One of the most common misunderstandings about the WIAA Coaching Standards Program is that of the difference between "coaches education hours" and "clock hours".  We hope that this page will clear up some of the confusion.

Clock Hours:

Clock hours are formal programs approved by an agency of the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) of the State of Washington approved to grant clock hour programs.  WIAA is such an approved agency.  In order to qualify for clock hours, a program must be a minimum of three hours in length, have some level of professional development methodology, and may not be used for such items as routine staff meetings.  A clock hour course must be applied for (download application form here: available in Microsoft Word Format or Adobe PDF Format) and approved in advance of the program being held, and attendees who wish to receive clock hours must fill out paperwork and make payment for clock hours on site.

Clock hours are used for three primary purposes:

1. For certificated teachers to apply toward the requirement for maintaining their continuing teaching certificates.  Teachers with certificates are required to provide documentation of completion of 150 clock hours every five years in accordance with WAC 180-79A-250.
2. For certificated teachers to apply toward the LEAP (Salary) Schedule.
   Certificated teachers are allowed to apply clock hours in lieu of college credits toward the Salary Allocation Tables for Certificated Staff.  In accordance with the OSPI S-275 Personnel Reporting Handbook (page 29, item #11), WIAA Clock Hour transcripts are acceptable documentation for in-service credits.
3. To provide a documented record for meeting WIAA Coaching Standards.
   Clock hours apply specifically toward coaching standard hours, provided the program is approved by the employing school district.

Coaches Education Hours:

Coaches education hours are less formal than OSPI Clock Hours.  Coaches education hour programs do not need to be pre-approved by the WIAA; they do not even require any form of paperwork be submitted.  The only requirement of an activity to qualify it as a coaches education hour program is that it provide some form of documentation of attendance, and that the content be approved by the employing school/school district to apply toward that school/district's coaching standard hours.  It may be closed to a select number of coaches or open to anyone, it may be free or fee-based, and may be as little as one hour in duration.

One of the confusing aspects of the relationship between clock hours and coaches education hours is this: a coach may attend a "clock hours" course without registering for clock hours, but still apply the credit for that program toward coaching standards.  The following illustration, comparing two coaches, may clarify this concept:

Let's say both coaches attend the PEMCO Coaches clinic for 17 hours.  Coach One needs the clock hours, so will likely register and pay for the hours to go onto her transcript.  For Coach Two, there is no particular advantage to registering for clock hours, other than the convenience of having the hours logged on a transcript.  If Coach Two is a good record-keeper, he needs only to obtain some form of proof of attendance at the clinic to turn into his AD to receive coaches education hours credit for the 17 hours and put him over the top on his 30 hours requirement.

The key is this: most any clock hour program applies toward coaches education hours, whether clock hours are paid for or not, as long as documentation of attendance is obtained.   The reverse is not true, however: only those courses that have been pre-approved for clock hours may grant clock hours.  

For more information, visit the following WIAA Coaching Standards pages:

• Coaching Standards Overview
• Coaching Standards - Frequently Asked Questions
• Coaching Standards - Record Keeping
• List of WIAA Approved Clock Hour Courses Open for Registration
• Coaching Hour Activity Forum