Like many school districts in Southwest Washington, the Washougal School District is scrambling to find qualified substitutes to fill in for staff members who have tested positive for COVID-19.
The challenge is not new for the district, which identified teacher shortages in several of its departments a few years ago and moved quickly to address them.
Washougal’s ESD-U teacher certification program, a partnership between Educational Service District 112 and the Washougal School District, offers alternative options to teacher certification for classified staff members and a “retooling” route for certified teachers seeking to add an endorsement.
“It allows us to identify staff that we know have already been in classrooms and are looking for (a new career path),” Washougal School District’s assistant superintendent, Renae McMurray, said. “Maybe a paraeducator wants to become a teacher, or maybe a teacher wants to change specialties — instead of working as a grade-level teacher, for example, they want to be a special education teacher.”
McMurray said four Washougal School District employees have earned this type of alternative certification through the program over the past four years.
The Washougal School District has used the program to fill staffing shortages in its special education and English language learning departments.
To earn their certifications, ESD-U students must attend courses, complete field experience hours in classroom settings and pass a state-required assessment. Students can often use their current classroom positions to fulfill most of the field experience requirements.
The program also provides certificated teachers with a pathway to an endorsement in another education specialty.
Veronica Paredes, a former English Language Learner paraeducator turned dual-language teacher at Hathaway Elementary School, participated in ESD-U to earn a certificate in English language learning and elementary education.
Parades said the program fit her better than more traditional teacher certification programs, since the program’s flexibility allowed her to complete the required coursework and field experience as part of her current job.
“Their class schedules are accessible when you have a full-time job. All the instructors and staff have a lot of experience. They teach and guide you,” Paredes said.
