Senate Bill No. 683
(By Senator Plymale)
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[Introduced February 22, 2010; referred to the Committee on
Education.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact §18A-3-1a of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, relating to alternative certification for
principal; directing the state board to propose a legislative
rule; and outlining the minimum requirements for the program.
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 the 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 or 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 teacher or principal certificate
for a period exceeding three years. The alternative program
teacher or principal 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 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. 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 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 in
special education and diversity out of the minimum eighteen
required semester hours.
(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.
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 before the
first Monday of in 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, 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 seeking to employ an alternative 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
does 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
before 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 before implementation of the
programs.
(h) The state board shall propose a legislative 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 principals that are separate from the programs established
under the other provisions of this section and are applicable only
to persons who hold a master's degree from a regionally accredited
institution of higher education. 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 teacher, and have
attained the age of eighteen years before the October 1 of the year
in which the alternative program teacher certificate is issued;
(3) Have been offered employment by a county board in an
administrative 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.
(i) The rules adopted by the board shall include provisions
for the approval of alternative principal education programs which
may be offered by schools, school districts, consortia of schools
or regional educational service agency. An approved alternative
principal 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.
(1) Instruction. -- The alternative preparation 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.
(2) Induction. -- The alternate principal program shall
include an intense two-year induction that provides essential
support through a professional support team lead by a qualified
mentor.
(h) (j) 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) (k) 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).
(j) (l) 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.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is
to direct the state board to
propose a legislative rule for alternative principal certification,
and to outline the m
inimum requirements for the certification
program.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.