West Virginia Code of State Rules
Agency 126 - Education
Title 126 - PROCEDURAL RULE BOARD OF EDUCATION
Series 126-161 - Regulations for Alternative Certification Programs for the Education of Teachers (5901)
Section 126-161-8 - Alternative Program Instruction and the Professional Support Team
Universal Citation: 126 WV Code of State Rules 126-161-8
Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 38, September 20, 2024
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.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. West Virginia may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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