The Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) (materials) and Paraeducator Board (materials) met last month in SeaTac, WA. Below is a summary of the discussion and action items the Boards considered at the May 2026 board meeting.
AGENCY UPDATES
Legislative Update (TAB A)
Staff presented potential agency priorities for the 2027 legislative session. A refined list of proposals will be presented at the next board meeting.
Executive Director Search Advisory Committee Update (TAB B)
The Advisory Search Committee updated the Boards about the permanent Executive Director hiring process. In June, the committee plans to recommend candidates for the interview stage.
FutureReady graduation requirements initiative (TAB C)
Board members heard an update about the State Board of Education’s FutureReady initiative, which will update Washington state’s high school graduation requirements.
RWT & BEI update (TAB D)
Board members heard an update on the Recruiting Washington Teachers and Bilingual Educator
Initiative programs. Staff plan to expand longer-term student outcome tracking and future educator leadership opportunities.
Government-to-government relations update (TAB E)
PESB’s Tribal Liaison and Director of Policy updated the Boards on the agency’s work in government-to-government relations with Tribal nations. Staff will develop a Tribal consultation policy to bring to the Boards and coordinate a government-to-government training for board members at an upcoming meeting.
PARAEDUCATOR BOARD
DISCUSSION ITEMS
Update: fundamental course of study school year 2026-27 (TAB 02)
Staff provided an overview of this RCW chapter, highlighting elements that are nearing a decade old and closely tied to workgroup recommendations from 2014. Paraeducator Board members indicated interest in pursuing agency-request legislation to amend sections of RCW 28A.413, as well as designate a seat on the PESB Board for a Paraeducator Board member.
Overview: academic credit for prior learning (ACPL) (TAB 03)
PESB staff provided updates on the Academic Credit for Prior Learning project, developed in partnership with the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) and with technical assistance from CAEL. PESB staff will convene six pilot sites for ACPL.
Update: paraeducator minimum employment and training requirements for Title I schools (TAB 04)
The Board received an update on federal Title I, Part A requirements for paraeducators.
Update: RCW changes (TAB 05)
The Board heard an update on the (delete-current) status of the review, how prior board feedback informs the process, and options for future clarification and input from partners.
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR STANDARDS BOARD
ACTION ITEMS
University of Washington-Tacoma residency school psychologist program initial review report (TAB 02)
The Board granted UW-T full approval, entering the program into the ongoing review cycle. The next
review will align with their NASP accreditation schedule.
Western Governors University teacher program out-of-cycle review (TAB 03)
The Board moved the WGU teacher preparation program to limited approval and requires a full site visit review of all domains.
Washington Association for Career and Technical Education (WA-ACTE) CTE Administrator program initial review (TAB 04)
The Board granted WA-ACTE full approval, entering them into the ongoing review cycle. Their next site visit review will be in approximately six years.
Final consideration of WAC 181-78A-105: procedures for initial approval of an educator preparation program (TAB 05)
Tab 05 was tabled until the July board meeting.
Annual revisions and approval of the assignment table (TAB 06)
The Board approved the new assignment table, effective beginning in the 2026-27 school year.
Initial consideration of WAC 181-82A-202 re: endorsement name changes (TAB 10)
The Board initially approved WAC amendments. Staff will bring amendments for final approval in July.
Initial consideration of WAC re: educational interpreter certification (TAB 11)
The Board initially approved WAC language for educational interpreter certification. Final consideration is expected in July.
Final consideration HB 1296: superintendent willful noncompliance (TAB 12)
The Board tabled the vote to a future meeting to allow staff to consult with Tribes.
Final consideration of 2026 data collection manual (TAB 13)
The Board approved updates to the 2026 educator preparation program data collection manual. ERDC will update, publish, and distribute final documentation for the upcoming data collection year.
Final consideration of 2026 data collection manual (TAB 14)
The Board approved updates to the key performance indicators for 2026. PESB staff will
update and publish the final indicator documentation for future reports.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
Update: Western Washington University’s Education for Inclusive Environments Teacher Residency Program (EIE-TRP) (TAB 07)
The Board heard an overview of EIE-TRP’s structure and approach to special education
teacher preparation. WWU will continue to implement its program and share lessons learned
with other programs as residencies are formally established in Washington state.
Teacher preparation pathways landscape: context for residency WAC options (TAB 08)
The Board heard a presentation on the landscape of teacher preparation pathways in Washington state. Staff will draft two versions of WAC for the Board to consider in July.
Initial consideration of English Language Arts (ELA) and Health/Fitness endorsements (TAB 09)
PESB staff presented the initial drafts of the newly updated ELA and Health/Fitness endorsements.
Staff will use board and focus group feedback to refine the endorsements and bring them back to the Board in July.
