Updates

Legislation 2007-08
In 2007, the Washington State Legislature passed a bill that changed the bonus amount for those with NBPTS certification. The bonus is $5000 for the 2007/08 school year and then will increase by inflation in subsequent years. This bonus, referred to as the “first” bonus, is for an NBCT teaching in a Washington State Public School full or part-time for as long as they maintain their NBPTS certification. Additionally, those with the NBPTS certification who work in schools where 70% or more of the students qualify for federal free and reduced price lunch (FRPL) receive an additional $5000 bonus per year. This bonus, referred to as the “challenging school” bonus, is pro-rated based on the amount of time the NBCT is working in that “challenging school.” Once a school qualifies as a “challenging school,” they keep that designation through the 2008-09 school year, regardless of FRPL percentage that year. For legislation (click here)

Legislation Impacts 2008
“Challenging Schools” Bonus - The 2008 legislative session made some important changes to HB 2262 that was passed last year. Starting in the 2008-09 school year, the FRPL threshold for the “challenging schools” bonus will be lowered for middle and high schools. National Board Certified Teachers qualify for the additional “challenging schools” bonus if they teach at:

• A high school where 50% or more students are eligible for FRPL;
• A middle school where 60% or more students are eligible for FRPL; or
• An elementary school where 70% or more students are eligible for FRPL (no change from last year).

This list will be posted on the OSPI website on or before May 1st, 2008. The 2008-09 list, as directed by the Washington State Legislature, is generated from the “prior year’s” FRPL data reported to OSPI. Districts report FRPL eligibility in two ways:

• Child Nutrition (reported in October)
• Core Student Record System-CSRS (reported monthly)

This biennium, OSPI is allowing the use of both of these reports to qualify a school as “challenging” and uses the higher percentage to determine eligibility. To create the eligibility list, OSPI will use the Child Nutrition report and the CSRS report from October. This maintains consistency between the two data sources (both October reports) and allows the agency to publish a list current teachers may use as a way to make employment decisions. Beginning with the 2009-10 school year, OSPI will rely solely on the data reported in the CSRS system. The OSPI Report Card website uses the CSRS data reported in May, so it most closely reflects the students in the districts at the time the WASL is administered. The agency is unable to use the data reported for the OSPI Report Card website because the data is not reported in time for use before the May 1st deadline and is not available for current teachers to use as a way to make employment decisions.