W. Va. Code R. § 2.0
The West Virginia Board of Education hereby establishes a system of education to ensure that the instruction provided to all students in West Virginia enables them to learn basic skills as the foundation for acquisition of the academic, technical and increased thinking skills needed for success.
This system of education places a premium on curriculum and instructional practices that recognize that students develop at different rates and learn in different ways. Such a system requires that students succeed from the day they begin school. This, in turn, requires that schools restructure themselves, if necessary, so that student success becomes the measure of school effectiveness.
This system of education does not minimize the contribution to be made by any program of study. Rather, it requires that they be inter-related and focused on student success in acquiring the skills needed for satisfactory learning performance.
This system of education requires that time spent learning by students becomes a variable, not the absolute end, in the learning process. Schools and school systems should, without lowering expectations for some students, and without reducing advanced academic opportunities for other students, provide flexibility in the scheduling of instruction for students who learn at different rates.
Students, families and citizens can expect that such a system of education will provide students with:
* knowledge of the basic skills
* continued academic growth based on knowledge of the basic skills
* increased thinking skills arising from academic growth
* the level of academic and technical knowledge needed for the workplace or for further education
Concretely, this system of education seeks to accomplish the following:
* students will, for each year in school, make measurable progress in basic skills knowledge and/or academic growth and/or technical knowledge; specifically, students at the elementary level will achieve at grade level in the basic skills of reading, writing, mathematics and be literate in the use of computers.
* students will complete high school with aa a minimum achievement level of at least the 50th percentile on a selected standardized achievement measure for the receipt of the warranty.
Programs of study are the subject matter that will be taught in the public schools in West Virginia.
The programs of study are:
* English language arts: reading, writing, speaking, listening, spelling, handwriting and viewing. Viewing includes media literacy in the areas of television, film, and computer technology.
* Mathematics and science: with an emphasis on experiential learning, to include quantitative reasoning, problem solving, scientific literacy, technology, the use and comprehension of data, and computer literacy.
* Social studies/humanities, to include citizenship, American, world and West Virginia history, civics, economics, and geography, as well as service to others, respect for work and the responsibilities of democracy.
* The arts: dance, music, theatre and visual arts, to provide an understanding and appreciation of the art forms and their role in cultural heritage; and to develop an ability to express one's own concepts in an art form.
* Wellness: health, physical education, to include a comprehensive approach combining physical fitness and general health information, substance abuse education, and AIDS education.
* Foreign languages, to include speaking, listening, writing, reading, and literature in the foreign language; to aid in students' use of English; and to aid in their knowledge and understanding of other cultures.
* Technical studies, to include an understanding of the role of technology, especially computers, in society, the ability to apply technology in the completion of tasks within specific occupational areas, and the development of technical competence at levels needed for daily independent living (e.g., home economics), entering the workplace and continuing education.
County boards of education will design programs of study based on the curriculum frameworks outlined in Section 2.3 so that the end result of the inter-relationship of the programs of study is that students acquire basic skills in reading, writing, mathematics and computer literacy as a foundation for further academic success and the acquisition of increased thinking skills. The arts, along with the other programs of study, should be considered essential to the development of basic skills and can provide the opportunity for students to develop creative thinking skills.
Schools may, in implementing programs of study, exceed the requirements of county board designed programs of study. Schools must utilize flexibility in scheduling and instruction so that students who complete the programs of study will have met the instructional goals and not simply have completed a certain number of minutes in specific courses.
West Virginia Board of Education Policy 2510, Assuring the Quality of Education: Regulations for General. Vocational and Special Education Programs, remains in effect. The Board will, however, review that policy to make certain that all students in West Virginia have access to the full range of programs of study necessary for acquisition of the basic skills, academic growth, and technical proficiency, and to make certain that county boards of education, in designing programs of study, and schools, in implementing programs of study, have flexibility to meet the unique needs of the students they serve.
It is necessary to specify the ways in which the programs of study will be individualized for students who require an individualized Education Program (lEP).
Curriculum frameworks are those policies, adopted by the West Virginia Board of Education, that outline the nature of the curriculum to be offered and list the instructional goals and objectives for each of the programs of study.
These curriculum frameworks have been and will be developed using the knowledge and expertise of parents, teachers, principals, curriculum specialists, superintendents and board members in West Virginia. The recommendations and practices of other states and of national boards and associations will also be considered as the curriculum frameworks are developed and/or revised.
West Virginia Board of Education Policy 2520, The Criteria of Excellence: instaictional Goals and Objectives, remains in effect. The Board will revise Policy 2520 and the current instructional goals and objectives for the various programs of study so that they provide clearly defined and easily understood outlines (frameworks) for the development of county board of education programs of study.
County school systems and individual schools will be expected to revise or enhance their instructional practices so that learning at a high level for all students becomes the norm in West Virginia.
Teachers must exercise professional judgment to tailor instructional practices to meet the needs of students. These practices should include, but are not limited to:
* Demonstrating an emphasis on learning, classroom organization and management skills, questioning techniques, student research, and communication skills to meet the needs of individual learners.
* Emphasizing reading, writing, speaking, listening, spelling, handwriting and viewing in all subjects and computer literacy.
* Using organizational strategies such as teach/reteach to ensure attainment of basic skills.
* Making computers and other technologies available to provide opportunities for instruction, both individually and within groups.
* Selecting and using multiple types of instructional materials and educational technologies, including original sources and/or handbooks. Reading comprehension in selection and use of instructional materials remains key.
* Providing variations in time, materials, settings, and instructional methods for each student.
Students progress through school with needs that differ with age and maturity.
It is the intent of this policy that the education process for West Virginia students be a seamless one. There are, however, certain levels in a student's teaming process that suggest differing needs, especially for instructional purposes.
These differing needs must be addressed so that students acquire the basic skills necessary for academic success at each level. It is crucial that students learn the basic skills of reading, writing, mathematics and computer literacy prior to the completion of grade four.
It is also imperative that counties and schools, in delivering the programs of study, provide adequate communication and planning by staff as students move from level to level and from school to school.
Delivery of the programs of study and the acquisition of basic skills leading to advanced academic and technical knowledge can be significantly enhanced through the use of available and emerging technologies.
County boards of education and schools are strongly encouraged to use and to provide access to these technologies for all teachers and students. The West Virginia Board of Education will provide continued leadership in the educational applications of technology.
The requirements of Policy 2444.01, Graduation Requirements for West Virginia Public Schools: Adolescent Education (Grades 9-12, remain in effect until modified by the West Virginia Board of Education.
The Board will review the time requirements associated with current North Central accrediting regulations with the intent of making time the variable and not the constant in student learning in West Virginia.
With time as the variable, some students may finish high school in three years, some in five or more years, it is more important that students learn at a high level than that they spend a fixed amount of time in school.
The use of certificates of proficiency and the provision of warranties are methods by which schools assure families, employers, and post-secondary educational institutions that students have achieved a certain level of proficiency on a standardized achievement test.
Schools are to award a warranty as a guarantee to employers and post-secondary educational institutions that the graduate is capable of accomplishing tasks at or above the level listed on the certificate of proficiency. If employers or educational institutions determine that the graduate who has received a warranty does not perform at the stated level of proficiency, that graduate may return to the graduating school at no cost to receive additional schooling in the area(s) lacking proficiency. The warranty is in effect for five years after a student's graduation.
County school systems must establish the proficiency level for issuance of the warranty at a minimum level of the 50th percentile on a standardized achievement measure selected by the West Virginia Board of Education. This means that the student will have achieved a score on a nationally normed test at a level equal to or higher than the average student nationally. Students may graduate without receiving a certificate of proficiency. In such case, the student may enroll in adult classes or the high school or wherever in order to prepare to write the proficiency test again. The student may write the proficiency test as needed in order to demonstrate competency.
Levels of proficiency for identified exceptional students may be determined by the Individualized Education Program (lEP) Committee and included in the student's lEP. in such cases where the students are employed they are at the discretion of the employer.
W. Va. Code R. § 2.0