W. Va. Code R. § 133-46-2 - Definitions

2.1. The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission is committed to doing its part in improving the quality of education in the schools. It shares the conclusion of the Teaching Commission report, Teaching at Risk, one of many recent reports on the importance of teacher quality, "All good schools have one thing in common: good teachers. Top quality teaching fosters high achievement and high achievers can harness their talents and energies to become successful contributing citizens." Clearly, good teachers who have a solid grasp of the subjects they teach are essential in the educational process to the attainment of a well-educated, highly skilled citizenry.

The Commission concurs with the conclusion of the National Council on Teacher Quality that an alarming number of teachers are insufficiently grounded in the subjects they teach. This rule is designed to help address the issue of adequate preparation in content fields.

2.2. The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission established a Task Force on Content Majors in Teacher Preparation to recommend ways to improve the quality of teacher preparation in secondary-level subject-content areas. The provisions of this rule are an outgrowth of the recommendations of the Task Force. The rationale of the Task Force in shaping its report was:

1. Teacher quality is the major single determinant in improving student learning,

2. All teacher preparation programs must be academically rigorous, and

3. Extensive content preparation for prospective teachers is a key factor in improving quality.

2.3. The standards which follow are designed to assure minimum levels of subject-area preparation in secondary-level teacher preparation programs. A higher education institution under the jurisdiction of the HEPC may implement more extensive and rigorous programs for preparation of secondary-level teachers, including requirements for a baccalaureate degree in the content field, dual baccalaureate degrees in education and in the content area, and baccalaureate degree in-field and a master's degree in education.

Notes

W. Va. Code R. § 133-46-2