Since 2005, Washington’s educator candidates have been required to pass a content knowledge assessment for the endorsement area they intend to teach to become certified. While demonstrating content knowledge is an important step in the preparation of educators, the assessment has raised serious concerns about the disproportionate testing outcomes experienced between candidates of color and white candidates.
Recognizing that diverse teachers play a crucial role in providing an equitable education system, this new exception process provides flexibility to better support candidates as they work to meet assessment requirements.
As such, the state of Washington allows case-by-case exceptions in certain circumstances of language and cultural barriers that may impact success in passing the NES and/or WEST-E assessments. EWU has formed a Case-by-Case committee that reviews applications for exceptions using multiple forms of evidence while considering cultural and diverse factors. If a candidate’s application for case-by-case is approved, this will substitute for a passing score on the NES or WEST-E.
EWU teacher candidates who believe their language or culture has impacted their success in passing the NES or WEST-E can request a case-by-case (CBC) exception. Candidates must attempt their endorsement test at least twice before applying for a CBC exception. Please note there is a 30-day waiting period between each test attempt.
Per PESB, for candidates pursuing either a modern language or bilingual endorsement, the CBC exception is not applicable to the American Council on Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) exams.