The bill establishes new teacher residency and apprenticeship programs in Washington State to enhance teacher preparation through practical experience and mentorship. It defines a teacher residency program as a collaborative model that combines a full year of classroom teaching with mentorship from experienced educators and targeted academic coursework. Key requirements include formal partnerships between school districts and teacher preparation programs, the assignment of preservice mentors, and a minimum of 900 hours of clinical practice for undergraduate residents. Additionally, the bill introduces a teacher apprenticeship program for individuals with bachelor's degrees seeking initial teacher certification, which necessitates 2,000 hours of mentored teaching experience.

The legislation also amends existing educator certification laws, notably renaming the "residency certificate" to "initial certificate" and the "professional certificate" to "continuing certificate" to clarify the distinction between new residency programs and existing certification processes. It introduces an expedited certification process for out-of-state teachers with five or more years of successful teaching experience, allowing them to obtain a continuing certificate if they possess comparable advanced level certifications. The bill mandates the Washington professional educator standards board to adopt evidence-based standards for effective teaching aligned with social-emotional learning benchmarks, ensuring that all educator preparation programs meet high standards. These changes are set to take effect on July 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
Original Bill: 28B.102.110, 28A.410.045, 28A.410.220, 28A.410.2211, 28A.410.226, 28A.410.250, 28A.410.251, 28A.410.252, 28A.410.278, 28A.410.290, 28A.660.020