year from 2005 to 2007; 2.9 percent in Eastern Washington and 4.7 percent in Bremerton.
- Seattle-Bellevue-Everett has highest average wages for high school and college graduates.
- During 2007-08, final total salaries (for teachers) exceeded base salaries by an average of $7,974.
- 65.8 percent of the difference between final total salaries and base salaries (in other words, extra pay) was paid to teachers specifically for teaching activities (according to survey)
>>Rep. Hunter asked about the other 34.2 percent, and whether it was TRI pay. Dr. Taylor said not exactly, many of the additional wages were for coaching or tutoring. The definition of salary used by Dr. Taylor caused a stir among some members, namely Rep. Hunter, Dr. Bergeson, Chair Grimm and Sup. Kowalkowski.<<
- Salaries were held constant for the following: individual demographics (age, gender, ethnicity, experience, credit hours), certification endorsements assignment activities, assignment programs, percent FTE in teaching, or grade level assignment.
- The Hedonic Model explains 94.2 percent of the variation in teaching salaries
- The State average teacher salary for 2007 was $54,329.
- Comparable salary for college graduates - annual salary (51 weeks/year): $67,257; 10-month average: $56,048.
- On average, teachers earn about 86.4 percent of comparable occupations’ wages annually. Lowest in Index School District (71.2 percent) and highest in Evaline School District (99.5 percent).
- Relative teacher salaries were higher in the district with the lowest teaching salaries (Dixie School District) and lowest in the district with the highest teaching salaries (Everett School District) - because of labor markets in the area.
- Teachers earn higher relative wages in rural Eastern Washington and west of Puget Sound, and lower relative wages in the greater Puget Sound area and Tri-Cities area.
- Teaching salaries were higher than comparable occupations in 2002-03, then dropped, and are now beginning to go back up (in all 16 WA labor markets).
>>Rep. Hunter attributed this to I-732, and the suspension of teacher COLAs during part of that time.<<
- Teachers with less than 4 years of experience (10,661) have an average beginning salary of $41,597.
- Comparable salary for 25-year-old college graduate is $48,880.
- Average salary for math and science teachers (6,125) is $54,568.
- Comparable salary in math, science and engineering occupations was $76,199 (financial specialties, mathematical occupations, architecture and engineering, biological and life sciences).
- For classified staff, the average salary for teacher aides is $30,557 and for other classified staff is $38,408.
- Comparable salary for high school graduate is $39,091.
- Salaries for classified staff are more responsive to market conditions than teacher salaries.
>>Rep. Haigh raised the issue that most teachers are female, and when comparing wages this isn’t taken into account. Sup. Kowalkowski asked about comparisons to other states. Dr. Taylor did not include comparisons to other states. Rep. Hunter offered some data (calculated from NEA salary data and Chamber of Commerce cost differences), saying Seattle teacher salaries were below the average of the 100 largest districts, and Spokane was about average.<<
