Teacher Certification

Additional Certification Policies

• Minimum Field Experience Hours

  Students may log any hours spent planning, assessing, and instructing as part of the teacher role in their mentor teacher’s classroom or at home.

  Additional activities outside the school day considered part of the teacher role, include active participation in staff meetings, IEP meetings, parent teacher conferences, and performances associated with the mentor teacher’s contract, may be logged for certification.

  Non instructional activities outside of the school day, such as extracurricular clubs, attending or coaching sporting events, or assisting with study halls, will not count as hours toward certification as they are not activities associated with the role of a typical teacher contract.

  Students will use the Field Experience Log in MyCWU to log hours in courses. Instructions can be found on the Office of Field Experiences website
• Case-by-Case Alternative

  The Case-by-Case (CBC) Alternative process is for teaching candidates who do not pass the content knowledge exam for their endorsement area (e.g., NES or West-E). In December 2020, this alternative was approved by the Professional Educator Standards Board after the state workgroup found that the national exams are, at best, a limited indicator and, at worse, a culturally biased indicator of educators’ subject area knowledge. Approval of CBC submissions will be recorded in the candidate's file as equivalent to passing the required content knowledge exam for certification and endorsement.

  ELIGIBILITY

  Any candidate in the Teacher Certification Program (TCP) with at least one failed attempt at the content exam for their primary endorsement (Major) area is eligible to apply for the CBC exception. This exception is not available for endorsable minors or add-on endorsements. CBC is only open to CWU students and alumni who have completed a teacher certification program through CWU.

  APPLICATIONS

  Applications to the CBC are completed online through the TCP website and candidates are emailed instructions for the CBC process to their CWU email address. Elementary Education, Early Childhood Education, and Special Education candidate applications are processed quarterly and all other candidate applications are processed weekly.

  EVALUATION

  Candidates examine their Diagnostic Report from their failed test attempt and then provide evidence

  demonstrating content proficiency in their lowest two components accompanied by a narrative connecting the evidence to InTASC 4. Content Specialists evaluate submissions from candidates in their area, initiate any necessary feedback with the candidate, and inform TCP of submission approval. Teacher Certification Specialist updates records in CWU and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The Teacher Certification Specialist communicates "next steps" to the candidate.