H. B. 2040
(By Delegate Walters)
[Introduced February 12, 1997; referred to the
Committee on Education.]
A BILL to amend and reenact section one, article three, chapter
eighteen-a of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine
hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to school
personnel; training, certification, licensing and
development; and providing for certain student teachers to
serve as substitute teachers.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section one, article three, chapter eighteen-a of the
code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as
amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 3. TRAINING, CERTIFICATION, LICENSING, PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT.
§18A-3-1. Teacher preparation programs; program approval and
standards; authority to issue teaching
certificates.
(a) The education of professional educators in the state
shall be under the general direction and control of the state
board of education after consultation with the secretary of
education and the arts, who shall represent represents the board
of directors of the state college system and the board of
trustees of the university of West Virginia system. The
education of professional educators in the state includes all
programs leading to certification to teach or serve in the public
schools including: (1) Those programs in all institutions of
higher education, including student teaching in the public
schools; (2) beginning teacher internship programs; (3) the
granting of West Virginia certification to persons who received
their preparation to teach outside the boundaries of this state;
(4) any alternative preparation programs in this state leading to
certification, including programs established pursuant to the
provisions of section one-a of this article and programs which
are in effect on the effective date of this section; and (5) any
continuing professional education, professional development and
in-service training programs for professional educators employed
in the public schools in the state; and (6) programs that permits
prospective teachers who are in their senior year to serve as
substitute teachers for basic education teachers who are ill.
The state board of education, after consultation with the secretary of education and the arts, who shall represent
represents the board of directors of the state college system and
the board of trustees of the university of West Virginia system,
shall adopt standards for the education of professional educators
in the state and for the awarding of certificates valid in the
public schools of this state.
The standards approved by the board for teacher preparation
shall include a provision for the study of multicultural
education. As used in this section, multicultural education
means the study of the pluralistic nature of American society
including its values, institutions, organizations, groups, status
positions and social roles.
Effective the first day of January, one thousand nine
hundred ninety-three, the standards approved by the board shall
also include a provision for the study of classroom management
techniques and shall include methods of effective management of
disruptive behavior which shall include societal factors and
their impact on student behavior.
(b) To give prospective teachers the teaching experience
needed to demonstrate competence as a prerequisite to
certification, the state board of education may enter into an
agreement with county boards of education for the use of the
public schools. Such The agreement shall recognize student teaching as a joint responsibility of the teacher preparation
institution and the cooperating public schools and shall include:
(1) The minimum qualifications for the employment of public
school teachers selected as supervising teachers; (2) the
remuneration to be paid public school teachers by the state
board, in addition to their contractual salaries, for supervising
student teachers; and (3) minimum standards to guarantee the
adequacy of the facilities and program of the public school
selected for student teaching. The student teacher, under the
direction and supervision of the supervising teacher, shall
exercise the authority of a substitute teacher.
(c) The state superintendent of schools may issue
certificates to graduates of teacher education programs and
alternative teacher education programs approved by the state
board of education and in accordance with rules adopted by the
state board after consultation with the secretary of education
and the arts, who shall represent represents the board of
directors of the state college system and the board of trustees
of the university of West Virginia system. A certificate to
teach shall may not be granted to any person who is not a citizen
of the United States, is not of good moral character and
physically, mentally and emotionally qualified to perform the
duties of a teacher and who has not attained the age of eighteen years on or before the first day of October of the year in which
his or her certificate is issued; except that an exchange teacher
from a foreign country, or an alien person who meets the
requirements to teach, may be granted a permit to teach within
the public schools of the state.
(d) In consultation with the secretary of education and the
arts, who shall represent represents the board of directors of
the state college system and the board of trustees of the
university of West Virginia system, institutions of higher
education approved for teacher preparation may cooperate with
each other, with the center for professional development and with
one or more county boards of education in the organization and
operation of centers to provide selected phases of the teacher
preparation program such as student teaching, beginning teacher
internship programs, instruction in methodology and seminar
programs for college students, teachers with provisional
certification, professional support team members and supervising
teachers.
Such The institutions of higher education, the center and
county boards of education may, by mutual agreement, budget and
expend funds for the operation of such these centers through
payments to the appropriate fiscal office of the participating
institutions, the center and the county boards.
The provisions of this section shall may not be construed to
require the discontinuation of an existing student teacher
training center or school which meets the standards of the state
board of education.
All institutions of higher education approved for teacher
preparation in the school year of one thousand nine hundred
sixty-two--sixty-three shall continue to hold that distinction so
long as they meet the minimum standards for teacher preparation.
Nothing contained herein shall infringe upon the rights granted
to any institution by charter given according to law previous to
the adoption of this code.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to permit prospective
teachers who are in their senior year of college to act as a
substitute teacher for a basic education teacher who is ill.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken
from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language
that would be added.