COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
Senate Bill No. 161
(By Senators Prezioso and Edgell)
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[Originating in the Committee on Education;
reported January 25, 2008.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact §18-5-19c of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, relating to Division of Technical and Adult
Education Services; programs; legislative findings; providing
payment of general educational development exam fees for
certain individuals; eligibility requirements; and requiring
State Board of Education rule.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §18-5-19c of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 5. COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION.
§18-5-19c. Division of Technical and Adult Education Services.
(a) The State Superintendent of Schools
shall have has
authority to establish in the State Department of Education a
Division of
veteran and adult education Technical and Adult
Education Services, and to provide for suitable coordination and
supervision of
such the educational programs
as are established
under the provisions of in sections nineteen-a and nineteen-b of
this article. All programs established under
the preceding those
sections
of this article shall be are under
regulations rules of
the State Board of Education.
(b) The Legislature finds that:
(1) The General Educational Development (GED) exam is an
implement for success that can transform the future of a graduate;
(2) For an individual who has not attained a high school
diploma, achieving a High School Equivalency Diploma can increase
employment opportunities and earning potential;
(3) Individuals who will benefit from a High School
Equivalency Diploma often lack the credentials necessary for
employment, and therefore lack the resources to afford the costs of
the GED exam; and
(4) Many individuals for whom the GED exam is unattainable are
likely to remain in a state of poverty.
(c) The State Board shall develop and administer a program to
provide the GED exam fee for an eligible individual pursuing a High
School Equivalency Diploma. The State Board shall promulgate a
rule in accordance with the provisions of article three-b, chapter
twenty-nine-a of this code to implement the program.
(1) The rule shall provide for eligibility requirements as
follows:
(A) Successful completion of a GED preparation program;
(B) Successful completion of the GED Official Practice Test;
(C) Standards for measuring successful completion of the program and test required by this subdivision;
(D) GED exam registration with a GED testing center that is
approved by the state board; and
(E) Any other requirements established by the state board.
(2) The state board shall provide the GED exam fee directly to
the GED testing center.