WEST virginia legislature

2018 regular session

Committee Substitute

for

House Bill 3061

By Delegates Upson, Espinosa, Statler, Cooper, Rowan, R. Romine, Higginbotham, Hornbuckle, Thompson and Frich

[Originating in the Committee on Finance;
February 16, 2018]

A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §18-5E-8, relating to encouraging mastery-based education through the Innovation In Schools program; making findings and stating purpose; providing definitions; specifying duties of Department of Education with respect to program; requiring participation in incubator process; incorporating statutory provisions related to Innovation In Education schools; prohibiting penalties for student who transfers from mastery-based to nonmastery-based schools; and requiring institutions of higher education to recognize and accept high school diplomas on equal footing.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 5E. Innovation In education act.

§18-5E-8. Mastery-based instructional design and delivery strategies.

(a) The Legislature finds that under traditional models of time-based instruction, particularly in the STEM areas, students may accumulate knowledge and skill deficits as they progress through the curriculum which can eventually stymie their ability to be successful at higher levels.  Conversely, students who master the curriculum objectives quickly are limited under the traditional time-based model from moving on to more challenging objectives or elective subjects as soon as they have demonstrated their readiness to undertake them.

(b) The purpose of this section is to create a separate category of Innovation In Education under this article, entitled Innovation In Education/Mastery-Based, that shall be a multistep process for building a broader awareness and understanding of mastery-based models of education, identifying roadblocks to implementing such models and possible solutions, and developing a process for supporting schools willing and ready to begin the transition to a mastery-based model of education that:

(1) Allows for more personalized and differentiated learning;

(2) Creates a focus on explicit, measurable, transferable learning objectives; and

(3) Empowers students to progress to higher levels as they demonstrate content mastery and provides an additional focus on meeting the needs of those students who have not yet achieved mastery.

 (c) For purposes of this section:

(1) "Mastery-based education" means an education system where student progress is based upon a student's demonstration of the mastery of competencies and content, not seat time or the age or grade level of the student; and

(2) "Incubator process" means a process where schools that are willing and ready to start moving toward a mastery-based model of education form a network of not more than twenty mastery-based education schools. The schools in this network will receive support for, including but not limited to, program development, professional development, stakeholder education, establishing mastery assessment, coaching and on-going technical assistance. The incubator process will provide data and best practices for continued implementation of mastery-based education.

(d) The State Department of Education shall perform the following activities for implementing the Innovation In Schools/Mastery-Based program:

(1) Establish an advisory committee including, but not limited to, public school professional educators, two and four year institutions of higher education, employers and organizations advocating for education on behalf of employers, parents and others who may possess knowledge of mastery-based education. The purpose of the advisory committee is to advise and assist the Department in carrying out the activities under this subsection, including, but not limited to, building a broader awareness and understanding of mastery-based models of education, identifying potential roadblocks to implementing mastery-based models of education and recognizing student mastery upon matriculation or transfer and possible solutions, establishing evaluative criteria to assess the readiness of schools to undertake the transition to mastery-based education, and developing an incubator process for supporting the network of schools willing and ready to begin the transition to a mastery-based education model;

(2) Conduct an awareness campaign to promote a broader awareness and understanding in mastery-based education among teachers, administrators, parents, students, business leaders and policymakers;

(3) Develop and publish an application designed specifically for schools interested in initial consideration for becoming an Innovation In Education/Mastery-Based school. The application shall be separate from the application for Innovation In Education designation pursuant to section three of this article and may not require an Innovation In Education plan pursuant to section four of this article. In addition, the application process shall:

(i) Include the evaluative criteria that will be used to assess the readiness of schools to undertake the transition to mastery-based education. Within the evaluative criteria, the Department may include an intent to select any proportion of schools of diverse demographic character and programmatic levels for participation in the initial network of mastery-based education schools; and

(ii) Be open to all schools including those currently designated as Innovation In Education schools who are interested in adding mastery-based education to their existing plan;

(4) Establish a process, which may include an on-site visit to schools which apply for initial consideration for becoming an Innovation In Education/Mastery-Based school to assess the readiness of applicants to undertake the transition to mastery-based education. This process shall be used to identify an initial network of not more than twenty schools selected as willing and ready to undertake the transition to mastery-based education. 

(5) Establish a process to deepen the understanding of mastery-based education of the schools selected for the initial network of schools.  The process may include, but is not limited to, visits to schools experienced in using mastery-based education.

(6) For schools selected for the initial network who elect to proceed with the implementation of a mastery-based model of education, provide technical assistance to prepare an Innovation In Education/Mastery-Based application.  Schools in the initial network may:

(i) Opt-out of further participation prior to submission of an Innovation In Education/Mastery-Based application;

(ii) Apply for an Innovation In Education/Mastery-Based grant for the transition to a mastery-based education model within a limited subject area or areas across multiple grade levels, such as, but not limited to, mathematics or STEM related academic and technical programs of study; or

(iii) Apply for an Innovation In Education/Mastery-Based grant for the transition to a mastery-based education model school-wide or other configurations as may be determined practicable by the Department.

(7) In addition to any applicable measures of success required for an Innovation in Education plan as determined by the Department, an Innovation In Education/Mastery-Based plan shall require a subset of uniform measures of success for applicants granted an award under this section.

(8) Implement an incubator process to support the network of schools that are awarded Innovation In Education/Mastery-Based Education grants pursuant to this article. The incubator process shall be designed to improve educational outcomes in these schools by advancing student mastery of content and skills through the following core principles:

(i) Student advancement upon mastery of a concept or skill;

(ii) Competencies that include explicit, measurable, and transferable learning objectives that empower a student;

(iii) Assessment that is meaningful and provides a positive learning experience for a student;

(iv) Timely, differentiated support based on a student's individual learning needs;

(v) Learning outcomes that emphasize competencies that include application and creation of knowledge along with the development of important skills and dispositions; and

(vi) Incorporating partnerships with post-secondary institutions and members of industry.

(e) In addition to any grant or other financial assistance awarded to a school designated as an Innovation In Education/Mastery Based school in accordance with this section, the school shall participate in the incubator process established under this section.

(f) Other provisions of this article related to schools designated as Innovation In Education schools also apply to Innovation In Education/Mastery-Based schools unless specifically exempted or contradicted by this section.

(g) A student enrolled at a school that establishes mastery-based education who then transfers to another school within the county or in any other county in this state that does not have a mastery-based education program, may not be penalized by being required to repeat course work covering content that the student has successfully mastered or by any other penalty related to the student's previous attendance in the mastery-based education program.

(h) An institution of higher education in this state shall recognize and accept credentials and diplomas awarded to students indicating a level of content mastery gained in whole or in part through mastery-based education on equal footing as a traditional high school transcript and diploma.