Fundamental Course of Study

The Fundamental Course of Study (FCS) is one of the core components of the paraeducator certificate program in Washington. The FCS is a 28 clock hour training consisting of 12 units approved by your employing school district and aligned to the PESB course outline.

Districts are required to enroll their paraeducators in these courses

It is the responsibility of the school district to ensure that the training is provided to their paraeducators. Paraeducators should not independently seek out training to meet training requirements. If paraeducators are unaware of training, please contact the human resource office of your school district.

Instruction

ESD 112 provides FCS trainings in person and online throughout the year to help districts meet this requirement.

All courses are:

  • Aligned to Board Standards – Courses will align to PESB course outline & learning objectives
  • Tracked in pdEnroller – Makes registration and keeping track of clock hours simple and seamless

ESD-U will offer most of the FCS courses in person in August and online in September. The schedule will be posted in May.

District Resources

Please refer to the two PESB documents below if you have any questions on implementation in your district, or on the program in general:

Fundamental Course of Study