Become an Approved Provider

Washington requires that the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) approve providers of continuing education for educators. Approval of agencies as providers of clock hours occurs annually. To seek approval, agencies must be a non-profit organization, private school, an accredited college/university, or a local, state, or federal government agencies.

Clock Hour Provider Requirements:

• Agencies must be one of the following entities or a department within such an entity (WAC 181-85-045)
  • Accredited College or university (WAC 181-85-025)
  • Non-profit or not-for-profit organizations.
    • These organizations must provide documentation of non-profit or not-for-profit status if asked to present it.
  • Local, state, Educational Service Districts (ESDs) or regional agencies
  • State-approved private school (WAC 180-90-112)

All School Districts, Charter Schools, and Compact Schools in Washington are automatically approved as clock hour providers. However, some do not have the resources to utilize that approval and rely on regional Educational Service Districts (ESD) to provide the clock hours for their program.

Clock Hour Provider Application:

• Approval of agencies as clock hour providers occurs once a year and agencies must apply annually by August 1 to become an approved clock hour provider by PESB.
• For agencies that have received approval from PESB, this timeline runs from October 1 to September 30 of the following year (There are no means to add a clock hour provider or clock hours retroactively).
• There is no fee for agencies to seek approval as a clock hour provider.

If an agency wishes to hold a course prior to becoming an approved clock hour provider, they need to have a currently approved clock hour provider co-sponsor the course or courses for approved clock hours. If a non-approved agency is currently working with a specific school district, the school district will need to arrange any approved clock hours on behalf of the non-approved agency. Another option is to check the current Approved Clock Hour Provider List for an approved clock hour provider a non-approved agency already has an existing relationship with and ask them to co-sponsor the offering. 

Apply:

Guidance for Clock Hour Providers

Getting Started

Congratulations on gaining OSPI approval to be a clock hour provider! As an approved provider, the organization will internally manage offered clock hour courses and must establish the following to be in accordance with Chapter 181-85 WAC:

• A clock hour committee (WAC 181-85-045)
• An internal in-service offering process to meet program (WAC 181-85-200) and content (WAC 181-85-202) standards
• A file and organization system to manage all required recordkeeping (WAC 181-85-205)

After the provider sets up all the necessary components listed above, approves clock hour offerings, and hosts an in-service event, the provider will give participants the 1125-General In-Service Clock Hour Registration Form or 1125-E STEM, Equity, and Leadership In-Service Registration Clock Hour Form. These forms are available to approved clock hour providers upon request from the Professional Certification Office.

If an organization is interested in using pdEnroller to offer clock hour courses, reach out to Educational Service District 112 and visit the pdEnroller – ESD 112 webpage for more details.

For more information on each of these items, read through the tabs below.

Clock Hour Committee

Once approved to be a clock hour provider, each provider must establish and maintain a designated administrator and a clock hour committee (WAC 181-85-045(2). Before offering a course, the provider's clock hour committee must approve:

• Date of in-service
• Number of clock hours being offered
• Course relation to clock hour standards (WAC 181-85-202)
• Course objectives and program agenda
• Instructors and their qualifications

Items of Note: 

• OSPI is not responsible for approving course content; the clock hour committee approves the agency's scope, granting clock hours under their approval as a provider.
• Clock hours may not be issued retroactively (WAC 181-85-045; WAC 181-85-200)
• Clock hour providers are subject to audit. Providers found not to comply with Chapter 181-85 WAC will no longer be eligible to provide clock hours.

Content of Trainings

The in-service offering must be at least one (1) hour to provide clock hours WAC 181-85-030 (6). One (1) clock hour for each 60 minutes of approved in-service offering may be assigned. This can include "reasonable" time for a break and passing the time. The clock hour provider can determine what is reasonable. The agency must have a committee or board of directors that provides prior approval to proposed in-service education programs because the proposed programs are designed to meet the program standards.

Program Standards: WAC 181-85-200.

• Professional role standards under WAC 181-85-203
• Paraeducator standards of practice as described in Chapter 179-07 WAC
• Cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion (CCDEI) standards under RCW 28A.410.260. Until the board adopts the CCDEI standards, the content must relate to the cultural competency standards published by the board; or
• Social-emotional learning standards, benchmarks, and indicators under RCW 28A.410.270

When partnering with another organization, an approved clock hour provider cannot provide blanket approval of all courses from that organization. The approved clock hour provider must follow all relevant policies for approving each individual course from another organization (WAC 181-85-200). 

Instructor Qualifications: WAC 181-85-200(3)

• All in-service education instructors shall have academic and/or professional experience which qualifies them explicitly to conduct the in-service education program (e.g., a person with expertise in a particular subject, field, or occupation).
• Event registration materials and/or agenda and conference programs need to provide a short description of the qualifications of each instructor.
• In-service education instructors will be responsible for and must ensure the collection of sign-in sheets and evaluations.

Materials (for each offering): WAC 181-85-200(2)(4)

• Agenda must have dates and times of each presentation and content and outcomes clearly articulated
• Agenda must have the names and a short description of the qualifications of each instructor. e.g., degrees and current professional position
• Program materials must be available to ALL participants
• Sign-in sheet provided for participants
• Event evaluation completed by participants

Evaluation Requirements: WAC 181-85-200

Clock hour providers must provide course evaluations to the participants and collect these evaluations to the extent possible. The designated administrator must periodically report assessment summaries to the clock hour committee. Summaries of the evaluations must be available to OSPI staff for review. Approved providers are responsible for creating their own evaluation forms, and they must include the following essential components: 

• The extent to which the written objectives have been met
• Participant perception of relevance and quality of the offering
• The extent to which activities identified by the in-service program have been met
• The extent to which the course provided the opportunity for participants to reflect on the next steps or implementation of the learning in their practice
• Suggestions for improving the in-service education program if repeated

Approved In-Service Credit Hours Shall NOT Include: WAC 181-85-030

• Routine staff meetings—such as district, building, or area meetings within an agency, district, or building—to discuss or explain operational policies or administrative practices within the agency, district, or building.
• Business meetings of professional associations to discuss operational policies or practices of the association.
• Social hours or actual mealtime.

Setting Up a Training

To set up a training, providers establish and complete an internal process within your organization; this occurs before, during, and after each class. Each preparation program must comply with the program approval standards. WAC 181-78A-220(5).

If courses are not approved as clock hours prior to holding them, the rules do not allow for courses to be approved retroactively. Courses cannot be offered for clock hours prior to the approval date.

To assist participants in identifying courses approved for clock hours, advertising and literature should clearly assert "Washington State Approved Clock Hour Provider, or Washington state Approved Clock Hours."

Required Record Keeping

The following must be retained for seven (7) years under WAC 181-85-205:

• Documentation of clock hour committee approval of a course's date, number of hours, objectives, relation to clock hour standards, instructors, and the qualifications before the being offered (WAC 181-85-045 (2))
• Summary of course evaluations and committee minutes documenting that the committee reviewed the evaluations
• Participant registration list (participants must register before taking courses and providers must keep a record of this)