• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Professional Educator Standards Board

A-Z Topic Index

facebook logoteal twitter iconyoutube logo
  • Home
  • Educator pathways
    • Alternative routes to teacher certification
      • Alternative routes descriptions
      • Find an alternative route program
    • Becoming an educator
      • Find a preparation program
      • Find an endorsement offering
    • Recruiting Washington Teachers (RWT)
      • RWT curriculum and resources
      • RWT reports
    • Educators of the deaf and visually impaired
  • Workforce
    • Assignment
      • Educational staff associate
      • Teacher
    • Developing current educators
      • Certification standards and renewal
      • Clock hours
      • Educator retooling conditional loan scholarship
      • Endorsements
      • Pipeline for paraeducators conditional loan scholarship
      • Professional growth plans (PGPs)
    • District workforce data
    • Educator shortage
    • Human resources support
  • Preparation programs
    • Approval
      • Become a new program
      • Change an approved program
      • Course approval
      • Offer an endorsement
    • Review
      • 27-month review
      • Annual reporting
      • Program review by educator role
    • Standards and requirements
      • Educator assessments
      • Endorsement competencies
      • Field placement plans
      • Instructional topic requirements
      • PGP for program completion
      • Program standards
      • Role standards
  • Paraeducator program
    • District implementation
      • District reimbursement
    • Minimum employment requirements
    • Program components
  • Resources & reports
    • Reports
      • Braille competency reports
      • Educator assessment system report
      • Educator shortage report
      • Grow Your Own teachers report
      • Testing barriers in Washington State report
      • The potential of micro-credentials in Washington state report
    • Data portal
    • Handouts
    • Online learning
  • Innovation to policy
    • Equity initiatives
    • “Grow Your Own” Initiative
    • Innovation archive
    • Legislative priorities
    • Workgroups
      • Advancing equity workgroup
      • Case-by-case exceptions
      • Credentialing for educators of the blind and visually impaired
      • Credentialing for educators of the deaf
      • CTE program review
      • Educator assessment system
      • Educator professional growth
      • Paraeducator Board subcommittees
      • Professional educator collaborative
      • Professional practice
      • Standards, approval, and review committee
    • Grants & pilots
      • Advancing equity grant
      • Alternative routes block grant
      • Collaborative schools for innovation and success
      • Educational service district alternative routes grant
      • “Grow Your Own” Pilot Program
      • Micro-credential pilot grant
      • Multiple measures pilot for the edTPA
      • Recruiting Washington Teachers – Bilingual Educators Initiative
      • Recruiting Washington Teachers grant
      • Teaching Equity Grant
  • About us
    • Contact us
    • COVID-19 resources
    • Meet our Executive Director
    • News
    • PESB and Paraeducator Board rule making
    • Strategic plan
    • About the Professional Educator Standards Board
      • Board member resources
      • PESB members
    • About the Paraeducator Board
      • Board member resources
      • Paraeducator Board members
    • Board meetings
      • Previous Paraeducator Board meetings and materials
      • Previous PESB meetings and materials
You are here: Home / Preparation programs / Approval / Course approval

Course approval

The Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) oversees the approval process for the following courses:

  • Professional transitions to public schools
  • Suicide prevention training

Who is required to take these courses?

  • Professional transitions to public schools – School nurses, school occupational therapists (OTs), school physical therapists (PTs), school social workers, school speech language pathologists (SLPs) or audiologists, and behavior analysts are required to take this course for initial ESA certification.
  • Suicide prevention training – School nurses, school counselors, school psychologists, and school social workers are required to take this course when renewing an initial, continuing, residency, or professional certificate. This requirement begins September 1, 2020, for renewal of initial and residency certificates. This requirement is already in place for renewal of continuing and professional certificates.

Learn about the course approval process for providers

Professional transitions to public schools

Providers wanting to offer a new ESA professional transitions to public schools course must submit a course proposal to the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB). Courses require re-approval every five years, and will remain approved until June 30 of the year they are scheduled for re-approval.

Course outcomes

Courses will be a minimum of fifteen hours, and must support candidates in meeting the following outcomes:

  • Demonstrate an understanding of school and special education laws and policies (national, state, and local) and their application to decision-making processes in the educational setting;
  • Understand and demonstrate knowledge of working within the culture of the schools, creating an environment that fosters safety, health, and learning for the students;
  • Demonstrate knowledge of appropriate resources in the school setting;
  • Demonstrate knowledge of collaboration with team members which may include parents, teachers, administrators, and others to support learning outcomes for all students;
  • Demonstrate knowledge of how to support the outcomes for all students through strategies such as scientifically based practices, collaborative teaming, and ethical decision making;
  • Use professional standards to inform professional growth planning;
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the use of human, community, and technological resources.

Approval process for new courses

  1. Complete the ESA professional transition to public schools course proposal form and submit it to PESB at least 60 days before the PESB Board meeting at which they would like your proposal to be considered.
    • A separate proposal form must be completed for each course that you are applying to offer.
  2. PESB convenes a staff review team to review the course proposal form and completes a course review rubric.
  3. The review team provides you with feedback, and an overall recommendation of the course proposal.
    • If the review team recommends approval of the course proposal, the recommendation is presented at the board meeting, listed as a consent agenda item. The Board always has the option to take an item off the consent agenda.
    • If the review team does not recommend approval of the course proposal, you have the option to either present at the board meeting on the full agenda, or
      revise the course proposal and re-submit it for a subsequent board meeting.

Due dates

Course proposal forms are due at least 60 days in advance of the PESB meeting to which you wish to bring your proposal for consideration. For upcoming proposal due dates, see below.

Board meetings Course proposal form(s) due
May 20-21, 2021 March 19, 2021
July 15-16, 2021 May 14, 2021
Sept. 16-17, 2021 July 16, 2021
Nov. 18-19, 2021 Sept. 17, 2021

Re-approval process

The re-approval process will be completed every five years, and follow the same steps as the approval process. Providers must submit a separate proposal form for re-approval to PESB for each course offered prior to June 30 of the school year indicated.

School year Course Provider
2020-21 Courses for all roles Northwest Washington ESD 101
Course for school nurse role Washington State University College of Nursing
2021-22

Rehab 576  (Occupational Therapist)

Rehab 578 (Occupational Therapist)

Rehab 582 (Occupational Therapist)

Rehab 502 (Physical Therapist)

Rehab 517 (Physical Therapist)

University of Washington
2022-23

TSCOCW 536C (social worker)

TSOCW 542 “Social work in schools”

University of Washington-Tacoma
SOCW 588 “Social work in schools” University of Washington-Seattle
SOWK 555 “School social work”  Walla Walla University
2023-24

COMD 405 “Speech-language pathology and audiology in the Schools”

COMD 599 “Independent Study” (SLP or Audiologist)

COMD 539 “Speech-Language Pathology or Audiology in Schools”

CMSD 550S “Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology in the Schools”

SOWK 559 “School Social Work and School Law”

Eastern Washington University
2024-25 Initial ESA Certification Puget Sound ESD 121

SHS 471 (Speech-language pathology or audiologist)

SHS 550 (Speech-language pathologist or audiologist)

SHS 590 (Speech-language pathologist or audiologist)

Washington State University
CSD 580 plus CSD 553 or CSD 555 (Speech-language pathologist or audiologist) Western Washington University
2025-26

Foundations for School Nursing

SPHSC 550 (Public School Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology)

University of Washington – School of Nursing
Introduction to School Nursing Pacific Lutheran University Center for Continued Nursing Learning
Initial ESA Certification Course NEWESD 101

Resources

  • Professional Transitions to Public Schools course proposal (document)
  • Professional Transitions to Public Schools review rubric (document)

Suicide prevention training

Providers wanting to offer a new suicide training prevention course must submit a course proposal to the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB). Courses require re-approval every five years. Courses will remain approved until June 30 of the year they are scheduled for re-approval.

Course standards

PESB uses the Department of Health (DOH) course standards for the three-hour suicide prevention training course content, which include:

  • Content must be based on current empirical research and known best practices.
  • Training must reflect sensitivity and relevance to the cultures and backgrounds of the relevant client or patient populations.
  • A minimum of seventy minutes of the course must address screening for suicide risk. Content must include:
    • When and how to screen a client or patient for acute and chronic suicide risk and protective factors against suicide;
    • Appropriate screening tools, tailored for specific ages and populations if applicable; and
    • Strategies for screening and appropriate use of information gained through screening.
  • A minimum of thirty minutes of the course must address referral. Content must include:
    • How to identify and select an appropriate resource;
    • Best practices for connecting a client or patient to a referral; and
    • Continuity of care when making referrals

Course approval process

  1. Complete the suicide prevention training course proposal form and submit it to PESB at least 60 days before the PESB board meeting at which you would like your proposal to be considered.
    • A separate proposal form must be completed for each course you are applying to offer.
  2. PESB convenes a staff review team to review course proposal and completes rubric.
  3. The review team will provide feedback, and an overall recommendation of the course proposal. Feedback and recommendation will be included in board meeting materials alongside with the proposal form.
    • If the review team recommends the course proposal, the recommendation is presented at the board meeting as a consent agenda item. The board always has the option to take an item off the consent agenda.
    • If the review team does not recommend the course proposal, you have the option to either present at the upcoming board meeting on full agenda, or
      revise the course proposal and re-submit it for a subsequent board meeting.

Due dates

Course proposal forms are due at least 60 days in advance of the PESB meeting to which you wish to bring your proposal for consideration. For upcoming proposal due dates, see below.

Board meetings Course approval form(s) due
May 20-21, 2021 March 19, 2021
July 15-16, 2021 May 14, 2021
Sept. 16-17, 2021 July 16, 2021
Nov. 18-19, 2021 Sept. 17, 2021

Re-approval process

Re-approval process will be completed every five years, and follow the same steps as the approval process.

Courses remain approved through June 30 of the school year indicated, meaning providers will want to apply well in advance of that date. We encourage providers to apply for re-approval in the fall of the school year indicated. Please submit a separate course proposal form for each course listed below.

School year Course Provider
2020-21 Networks for life: an educator’s role in youth suicide prevention: Northeast Washington ESD 101, ESD 105, ESD 112, Capital Region ESD 113, Olympic ESD 114, Puget Sound ESD 121, ESD 123, North Central ESD 171, Northwest ESD 189
The signs of suicide prevention program training: trusted adult training training developer: screening for mental health Northeast Washington ESD 101, ESD 105, ESD 112, Capital Region ESD 113, Olympic ESD 114, PUget Sound ESD 121, ESD 123, North Central ESD 171, Northwest ESD 189
2021-22 Response Debrah Tressel
2022-23 SafeTALK

Forefront: Innovations in Suicide Prevention

Ace Bulger

QPR for school health professionals QPR Institute
2023-24 Suicide prevention and intervention K. Callaghan (ESC)
Suicide prevention training JoAnna Rockwood, Intuit Educational Services
2024-25 Crisis connections Jennifer D. Winslow
Connect suicide prevention intervention training

National Alliance for Mental Illness New Hampshire (NAMI NH)

Elaine de Mello, LCSW

2025-26 Youth Mental Health First Aid

ESD 105

ESD 113

QPR for school health professionals

ESD 105

ESD 112

ESD 113

Networks for Life: An educator’s role in youth suicide prevention

Olympic ESD 114

ESD 123

SOS Signs of Suicide ESD 123

Resources

Suicide Prevention Training course proposal (document)
Suicide Prevention Training review rubric (document)

Primary Sidebar

  • Preparation programs
    • Approval
      • Become a new program
      • Change an approved program
      • Course approval
      • Offer an endorsement
    • Review
      • 27-month review
      • Annual reporting
        • Data administrators
      • Program review by educator role
        • Principal indicators
        • Teacher indicators
    • Standards and requirements
      • Educator assessments
        • Assessments resource hub
        • Basic Skills
          • WEST-B exemptions and equivalent assessments
        • Content knowledge
          • WEST-E/NES equivalent tests
        • Performance
          • edTPA coordinators
          • edTPA policy
      • Endorsement competencies
        • National standards and competencies adoption
      • Field placement plans
      • Instructional topic requirements
        • Issues of abuse
        • Paraeducator supervision and support
        • Since Time Immemorial (STI)
        • Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
        • Teacher and Principal Evaluation Program (TPEP)
      • PGP for program completion
      • Program standards
        • PEAB
      • Role standards

Footer

Seal of the state of Washington
Professional Educator Standards Board

Old Capitol Building
600 Washington Street SE
Olympia, WA 98504-7236

PESB@k12.wa.us
Paraboard@k12.wa.us

(360) 725-6275

STAY UPDATED

Sign up with your email address to receive news and event information.

Copyright © 2021 · Staff Intranet