W. Va. Code R. § 126-161-8

Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 50, December 13, 2024

Section 126-161-8 - Alternative Program Instruction and the Professional Support Team

8.1. Alternative Program Instruction General Education Content Teacher.

8.1.a. Instruction requirements for preparing general education content teachers in a WVBE-approved alternative program for the education of teachers shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

8.1.a.1. six or more semester credit hours or an equivalent number of staff development hours of instruction to include, but not be limited to, the following subjects: student assessment, development and learning, curriculum, classroom management, use of educational computers and other technology, special education, diversity, trauma-informed and social-emotional best practices, and school law. If the alternative program teacher will be teaching children in elementary school, the teacher must also receive instruction in early literacy.

8.1.b. General education alternative certification programs shall include additional training(s) and/or testing approved by the WVDE if the teacher's endorsement requires instruction in lab based/experiential settings. The additional training(s) and/or testing shall include, but is not limited to, student and staff safety, lab safety, lab management, and instructional procedures for the lab setting. Program participants may be required to pass a WVDE-approved assessment to demonstrate proficient knowledge and skills to safely and adequately teach in a lab setting. For driver education, program participants must also meet the requirements identified in Policy 5202.

8.2. Alternative Program Instruction Special Education Teacher.

8.2.a. Instruction requirements for preparing highly qualified special education teachers (applicable to certified teachers who have at least a bachelor's degree from a program for the preparation of teachers from a regionally accredited IHE seeking a special education endorsement as described in W. Va. Code § 18A-3-1g) and preparing highly-qualified special education teachers (individuals who are not currently certified seeking a special education endorsement as described in W. Va. Code § 18A-3-1h) in a WVBE-approved alternative program for the education of teachers shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

8.2.a.1. six or more semester credit hours or an equivalent number of staff development hours of instruction to include, but not be limited to, the following subjects: student assessment, development and learning, curriculum, classroom management, use of educational computers and other technology, special education, diversity, trauma-informed and social-emotional best practices, school law, and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004, Public Law 108-446(IDEA). If the alternative program teacher will be teaching children in elementary school, the teacher must also receive instruction in early literacy.

8.2.b. Alternative certification programs for special education shall include additional instruction to provide the skills necessary for the delivery of instructional services to students with disabilities. Required instruction in alternative certification programs for special education shall include a focus on developing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) with state-approved content standards, differentiated instruction, school and IDEA law, positive behavioral interventions and supports, and preparation necessary to help the alternative program teacher meet the proficiency score(s) on the appropriate state competency exam(s) in special education content and professional education.

8.2.c. Special education endorsement specific requirements for additional instruction include the following:

8.2.c.1. alternative programs for the deaf and hard of hearing endorsement shall include additional instruction in auditory habilitation; language development and intervention across the curriculum; curriculum methods for deaf and hard of hearing; development and remediation of reading, writing and discourse for the deaf and hard of hearing; human growth and development emphasizing knowledge of the developmental characteristics (language, physical, biological, learning, social, and emotional) for deaf and hard of hearing students, administration and interpretation of assessments to determine the individualized needs of the deaf and hard of hearing; an introduction to exceptional children including children with multiple disabilities; and ASL.

8.2.c.2. alternative programs for the visual impairment endorsement shall include additional instruction in normal development, anatomy and physiology, basic terminology, and structure and function of the human visual system which includes the eye and brain structures related to vision; potential effects of a visual impairment on development and learning in sensory/motor development; vocational/transitional skills development; communication and social skills; diseases and disorders of the human visual system; common eye and other visual disorders; possible effects of medications, and their implications in the home, classroom, and other learning environments including cortical visual impairment (CVI) and how it affects a student's functioning in the classroom and in the community; design of instructional goals and objectives that integrate the expanded core curriculum with the state-approved content standards; awareness of low, middle, and high tech devices that meet the accessibility needs of learners who are visually impaired, including learners with additional disabilities; the importance and basic awareness of orientation and mobility instruction for learners with visual impairments; instruction of learners with low vision on appropriate use of optical and non-optical devices and proficiency in the reading and writing alphabetic and fully contracted braille code both Unified English Braille (UEB) and Nemeth and methods of instructional strategies for teaching reading and math; the impact of combined vision and hearing impairment on development and learning including cognition, language, and motor skills; basic proficiency in conducting appropriate functional vision assessments and learning media assessment and the interpretation of visual functioning information to determine appropriate options and learning media (e.g., specialized materials, equipment, and/or methods) for accessing instructional programs based on individual age, setting, and present levels of developmental and/or academic functioning.

8.2.c.3. alternative programs for the autism endorsement shall include additional instruction in a historical overview and evolution of the diagnosis with major changes beginning with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition, resulting in Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis; definition, characteristics, and common comorbidities; eligibility criteria relating to deficits in social communication and social interaction with restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior; an introduction to children with exceptionalities; typical development versus atypical development relating to autism spectrum disorder focusing on physical issues (gross motor, fine motor, system dysregulations, and autoimmune issues), neurological aspects (parts of the brain and auditory/visual/sensory processing issues); developmental delays and early intervention; therapies (speech, language, occupational, and behavior); administration and interpretation of assessments to determine the individualized needs of students with autism; Tier I, II, and III behavior supports and interventions; appropriate educational modifications and accommodations; instructional strategies and supports; and transition supports and services.

8.3. Additional Required Topics of County-Provided Alternative Certification Program Instruction for Elementary Education.

8.3.a. Educator preparation programs preparing candidates seeking licensure for elementary education must provide training and instruction to:

8.3.a.1. include instruction in state-adopted grade-level content standards, foundational reading and mathematics skills, and how to implement reading instruction using high-quality instructional materials; and

8.3.a.2. provide effective instruction and intervention for students with reading and mathematics deficiencies, including students with characteristics of dyslexia or dyscalculia; and

8.3.a.3. understand and use student data to make instructional decisions.

8.3.b. Programs for specific learning disabilities, including dyslexia and dyscalculia, should ascribe to a common set of professional standards for the benefit of the students served. The basis of ascribing to common standards requires recognizing common characteristics of the disabilities. The International Dyslexia Association offers widely-adopted and consistent standards to guide the preparation, certification, and professional development for teachers of reading and related literacy skills in classroom, remedial, and clinical settings.

8.4. Methods of Instruction.

8.4.a. A WVBE-approved alternative program for the education of teachers may provide instruction through nontraditional methods including, but not limited to, methods such as a series of modules covering the various topics, electronically delivered instruction, summer sessions, professional learning, and job-embedded mentoring.

8.5. Professional Support Team.

8.5.a. A WVBE-approved alternative program for the education of teachers shall provide a professional support team whose structure is consistent with the induction model that the partnership's participating school(s) follow for supporting, supervising, inducting, and mentoring a beginning teacher, as described in the county's plan of Support for Improving Professional Practice (WV SIPP) pursuant to W. Va. Code § 18A-3C-3.

8.5.b. The county superintendent, or designee, in a WVBE-approved alternative program for the education of teachers shall maintain the following required documentation/evidence of a teacher's participation:

8.5.b.1. team members and evidence of training of the professional support team.

8.5.b.2. copies of notes for monthly meetings of the professional support team.

8.5.b.3. copies of weekly observation notes for each alternative program teacher reflecting the supervisory activities (observations, reflection meetings, etc.) team members completed with the alternative program teacher during the teacher's first semester of the first year in the alternative certification program.

8.5.b.4. copies of bi-weekly observation notes for each alternative program teacher reflecting the supervisory activities of the team members during the second semester of the teacher's first year in the alternative certification program.

8.5.b.5. copies of any other documentation the Professional Support Team may have in regard to each teacher's progress in the alternative program.

8.5.b.6. at the conclusion of a teacher's participation in the alternative program, a copy of the alternative program teacher's final evaluation recommendation.

8.5.c. The professional support team shall provide written evaluation reports of each alternative program teacher and submit copies of each report to the alternative program provider prior to the first day of the final full month of the school year in the teacher's first year of participation in the program. Pursuant to standards for how often and what lengths of time an alternative program teacher must be observed and must observe in the classroom of a mentor or other experienced teacher(s) described within the alternative certification program's proposal, evaluations shall be conducted at designated times throughout each teacher's first year participating in the alternative program, and at a minimum, every six to eight weeks, at the discretion of the professional support team and in collaboration with the school principal. Evaluation reports shall be submitted to WVDE using a form designed by the alternative program provider and approved by the principal.

8.5.c.1. Progress evaluations shall include the following:

8.5.c.1.A. each evaluation report shall describe the alternative program teacher's progress toward meeting the program's academic and performance standards, in accordance with the required comprehensive evaluation report, and including the results of the performance assessments as described in W. Va. Code §§ 18A-3-1b, 18A-3-1c, and 18A-3-1i.

8.5.c.1.B. at the conclusion of an approved alternative program for the education of teachers, the approved education provider shall prepare a comprehensive evaluation report on the alternative program teacher's performance. This comprehensive evaluation report, submitted to the State Superintendent, shall contain a recommendation regarding licensure of the alternative program teacher. The State Superintendent shall develop standard forms for this report, and the report shall be made on one or more of the State Superintendent's forms. The recommendation shall include the signature of the principal, the county superintendent, and at least one other member of the professional support team.

8.5.c.1.C. all final decisions on the progress of an alternative program teacher shall rest with the principal.

W. Va. Code R. § 126-161-8