H. B. 3158

(By Delegates M. Poling, Stowers, Perry, Williams, Campbell, Pethtel, Walker, Lawrence, Pasdon, Sumner and RowanSPONSOR)

[Originating in the DATECommittee on EducationCOMMITTEE.]

(March 22, 2013)

A BILL to amend Bill Titlethe code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §29A-3B-13, relating to legislative oversight of education system performance and progress; creating duty of legislative oversight commission on education accountability to examine certain results; providing purposes; and requiring annual report. Title Language

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

    That Enacting Sectionthe code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §29A-3B-13, to read as follows:

ARTICLE 3B. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION RULE MAKING.

§29A-3B-13. Monitoring performance and progress of West Virginia’s primary and secondary education system.

    (a) In addition to other powers and duties assigned in this article and section eleven, article three-a of this chapter, the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability shall annually examine the following:

    (1) The results of efforts to better connect education and the workforce as determined by employer satisfaction on various measures of the education system including, but not limited to, the following:

    (A) The knowledge and skills of recent graduates at various levels such as general high school, secondary career and technical education, post secondary career and technical education, occupational certificate programs and two-year associate degree programs; and

    (B) Programs to assist with the specialized training for prospective and current employees;

    (2) The results of efforts to enhance career and technical education including, but not limited to, efforts to promote career exploration in the middle school grades and cross-counseling with post-secondary technical programs, increased career and technical program participation in secondary schools and career and technical centers and the establishment of program offerings that are linked seamlessly to technical certificate and technical degree programs that are responsive to workforce needs;

    (3) The results of efforts to enhance the flexibility and authority of local school systems and schools to meet the state’s educational objectives for student achievement through local level policy, planning and practices that are the most appropriate for their students, families, employers and community given the characteristics of their districts;

    (4) The results of efforts to improve the operational efficiency of West Virginia’s public elementary and secondary school system; 

    (5) The performance and progress of students on the state summative assessment, other state mandated assessments and the National Assessment of Educational Progress, including ten-year trend data, and the amount of instructional time consumed by state mandated assessments;

    (6) In the case of a county in which the state board has intervened in the operation of the county, replaced the superintendent and limited the authority of the county board for a five-year period, the state board shall report to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability the board’s plan for exiting the county and returning control to the county board. The plan shall include a projected time-line and shall be updated annually and reported each year until full control is returned to the county board; and

    (7) The results of efforts to establish a comprehensive career development system for professional educators that includes, but is not limited to:

    (A) Encouraging and supporting an interest in the teaching profession among middle and high school students and increasing their preparation for success in college;

    (B) Increasing the academic and professional practice preparation of graduates from colleges of teacher education;

    (C) Improving the efficiency and focus of professional development including, but not limited to:

    (i) A comprehensive system of support for improving the professional practice of new and emerging teachers and principals as provided in section three, article three-c, chapter eighteen-a of this code, including, but not limited to, the methods used for providing support to address needs identified through the annual evaluation of professional personnel and the timeliness of the support and the methods used for new teacher induction and mentoring;

    (ii) An efficient and least time consuming method for providing routine information and annually required professional development to professional personnel to meet requirements of statute and policy; and

    (iii) An efficient system for uniform, effective professional development necessary to implement state initiatives, including changes in standards, assessments, instructional strategies and other major policies affecting teachers and building level administrators;

    (D) Establishing a progression of required continuing education for periodic certificate renewal;

    (E) Aligning course work and professional development allowed for salary progression with the knowledge and skills directly related to the profession of teaching in the public schools; and

    (F) Establishing a pathway for master teachers to progress in teacher leadership positions without leaving the classroom completely.

    (b) The purposes of this section are to maintain a consistent focus on major policy objectives and a method of accountability for improving performance and progress. The Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability shall report annually to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and the Joint Committee on Government and Finance on its findings, along with any recommendations it considers necessary.

    Note: This bill requires the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability to examine and report annually on the results of efforts to address six areas related to the Efficiency Audit and general progress on improving public education. The six areas are: (1) Better connecting education and the workforce; (2) Enhancing career and technical education; (3) Enhancing the flexibility and authority of local school systems and schools to meet the state’s educational objectives for student achievement; (4) Improve the operational efficiency of West Virginia’s public elementary and secondary school system;

(5) Performance and progress of students on the state summative assessment, other state mandated assessments and the National Assessment of Educational Progress; (6) Requiring the state board to report to LOCEA its exit plan from any county that has been under state take-over for five years; and (7) Establishing a comprehensive career development system for professional educators.

    This section is new and, therefore, is completely underscored.