H. B. 2819
(By Delegate Hubbard, Anderson, Gillespie, Leggett and Leach)
[Introduced March 28, 1997; referred to the
Committee on Education.]
A BILL to amend and reenact sections four, five and eight,
article two-e, chapter eighteen of the code of West
Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended,
all relating to education and removing grades K, one and two
from standardized testing.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That sections four, five and eight, article two-e, chapter
eighteen of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred
thirty-one, as amended, be amended and reenacted, all to read as
follows:
ARTICLE 2E. HIGH QUALITY EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS.
§18-2E-4. Better schools accountability; school, school district
and statewide school report cards.
(a) For the purpose of providing information to the parents
of public school children and the general public on the quality
of education in the public schools which is uniform and
comparable between schools within and among the various school
districts, the state board shall prepare forms for school, school
district and statewide school report cards and shall promulgate
rules concerning the collection and reporting of data and the
preparation, printing and distribution of report cards under this
section. The forms shall provide for brief, concise reporting in
nontechnical language of required information. Any technical or
explanatory material a county board wishes to include shall be
contained in a separate appendix available to the general public
upon request.
(b) The school report cards shall include information as
shall be prescribed by lawfully promulgated rule by the state
board to give the parents of students at the school and the
general public an indication of the quality of education at the
school and other programs supportive of community needs,
including, but not limited to, the following:
(1) Indicators of student performance at the school in
comparison with the county, state, regional and national student
performance, as applicable, including student performance by
grade level
3-12 in the various subjects measured pursuant to a uniform statewide assessment program adopted by the state board;
school attendance rates; the percent of students not promoted to
next grade; and the graduation rate;
(2) Indicators of school performance in comparison with the
aggregate of all other schools in the county and the state, as
applicable, including average class size; percent of enrollments
in courses in high school mathematics, science, English and
social science; amount of time per day devoted to mathematics,
science, English and social science at middle, junior high and
high school grade levels; percentage distribution of students by
career cluster as indicated on the individualized student
transition plan; pupil-teacher ratio; number of exceptions to
pupil-teacher ratio requested by the county board and the number
of exceptions granted; the number of split-grade classrooms;
pupil-administrator ratio; operating expenditure per pupil;
county expenditure by fund in graphic display; and the average
degree classification and years of experience of the
administrators and teachers at the school;
(3) The names of the members of the local school improvement
council, created pursuant to section two, article five-a of this
chapter; and
(4) The name or names of the business partner or partners of
the school.
In addition, every county board shall annually determine
the number of administrators, classroom teachers and service
personnel employed that exceeds the number allowed by the public
school support plan and determine the amount of salary
supplements that would be available per state authorized employee
if all expenditures for the excess employees were converted to
annual salaries for state authorized administrators, classroom
teachers and service personnel within their county. The
information shall be published annually in each school report
card of each
such county.
(c) The school district report card shall include the data
for each school for each separately listed applicable indicator
and the aggregate of the data for all schools, as applicable, in
the county for each indicator. The statewide school report card
shall include the data for each county for each separately listed
indicator and the aggregate for all counties for each indicator.
(d) The report cards shall be prepared using actual local
school, county, state, regional and national data indicating the
present performance of the school and shall also include the
state norms and the upcoming year's targets for the school and
the county board.
The state board shall provide technical assistance to each
county board in preparing the school and school district report cards.
Each county board shall prepare report cards in accordance
with the guidelines set forth in this section. The school
district report cards shall be presented at a regular school
board meeting subject to applicable notice requirements and shall
be made available to a newspaper of general circulation serving
the district. The school report cards shall be mailed directly
to the parent or parents of any child enrolled in that school.
In addition, each county board shall submit the completed report
cards to the state board which shall make copies available to any
person requesting them.
The report cards shall be completed and disseminated prior
to the first day of January, one thousand nine hundred
eighty-nine, and in each year thereafter, and shall be based upon
information for the current school year, or for the most recent
school year for which the information is available, in which case
the year shall be clearly footnoted.
(e) In addition to the requirements of subsection (c) of
this section, the school district report card shall list: (1)
The names of the members of the county board, the dates upon
which their terms expire and whether they have attended an
orientation program for new members approved by the state board
and conducted by the West Virginia school board association or other approved organizations, and other school board member
training programs; and (2) the names of the county school
superintendent and every assistant and associate superintendent
and any training programs related to their area of school
administration which they have attended. The information shall
also be reported by district in the statewide school report card.
(f) The state board shall develop and implement a separate
report card for nontraditional public schools pursuant to the
appropriate provisions of this section to the extent practicable.
§18-2E-5. School accreditation; standards compliance board;
approval status; intervention to correct
impairments.
(a) The purpose of this section is to provide assurances
that a thorough and efficient system of education is being
provided for all West Virginia public school students on an equal
education opportunity basis and that the high quality standards
are being met. A system for the review of school district
education plans, performance-based accreditation and periodic,
random, unannounced on-site effectiveness reviews of district
education systems, including individual schools within the
districts, shall provide assurances that the high quality
standards established in this section are being met.
(b) On or before the first day of November, one thousand nine hundred ninety- six, the state board shall, in accordance
with the provisions of article three-b, chapter twenty-nine-a of
this code, establish and adopt high quality education standards
in the following areas:
(1) Curriculum;
(2) Workplace readiness skills;
(3) Finance;
(4) Transportation;
(5) Special education;
(6) Facilities;
(7) Administrative practices;
(8) Training of county board members and administrators;
(9) Personnel qualifications;
(10) Professional development and evaluation;
(11) Student and school performance;
(12) A code of conduct for students and employees; and
(13) Any other
such areas as determined by the state board.
The standards shall assure that all graduates are prepared
for gainful employment or for continuing postsecondary education
and training and that schools and school districts are making
progress in achieving the education goals of the state. Each
school district shall submit an annual improvement plan designed
around locally identified needs showing how the education program of each school in the district will meet or exceed the high
quality standards.
A performance-based accreditation system shall be the only
statewide system used for accrediting or classifying the public
schools in West Virginia. The state board shall establish a
schedule and shall review each school within a district and each
county board for accreditation based on information submitted to
the board under the performance-based accreditation system as set
forth in subsection (c) of this section.
(c) On or before the first day of September, one thousand
nine hundred ninety-six, the state board shall, in accordance
with the provisions of article three-b, chapter twenty-nine-a of
this code, establish by rule a system which measures the quality
of education and preparation of students at each school based on
measures of student and school performance, including, but not
limited to, the following:
(1) The acquisition of student proficiencies as indicated by
student performance by grade level
3-12 measured, where possible,
by a uniform statewide assessment program;
(2) School attendance rates;
(3) Student dropout rate;
(4) Percent of students promoted to next grade;
(5) Graduation rate;
(6) Average class size;
(7) Pupil-teacher ratio and number of exceptions to ratio
requested by county boards and number granted;
(8) Number of split-grade classrooms;
(9) Percentage of graduates who enrolled in college; the
percentage of graduates who enrolled in other postsecondary
education; and the percentage of graduates who become fully
employed within one year of high school graduation all as
reported by the graduates on the assessment form attached to
their individualized student transition plan, pursuant to section
eight of this article and the percentage of graduates reporting;
(10) Pupil-administrator ratio;
(11) Parent involvement;
(12) Parent, teacher and student satisfaction;
(13) Operating expenditures per pupil;
(14) Percentage of graduates who attain the minimum level of
performance in the basic skills recognized by the state board as
laying the foundation for further learning and skill development
for success in college, other postsecondary education and gainful
employment and the grade level distribution in which the minimum
level of performance was met; and
(15) Percentage of graduates who received additional
certification of their skills, competence and readiness for college, other postsecondary education or employment above the
minimum foundation level of basic skills.
The state board annually shall review the information
submitted for each school and shall issue to every school: (i)
Full accreditation status; or (ii) probationary accreditation
status.
Full accreditation status shall be given to a school when
the school's performance on the above indicators is at a level
which would be expected when all of the high quality education
standards are being met. Probationary accreditation status shall
be given to a school when the measure of the school's performance
is below
such the level.
Whenever a school is given probationary accreditation
status, the county board shall implement an improvement plan
which is designed to increase the performance of the school to a
full accreditation status level within one year.
(d) The state board shall establish and adopt standards of
performance to identify seriously impaired schools and the state
board may declare a school seriously impaired whenever
extraordinary circumstances exist as defined by the state board.
Whenever the state board determines that the quality of education
in a school is seriously impaired, the state superintendent, with
approval of the state board, shall appoint a team of three improvement consultants to make recommendations within sixty days
of appointment for correction of the impairment. Upon approval
of the recommendations by the state board, the recommendations
shall be made to the county board. If progress in correcting the
impairment is not made within six months of receipt of the
recommendations, the state superintendent shall provide
consultation and assistance to the county board to: (1) Improve
personnel management; (2) establish more efficient financial
management practices; (3) improve instructional programs and
rules; or (4) make such other improvements as may be necessary to
correct the impairment. If the impairment is not corrected
within one year of receipt of the recommendations, the district
shall be given probationary approval status or nonapproval
status.
(e) Whenever a school is given probationary status or is
determined to be seriously impaired and fails to improve its
status within one year, any student attending such school may
transfer once to the nearest fully accredited school, subject to
approval of the fully accredited school and at the expense of the
school from which the student transferred.
(f) The state board shall issue one of the following
accreditation levels to each county board: (1) Full approval;
(2) conditional approval; (3) probationary approval; or (4) nonapproval.
Full approval shall be given to a county board whose
education system meets or exceeds all of the high quality
standards adopted by the state board and whose schools have all
been given full accreditation status. Full approval shall be for
a period not to exceed four years.
Conditional approval shall be given to a county board whose
education system meets at least ninety-five percent of the high
quality standards adopted by the state board and in which at
least ninety percent of the schools have been given full
accreditation status provided no school is seriously impaired.
Conditional approval shall be for a period not to exceed one
year:
Provided, That for counties that have fewer than ten
schools, the state board may grant conditional approval without
regard to the ninety percent based on the total quality of the
county education program.
Probationary approval shall be given to a county board whose
education system has met less than ninety-five percent of the
high quality standards, or which has eleven percent or more
schools in the district given probationary status or serious
impairment. Probationary approval is a warning that the county
board must make specified improvements. If the number of schools
in the district given probationary status is not reduced to a number that would allow full accreditation to be granted in the
following year, the county board shall be automatically given
nonapproval. In addition, nonapproval shall be given to a county
board which fails to submit an annual program plan or fails to
demonstrate a reasonable effort to meet the high quality
standards. The state board shall establish and adopt standards
to identify school districts in which the program may be
nonapproved or the state board may issue nonapproval status
whenever extraordinary circumstances exist as defined by the
state board.
(g) Whenever nonapproval status is given to a county, the
state board shall declare a state of emergency in the district
and may intervene in the operation of the district to: (1) Limit
the authority of the county superintendent and county board as to
the expenditure of funds, the employment and dismissal of
personnel, the establishment and operation of the school
calendar, the establishment of instructional programs and rules
and
such any other areas as may be designated by the state board
by rule; (2) take
such direct action as may be necessary to
correct the impairment; and (3) declare that the office of the
county superintendent is vacant.
(h) To assist the state board in determinations of the
accreditation status of schools and the approval status of school districts under this section, the state board shall from time to
time appoint an education standards compliance review team to
make unannounced on-site reviews of the education programs in any
school or school district in the state to assess compliance of
the school or district with the high quality standards adopted by
the state board, including, but not limited to, facilities,
administrative procedures, transportation, food services and the
audit of all matters relating to school finance, budgeting and
administration.
The teams shall be composed of not more than ten persons,
not more than half of whom may be members of or currently
employed by the state board, who possess the necessary knowledge,
skills and experience to make an accurate assessment of
such
education programs. The education standards compliance team
shall report the findings of its on-site reviews to the state
board for inclusion in the determination of a school's or
district's accreditation or approval status as applicable. The
state board shall encourage the sharing of information to improve
school effectiveness among the districts.
The state board shall make accreditation information
available to the Legislature, the governor, the general public
and to any individuals who request
such information.
(i) The state board shall fully implement the accreditation system established under this article for all schools on the
first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-one, and may
pilot test the system prior to that date. The state board shall
adopt rules in accordance with the provisions of article three-b,
chapter twenty-nine-a of this code necessary to implement the
provisions of this article.
§18-2E-8. Creating jobs through education.
(a)
Findings and intent. -- The Legislature finds that the
governor, the Legislature, the state board and the people of West
Virginia established goals for education through an education
summit and series of town meetings in the summer of the year one
thousand nine hundred ninety, and that these goals were codified
in section four, article one of this chapter during the third
extraordinary session of the Legislature of that year. Among
these goals is the goal that high school graduates will be
prepared fully for college, other postsecondary education or
gainful employment and that the number of high school graduates
entering postsecondary education will increase by fifty percent.
The Legislature finds that this goal reflects a fundamental
belief that the result of a thorough and efficient system of free
schools is that the youth of the state exit the system equipped
with the skills, competencies and attributes necessary to
succeed, to continue learning throughout their lifetimes and to attain economic self-sufficiency.
The Legislature further finds that the full preparation of
youth as indicated in these findings cannot be accomplished by
the school system alone, but requires the full and active
partnership with parents and people from business, labor, higher
education, economic development and other organizations and
entities in the community that have an interest in providing
quality education. Therefore, the intent of this section is to
establish a policy framework and strategy for the state board in
fulfilling its responsibility for the general supervision of free
schools in order to encourage and utilize actively involved
partnerships in the formulation of rules and practices to
achieve the goal that high school graduates will be prepared
fully for college, other postsecondary education or gainful
employment, particularly in the delivery of programs that provide
work-based learning opportunities for students within the school
or at the workplace. The Legislature recognizes that many
skilled jobs require education beyond the high school level, that
the goals of West Virginia include increased postsecondary
attendance and that the goals for postsecondary education as set
forth in section one-a, article one, chapter eighteen-b of this
code include an increased focus within higher education on
relevancy, responsiveness to business, industry, labor and community needs, and on the current and future work force needs
of the state. Therefore, it is further the intent of this
section to enhance the linkages between secondary and post- secondary education.
(b)
Comprehensive goals for jobs through education. -- The
Legislature hereby establishes the following goals to be
accomplished by the year two thousand one for all students in all
schools:
(1) The elimination of student grouping or tracking systems
that result in high school students completing a general
curriculum that does not prepare them fully for college, other
postsecondary education or gainful employment;
(2) The replacement of the general curriculum, as stated in
subdivision (1) of this subsection, with a system of career
clusters and education majors that increases the academic
expectations for all students, includes a system of career
information and guidance and incorporates structured work-based
learning;
(3) The requirement that every student, in consultation with
his or her parents and school advisor, establish an
individualized student transition plan covering grades nine
through twelve and the first year beyond graduation from high
school;
(4) The active involvement of partners at the state,
regional and local levels in assuring the full preparation of
graduates for college, other postsecondary education or gainful
employment;
(5) The creation of a process through which qualified
graduates will receive a portable credential that is recognized
and valued by employers as an indicator of the skills, competence
and readiness for employment of the graduates; and
(6) The implementation of continuous program assessment,
program improvement and staff development.
(c)
Increased academic expectations and career development
for all students. -- The Legislature finds that there is a need
to establish higher academic expectations and a system of career
development for all students that contains the following
elements:
(1)
Assessment. -- The implementation of an assessment
program that measures student performance by grade level and
assesses student attainment of the basic academic foundation
skills.
Given the developmental characteristics and needs of
children five to eight years of age, the statewide assessment
program will not include paper and pencil multiple-choice, group
administered, standardized tests at the K-2 level. The
assessment component at these levels will consist of systematic reporting forms and checklists developed/chosen at the county and
school level. The assessments will reflect sound early
childhood practice and age-appropriate skills and objectives, and
will be used to assess student progress and to identify
individual instructional needs to improve instruction. Samples
of each county's forms will be kept on file by the state
department of education;
(2)
Focus on basic skills in kindergarten through fourth
grade. -- The strengthening and refocusing of kindergarten
through fourth grade in order to assure that all students perform
at grade level at the completion of the fourth grade by
concentrating on teaching the basics of reading, writing,
mathematics and computer skills;
(3)
Development of rigorous curriculum. -- The development
and implementation of a rigorous and relevant curriculum of basic
academic requirements that lays a foundation for further learning
and skill development. The proficiencies of the students shall
be assessed at the end of the eighth grade and all students
should attain the basic academic requirement levels by no later
than the end of the tenth grade;
(4)
Career exploration in grades five through eight. -- The
exploration by students in the fifth through eighth grades of
their interests and abilities in career clusters through accessing information about occupational skills and labor
markets;
(5)
Creation and initial implementation of individual
student transition plan for grades nine and ten. -- The creation,
by the end of the eighth grade, of the first two years of an
individualized student transition plan that builds upon career
awareness and exploration activities in the earlier grades and
enables the student in consultation with his or her parents and
school advisor to select a broad career cluster for further
exploration in grades nine and ten;
(6)
Choosing career majors for grades eleven through
postsecondary. -- The creation of the second part of the
individualized student transition plan by the end of the tenth
grade. The second part of the individualized student transition
plan shall establish a career major for the final years of high
school and the first year after high school that will prepare the
student for college, other postsecondary education or gainful
employment;
(7)
Implementation of career majors. -- The fulfillment of
the secondary education component of the career major in grades
eleven and twelve, including the successful completion of the
necessary curriculum and participation in work-based learning
experiences; and
(8)
Completion of individualized student transition plan and
assessment. -- The completion of the individualized student
transition plan in the first year following graduation from high
school by attending college, other postsecondary education or
securing gainful employment. The state board shall provide an
assessment form to be completed by the student and returned to
the high school upon the completion of the individualized student
transition plan. The form shall provide for the student to
report his or her success in completing the plan and the
strengths and weaknesses of his or her education preparation.
(d)
Report of recommendations on comprehensive career
development. -- To assist in the establishment of a comprehensive
career development system, the state school-to-work steering
committee shall report to the state board and the legislative
oversight commission on education accountability by the first day
of November, one thousand nine hundred ninety-six, the
recommendations of the career guidance committee established
pursuant to the state school-to-work implementation plan.
(e)
Guidelines for increasing the ability of all students to
meet higher academic expectations and become self-motivated
learners. -- Practices that increase the academic expectations
for all students and help them to succeed in achieving those
higher expectations include, but are not limited to:
(1) Utilizing instructional methods that require the student
to be a worker who is actively engaged in the learning process;
(2) Utilizing methodologies that require students to apply
academic knowledge in practical situations and problem solving;
(3) Utilizing computers and other technologies to provide
opportunities for creative instruction, both individually and in
groups in all subjects;
(4) Providing structured opportunities for students to
participate in credit and noncredit learning activities outside
the school that are integrated with and are an extension of
the school-based program of study for the student through
such
activities as field trips, job shadowing, community service,
entrepreneurship development, mentoring, internships,
apprenticeships, school-based enterprises in partnership with the
private sector and other cooperative learning experiences
connected to student education majors and school-based
instructional programs;
(5) Integrating and interrelating academic and technical
content throughout the curriculum and ensuring numerous
opportunities for cross-disciplinary learning to emphasize the
importance of reading, writing, speaking, listening and viewing;
and
(6) Encouraging teachers to plan and work together and exercise their professional judgment in the classroom.
(f)
Establishing partnerships. -- As soon as practicable
following the effective date of this section, the governor shall
appoint or designate a "Jobs Through Education Employer Panel",
to assure the high quality preparation of our youth for college,
other postsecondary education or gainful employment. The jobs
through education employer panel shall advise and assist the
state board, the higher education governing boards and
institutions, other postsecondary education training programs and
agencies and employers in assuring that graduates are prepared
fully for further education and training or gainful employment
and shall perform other functions as set forth in this section.
In providing
such advice and assistance and in the performance of
such other functions, the jobs through employer panel shall
solicit input from the county steering committees.
As soon as practicable, following the effective date of this
section, county boards shall appoint a county steering committee
that includes parents and people from business, labor, higher
education, economic development, local school improvement
councils, faculty senates and other organizations and entities in
the community as valuable partners in developing and implementing
a system within the county that meets the intent of this section
and adheres to the rules of the state board. The membership of the county steering committee and participation in the community
and technical college district consortia committee, as created by
section three-a, article three, chapter eighteen-b of this code,
shall be coordinated to the extent that it is practical.
(g)
Guidelines for work-based learning. -- Work-based
learning is a structured activity that correlates with and is
mutually supportive of school-based learning for the student, and
includes specific objectives to be mastered by the student as a
result of the activity. It is central to the education
preparation process to develop within the student an awareness of
the work environment and how the skills the student is acquiring
will be applied in that environment. Broadly defined, work-based
learning opportunities are activities that assist students to
gain an awareness of the workplace, develop an appreciation of
the relevancy of academic subject matter to workplace performance
and gain valuable work experience and skills while exploring
their occupational interests and abilities. Incorporating work- based learning as a central part of the education process and
also as a final step in the formal education process includes,
but is not limited to:
(1) Providing students in the early grades with activities
such as field trips, career-oriented speakers in the classroom,
courses such as junior achievement which are taught by volunteers in the classroom, job shadowing and other
such activities to
increase student awareness of the workplace; and
(2) Providing students in the later grades, including
college and other postsecondary education, with activities such
as structured community service, apprenticeships, internships,
clinical experiences, cooperative education and other work-site
placements, school-based enterprises, workplace simulations and
entrepreneurial development, that provide students with more
specific work experience in an occupational area associated with
their education major.
To the extent possible, student work-based learning, and
particularly workplace learning, should be jointly assessed by a
school-based educator or advisor and a work-based mentor who
possesses the skills set forth in the work-based learning
objectives of the student, and who has been trained in mentoring
and assessing student performance.
(h)
Special consideration for providing work-based learning
in counties with few opportunities for employment. --
Providing work-based learning opportunities for all students in
counties with few employers will be particularly difficult.
While the following additional examples of ways to increase
opportunities for work-based learning are applicable for all
counties, they are most important in counties with few employers. Additional examples include, but are not limited to:
(1) Computer software that simulates workplace situations
and problem solving;
(2) Interactive and other technology to bring an exposure to
the workplace into the classroom;
(3) Community service;
(4) Partnerships with city, state and county government for
work-based placements;
(5) Volunteer programs, such as junior achievement and other
programs that utilize volunteers trained to deliver work-related
instruction;
(6) Assumption of record keeping and other measures by the
schools, or through the use of community-based organizations or
other intermediaries, that make it easier for small businesses to
participate in accepting students for workplace learning;
(7) Rural entrepreneurship through action learning programs;
(8) School-based enterprises;
(9) Projects through 4-H, scouts, junior ROTC and other
school and nonschool student and civic organizations;
(10) Multiple partnerships with existing employers, such as
hospitals that have multiple departments;
(11) Agricultural education, FFA projects and supervised
work experience programs; and
(12) Programs at vocational-technical education centers.
The state board shall make recommendations to the
Legislature by the first day of November, one thousand nine
hundred ninety-six, on any further actions that may be
appropriate to assist counties with few employers in providing
work-based learning opportunities for all students.
(i)
Electronic portfolio of student accomplishments and
preparation. -- For the purpose of better documenting the
preparation of high school graduates for college, other
postsecondary education or gainful employment, the state board
shall develop an electronic portfolio which will be a permanent
record for every student. The electronic portfolio shall be
issued by the appropriate county board and shall include the
accomplishments of the student during his or her education
preparation. Upon request, students shall receive the contents
of the electronic portfolio in written or computer readable form.
The electronic portfolio shall be subject to the same
confidentiality and disclosure laws and rules as any other
student records. The electronic portfolio shall include, but not
be limited to:
(1) Documentation of attendance, grades, accomplishments,
education plans, education major interests, curriculum, special
activities, honors and advanced education and other items appropriate for inclusion in the portfolio as determined by state
board rule to present the accomplishments and achievements of the
student;
(2) A separate area for the student to enter presentations,
examples and other information on his or her special areas of
interest and advanced achievement;
(3) Certification of student attainment of the minimum level
of proficiency in the basic skills that lays the foundation for
further learning and skill development for success in college,
other postsecondary education or gainful employment; and
(4) Certification of the skills, competence and readiness
for college, other postsecondary education or employment, as
indicated by: (i) College entrance tests; (ii) specialized
assessments that measure the attainment of necessary skills and
competencies required in the workplace; (iii) the attainment of
industry recognized credentials, licensure or certification; (iv)
the completion of nationally accredited technical education
programs; (v) performance in specialized learning experiences
such as paid and unpaid structured work-based learning in the
private or public sectors, including, but not limited to,
registered youth apprenticeships, internships, cooperative
education, community service, entrepreneurship development and
school-based enterprises in partnership with the private sector; and (vi) other indicators relevant to the student's skills,
competence and readiness for college, other postsecondary
education or gainful employment.
(j)
Guidelines for certification on the electronic portfolio
of student skills, competencies and readiness for employment. --
The certification of student skills, competencies and readiness
for a particular industry or occupation to be included on the
electronic portfolio, including certification offered by an
institution of higher education or other job training programs,
shall require the approval of an appropriate entity designated by
the jobs through education employer panel. Local education
agencies, institutions of higher education and other job training
programs desiring to issue
such the certification to meet local
labor market or community needs and circumstances may apply to
the panel for
such the approval. To the extent possible,
such
the certification shall provide the student with a proficiency
credential that is widely recognized and accepted within an
industry or occupational area as a reliable indicator of the
ability of the student. The jobs through education employer
panel shall consult other established skill standards for use in
certifying proficiency in skills, competencies and readiness
within specific industries and occupations. The intent of these
provisions is to provide a formal mechanism for the ongoing alignment of the certification of student skills, competencies
and readiness with current minimum requirements for success in
the industry or occupational area for which the student is
preparing, including requirements which will be met through
additional education in college or other postsecondary
education.
(k)
Staff development. -- Meeting the intent and objectives
of this section will require a continued focus on staff
development to increase the ability of teachers and
administrators to employ various methodologies for strengthening
the rigor, content and relevance of the learning process and help
all students achieve at higher levels. Teachers and
administrators must know about workplace requirements to help
students internalize the relationship between learning in school
and success in the careers they envision for themselves in adult
life. The use of student assessment and program evaluation
information continually to check and improve the curriculum,
instruction, school climate and school organization and
management, is critical to maintaining high quality instruction
that is relevant to changing workplace requirements. Staff
development opportunities shall include, but not be limited to:
(1) Designation by the state board of exemplary counties and
schools that have implemented comprehensive school-to-work systems as model demonstration sites to be visited and observed;
(2) Collaboration and utilization of the resources of the
state department of education, institutions of higher education,
the center for professional development and county staff
development councils for both in-service and preservice
preparation programs;
(3) Teacher and business exchange programs that enable
teachers to gain exposure and experience in the workplace and
business persons to gain exposure and experience in the schools; (4) Structured programs or institutes that take educators
into the workplace to observe the work environment and skills
necessary to perform work tasks; and
(5) Staff development activities which include joint
participation by public school, college and other postsecondary
faculty where appropriate.
(l)
Study committee for staff development credits. -- There
is hereby created a study committee to make recommendations on
the feasibility of, and the possible process for, crediting staff
development activities toward fulfilling the requirement for
renewal of certificates, pursuant to section three, article
three, chapter eighteen-a of this code, and the progression
through the state minimum salary schedule, pursuant to section
two, article four of said chapter. The committee shall consist of the chancellor of the university of West Virginia board of
trustees, or a designee; the state superintendent, or a designee,
who shall serve as chair of the committee; a member of the state
board, to be selected by the state board; a representative of
West Virginia University to be selected by the president of the
university; a representative of Marshall University, to be
selected by the president of the university; a representative of
the West Virginia Graduate College, to be selected by the
president of the college; four classroom teachers to be appointed
by the governor within thirty days of the effective date of this
section; and the director of the center for professional
development or a designee. Such committee shall report its
recommendations to the legislative oversight commission on
education accountability by the first day of January, one
thousand nine hundred ninety-seven.
(m)
State board rule. -- On or before the first day of
November, one thousand nine hundred ninety-six, the state board,
with advice from the jobs through education employer panel, and
in consultation with the higher education governing boards, shall
adopt a rule in accordance with the provisions of article three- b, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code for the implementation of
this section. The rule shall allow flexibility for local
variation to meet local circumstances and shall establish a five-year plan for phased implementation. The proposed rule developed
pursuant to this section shall contain a financial impact
statement as well as a job impact statement.
(n) Any study groups or committees created by the state
board to assist in development of policies or rules for the
implementation of this section shall contain significant
representation by classroom teachers as defined by section one,
article one, chapter eighteen-a of this code. Further, the state
board shall include in its annual budget request sufficient funds
to implement programs, policies or rules adapted to meet the
goals set out in this section:
Provided, That nothing in this
section shall be construed to require any specific level of
funding by the Legislature.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to remove standardized
testing for grades K, one and two, but to retain methods for
student assessment.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken
from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language
that would be added.