For over 50 years, Knowledge Alliance (KA) members have worked collectively to ensure that evidence-based resources are driving policy change in education. In July, KA released an issue brief highlighting how member organizations are addressing the educator shortage with State educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs). In this blog, KA’s summer intern, Julianna Collado, met with Jason Greenberg Motamedi and Sun Young Yoon from Education Northwest (EDNW) to discuss their project addressing potential barriers to teacher certification in Washington state, with the specific goal of diversifying the educator pipeline. Excerpts of this conversation are below. 

Collado: How did Education Northwest get involved with the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) in Washington on the teacher certification project? 

Motamedi: Our work with the PESB grew out of previous work we had done in Washington state with the Road Map Project, a collective impact organization that works with seven school districts in King County, mostly in the South Seattle area. Through the REL Northwest contract, we specifically worked with their English Language Learner (ELL) Work Group to improve English learner academic and social outcomes. One of our realizations during this work was that there was a critical shortage of bilingual teachers and BIPOC educators in the region, which limited the ability of schools to provide the supports that English learner students need.   

Yoon: Based on this previous collaboration, members of the ELL Work Group asked us to partner with the PESB under the REL Northwest contract to support grow-your-own teacher programs in Washington, helping to increase the number of diverse educators in the state. We started by working with five of these programs on accessing and using data, and we quickly realized that teacher candidate attrition was a serious problem. We noted many limited certificated teachers, or candidates were starting programs and pathways but dropping out along the way. These programs had anecdotal information about why and when the teacher candidates were dropping out, but nothing rigorous. In May 2017, the study team partnered with PESB to administer a survey to all limited certificated teachers in Washington (including teachers who have emergency and temporary teaching licenses) to gauge their interest in becoming fully certificated, share the barriers they faced, and express the support they would need if they were to pursue full certification. 

Collado: What were the key takeaways from the survey? What are the barriers limited certificated teachers encounter to earning full certification, specifically among BIPOC educators?  

Yoon: The study found that about 68 percent of the survey respondents were interested in becoming fully certificated in Washington, many in a subject area in which there is a shortage. Among those who expressed interest in becoming fully certificated, more than 90 percent identified substantial barriers to doing so. Respondents shared that some of these barriers were tuition costs, the pressure to financially support their family during their certification, and a need for flexibility in how they completed coursework (e.g. online courses).  

Motamedi: This study also found that a larger proportion of BIPOC respondents wanted to become fully certificated, compared to white respondents. Notably, BIPOC respondents also expressed a greater need for supports, such as student teaching experience, testing fee waivers, medical benefits, classes offered at a site close to their workplace or school district, books and class materials, and scholarships. Providing these types of supports may help limited certificated BIPOC teachers enroll and succeed in teacher certification programs—and help state and local leaders recruit and retain a teaching force that reflects the diversity of Washington’s students and that is responsive to student learning needs.  

Collado: PESB then requested that REL Northwest investigate the junctures at which teacher candidates, especially BIPOC candidates, are likely to leave the teacher preparation and career pathway. Can you tell me a little bit about what you found?   

Motamedi: Our studies found that a higher percentage of BIPOC candidates—especially Latino candidates—did not pass Washington’s three teacher tests (basic skills test, content area tests, and the edTPA) compared to white candidates. They also took longer to pass each test, and overall were less likely to become a certificated educator in a Washington K–12 public school. 

Collado: Education Northwest’s work with PESB ultimately led to changes in Washington state law; did the teacher pathway report directly impact those changes? 

Yoon: We didn’t start out with the intent to change state law, rather, our initial work focused on training and coaching on how to access and use data to inform PESB’s work. Following the survey, we were really focused on supporting the work of the two PESB workgroups by investigating the extent to which Washington’s three teacher tests were disproportionate barriers for BIPOC candidates accompanied by a literature scan on teacher testing.    

Motamedi: The studies, alongside the ongoing deliberations of the Teacher Testing Workgroup, led to a series of recommendations to the PESB Board of Directors, one of which was to modify the basic skills test requirements. The other recommendations were to create the Educator Assessment System Workgroup to examine the other two teacher tests. We presented the final report and recommendations to several audiences, including the PESB Board of Directors.  

Collado: How did this collective work eventually impact State policy? 

Yoon: Ultimately, this work led to three policy changes in Washington state. First, Washington State modified the basic skills test requirements. As of July 2019, candidates do not need to pass the basic skills test for state certification—they only need to attempt it¹. Second, Washington State included content knowledge test exceptions. In December 2020, Washington established a case-by-case exception process for candidates who do not pass the content knowledge test². Finally, Washington State eliminated performance assessment requirements. In 2021, Washington passed a law removing the requirement that teacher candidates take or pass the edTPA for state certification³. As you can see, these exciting changes resulted from an evidence-based process; we identified the barriers facing limited certificated teachers, we proposed solutions to eliminate these barriers and then we shared these findings with key stakeholders to initiate improvements. 

About Education Northwest  

Education Northwest is a nonprofit professional services organization based in Portland, Oregon. For more than 50 years we have provided high-quality research, technical assistance, professional development, and evaluation services that help our partners solve educational challenges and improve learning for all. REL Northwest was managed by Education Northwest through 2021 and is one of 10 Regional Educational Laboratories. REL Northwest works with key stakeholders in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington to develop evidence that can inform consequential decisions about policy, programs, and practice.  

Related Work  

Limited Certificated Teachers in Washington: Barriers to Becoming Fully Certificated and Needed Supports 

The Potential Role Limited Certificated Teachers Can Play in Addressing Teacher Shortages 

Pathways to Teaching: Teacher Diversity, Testing, Certification, and Employment in Washington State 

Can Grow-Your-Own Programs Help Diversify the Teacher Workforce? 

Identifying Evidence-Based Practices for Recruiting, Training, and Retaining a Diverse Educator Workforce 

Visualizing Washington’s Teacher Workforce 

About Julianna Collado. Ms. Collado is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor where she majored in Public Policy and minored in Latina/o Studies. In college, she held executive positions in the student organization La Casa, participated in the UnidosUS Afro-Latinx Lideres Avanzando Fellowship, and worked multiple campus jobs in the Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs and Office of Academic and Multicultural Initiatives. She is excited to be pursuing her Master’s in Education Policy at the University of Texas, Austin in the fall of 2022.   

[1] Professional Educator Standards Board. (2019). Governor Inslee signs bill increasing access to teacher preparation programs. https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WAOSPI/bulletins/240aeda

[2] Professional Educator Standards Board. (2020). Case-by-case exceptions now available for content knowledge assessment. https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WAOSPI/bulletins/2ab33cb

[3] 2.S.H.B. 1028, 67th Leg., Reg. Sess. (Wash. 2021). http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2021-22/Pdf/Bills/ House%20Passed%20Legislature/1028-S2.PL.pdf#page=1