H. B. 110
(By Mr. Speaker, (Mr. Thompson) and Delegate Armstead)
[By Request of the Executive]
[Introduced May 13, 2010; referred to the
Committee on Education then Finance.]
A BILL to amend and reenact §18A-3-1a of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, relating to alternative principal and
teacher certification; authorizing alternative principal and
teacher certification programs; providing for alternative
instructional requirements; providing eligibility standards
for principals; authorizing alternative programs by approved
education providers; setting forth certain requirements for
training and induction; and authorizing rules.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §18A-3-1a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 3. TRAINING, CERTIFICATION, LICENSING, PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT.
§18A-3-1a. Alternative programs for the education of teachers and
principals.
(a)
By August 15, 2005, The state board, after consultation
with the Secretary of Education and the Arts, shall promulgate
rules in accordance with the provisions of article three-b, chapter
twenty-nine-a of this code for the approval and operation of
teacher education programs which are an alternative to the regular
college or university programs for the education of teachers. To
participate in an approved alternative teacher education program,
the candidate must hold an alternative program teacher certificate
issued by the superintendent and endorsed for the instructional
field in which the candidate seeks certification. An alternative
program teacher certificate is a certificate issued for one year to
a candidate who does not meet the standard educational requirements
for certification. The certificate may be renewed no more than two
times. No individual may hold an alternative program teacher
certificate for a period exceeding three years. The alternative
program teacher certificate shall be considered a professional
teaching certificate for the purpose of the issuance of a
continuing contract. To be eligible for an alternative program
teacher certificate, an applicant shall:
(1) Possess at least a bachelor's degree from a regionally
accredited institution of higher education in a discipline taught
in the public schools except that the rules established by the
board may exempt candidates in selected vocational and technical
areas who have at least ten years' experience in the subject field from this requirement;
(2) Pass an appropriate state board approved basic skills and
subject matter test in the area for which licensure is being
sought;
(3) Be a citizen of the United States, be of good moral
character and physically, mentally and emotionally qualified to
perform the duties of a teacher, and have attained the age of
eighteen years on or before October 1 of the year in which the
alternative program teacher certificate is issued;
(4) Have been offered employment by a county board in an area
of critical need and shortage; and
(5) Qualify following a criminal history check pursuant to
section ten of this article.
Persons who satisfy the requirements set forth in subdivisions
(1) through (5) of this subsection shall be granted a formal
document which will enable them to work in a public school in West
Virginia.
(b) The rules adopted by the board shall include provisions
for the approval of alternative teacher education programs which
may be offered by schools, school districts, consortia of schools,
or regional educational service
agency agencies, or other approved
education providers and for the setting of tuition charges to
offset the program costs.
An approved alternative teacher
education program shall be in effect for a school, school district, consortium of schools or regional educational service agency before
an alternative program teacher may be employed in that school,
school district, consortium of schools or regional educational
service agency. A person with an alternative program teacher
certificate shall enroll in an alternative teacher education
program. An approved alternative program shall provide essential
knowledge and skills to alternative program teachers through the
following phases of training:
(1)
Instruction. -- The alternative preparation program shall
provide a minimum of eighteen semester hours of instruction
from a
college or university or equivalent instruction approved by the
state board in the areas of student assessment; development and
learning; curriculum; classroom management; the use of educational
computers and other technology; and special education and
diversity. All programs shall contain a minimum of three semester
hours of instruction
or equivalent instruction approved by the
state board in special education and diversity out of the minimum
eighteen required semester hours
or equivalent instruction approved
by the state board.
(2)
Phase I. -- Phase I shall consist of a period of intensive
on-the-job supervision by an assigned mentor and the school
administrator for a period of not less than two weeks and no more
than four weeks. The assigned mentor shall meet the requirements
for mentor set forth in section two-b of this article and be paid the stipend pursuant to that section. During this time, the
teacher shall be observed daily. This phase shall include an
orientation to the policies, organization and curriculum of the
employing district. The alternative program teacher shall begin to
receive formal instruction in those areas listed in subdivision (1)
of this subsection.
(3)
Phase II. -- Phase II shall consist of a period of
intensive on-the-job supervision beginning the first day following
the completion of Phase I and continuing for a period of at least
ten weeks. During Phase II, the alternative program teacher shall
be visited and critiqued no less than one time per week by members
of a professional support team, defined in subsection (c) of this
section, and shall be observed and formally evaluated at the end of
five weeks and at the end of ten weeks by the appropriately
certified members of the team. At the end of the ten-week period,
the alternative program teacher shall receive a formal written
progress report from the chairperson of the support team. The
alternative program teacher shall continue to receive formal
instruction in those areas listed above under subdivision (1) of
this subsection.
(4)
Phase III. -- Phase III shall consist of an additional
period of continued supervision and evaluation of no less than
twenty weeks duration. The professional support team will
determine the requirements of this phase with at least one formal evaluation being conducted at the completion of the phase. The
alternative program teacher shall continue to receive formal
instruction in those areas listed above under subdivision (1) of
this subsection, and receive opportunities to observe the teaching
of experienced colleagues.
(c) Training and supervision of alternative program teachers
shall be provided by a professional support team comprised of a
school principal, an experienced classroom teacher who satisfies
the requirements for mentor for the Beginning Educator Internship
as specified in section two-b of this article, a college or
university education faculty member, and a curriculum supervisor.
The professional support team may include a representative of an
approved education provider. Districts or schools which do not
employ curriculum supervisors or have been unable to establish a
relationship with a college or university shall provide for
comparable expertise on the team. The school principal shall serve
as chairperson of the team. In addition to other duties assigned
to it under this section and section one-b of this article, the
professional support team shall submit a written evaluation of the
alternative program teacher to the county superintendent. The
written evaluation shall be in a form specified by the county
superintendent and submitted on a date specified by the county
superintendent that is prior to the first Monday of May. The
evaluation shall report the progress of the alternative program teacher toward meeting the academic and performance requirements of
the program.
(d) The training for professional support team members shall
be coordinated and provided by the Center for Professional
Development in coordination with the school district, consortium of
schools, regional educational service agency,
and institution of
higher education
and approved education provider, or any
combination of these agencies as set forth in the plan approved by
the state board pursuant to subsection (e) of this section.
(e) A school, school district, consortium of schools,
or
regional educational service agency
or other education provider
seeking
to employ approval for an alternative
certification program
teacher must submit a plan to the state board and receive approval.
Each plan shall describe how the proposed training program will
accomplish the key elements of an alternative program for the
education of teachers as set forth in this section.
Each school,
school district, consortium of schools or regional educational
service agency shall show evidence in its plan of having sought
joint sponsorship of their training program with institutions of
higher education.
(f) The state board shall promulgate a rule in accordance with
article three-b, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code for the
approval and operation of alternative education programs to prepare
highly qualified special education teachers that are separate from the programs established under the other provisions of this section
and are applicable only to teachers who have at least a bachelor's
degree in a program for the preparation of teachers from a
regionally accredited institution of higher education. These
programs are subject to the other provisions of this section only
to the extent specifically provided for in the rule. These
programs may be an alternative to the regular college and
university programs for the education of special education teachers
and also may address the content area preparation of certified
special education teachers. The programs shall incorporate
professional development to the maximum extent possible to help
teachers who are currently certified in special education to obtain
the required content area preparation. Participation in an
alternative education program pursuant to this subsection shall not
affect any rights, privileges or benefits to which the participant
would otherwise be entitled as a regular employee, nor does it
alter any rights, privileges or benefits of participants on
continuing contract status. The state board shall report to the
Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability on the
programs authorized under this subsection during the July, 2005,
interim meetings or as soon thereafter as practical prior to
implementation of the programs.
(g) The state board shall promulgate a rule in accordance with
article three-b, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code for the approval and operation of alternative education programs to prepare
highly qualified special education teachers that are separate from
the programs established under the other provisions of this section
and are applicable only to persons who hold a bachelor's degree
from a regionally accredited institution of higher education.
These programs are subject to the other provisions of this section
only to the extent specifically provided for in this rule. These
programs may be an alternative to the regular college and
university programs for the education of special education teachers
and also may address the content area preparation of such persons.
The state board shall report to the Legislative Oversight
Commission on Education Accountability on the programs authorized
under this subsection during the July, 2005, interim meetings or as
soon thereafter as practical prior to implementation of the
programs.
(h) For the purposes of this section, "area of critical need
and shortage" means an opening in an established, existing or newly
created position which has been posted in accordance with the
provisions of section seven-a, article four of this chapter, and
for which no fully qualified applicant has been employed.
(i) The recommendation to rehire an alternative education
program teacher
pursuant to section eight-a, article two of this
chapter is subject to the position being posted and no fully
qualified applicant being employed: Provided, That this provision does not apply to teachers who hold a valid West Virginia
professional teaching certificate and who are employed under a
program operated pursuant to subsection (f) is subject to the
teacher making satisfactory progress in the alternative teacher
education program.
(j) When making decisions affecting the hiring of an
alternative program teacher under the provisions of this section,
a county board shall give preference to applicants who hold a valid
West Virginia professional teaching certificate.
(k) The state board, after consultation with the Secretary of
Education and the Arts, shall promulgate rules in accordance with
the provisions of article three-b, chapter twenty-nine-a of this
code for the approval and operation of principal education programs
which are an alternative to the regular college or university
programs for the education of principals and are separate from
programs established under the other provisions of this section.
To participate in an approved alternative principal education
program, the candidate must hold an alternative program principal
certificate issued by the superintendent and endorsed for the
programmatic level in which the candidate seeks certification. An
alternative program principal certificate is a certificate issued
for one year to a candidate who does not meet the standard
educational requirements for certification. The certificate may be
renewed no more than two times. No individual may hold an alternative program principal certificate for a period exceeding
three years. The alternative program principal certificate shall
be considered a valid administrative certificate for the purpose of
the issuance of a written contract. To be eligible for an
alternative program principal certificate, an applicant shall:
__(1) Possess at least a master's degree from a regionally
accredited institution of higher education in a field related to
the public school program;
__(2) Be of good moral character and physically, mentally and
emotionally qualified to perform the duties of a principal, and
have attained the age of eighteen years on or before October 1 of
the year in which the alternative program principal certificate is
issued;
__(3) Have been offered employment by a county board in a
principal or assistant principal position; and
__(4) Qualify following a criminal history check pursuant to
section ten of this article.
__Persons who satisfy these requirements shall be granted a
formal document which will enable them to work in a public school
in West Virginia.
__(l) The rules adopted by the state board pursuant to
subsection (k) shall include provisions for the approval of
alternative principal education programs which may be offered by
schools, school districts, consortia of schools, regional education service agencies or other approved education providers. A person
with an alternative program principal certificate shall enroll in
an alternative principal education program. An approved
alternative program shall provide essential knowledge and skills to
alternative program principals through the following phases of
training:
__(1) Instruction. -- The alternative principal education
program shall provide instruction in interpersonal and
collaborative skills, establishing and supporting a learning
mission, student learning, building and sustaining culture,
promoting continuous professional growth, support systems for
student success, managing operations, connections to family and
community and the continuous improvement process; and
__(2) Induction. -- The alternative principal education program
shall include an intense two-year induction that provides essential
support through a professional support team led by a qualified
mentor.
__(m) The rehiring of an alternative education program principal
or assistant principal is subject to the principal or assistant
principal making satisfactory progress in the alternative principal
education program.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide for the
alternative certification of principals and teachers. This bill
would create a system to allow the alternative certification of
principals and assistant principals outside of the regular university or college system. This bill would also allow approved
education providers to sponsor alternative certificate programs for
teachers and principals.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.