West Virginia Code of State Rules › Agency 126 - Education › Title 126 - LEGISLATIVE RULE BOARD OF EDUCATION › Series 126-042 - Assuring the Quality of Education: Regulations for Education Programs (Policy 2510) › Appendix C - Virtual Learning

Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 28, July 12, 2024
Virtual Learning
Virtual learning enables students to learn from
							 remote sites, learn at times other than the normal school day, and learn at a
							 different pace and gives students access to courses that would not be available
							 in their schools.
Counties will offer a full-time virtual option for
							 students in Grades 6-12, either through the WVVS or a county policy and
							 vendor.
WVVS
The WVVS, as per W. Va. Code §
													18-2E-9, was created to assure
							 consistent, high quality education for West Virginia students while utilizing
							 technology-delivered courses. The WVVS only offers instruction for Grades 6-12
							 through West Virginia Learns. For virtual courses, other than World Languages,
							 containing more than 25 students, counties shall provide their own instructor,
							 either through the WVVS platform or a county virtual school instruction
							 program.
County Virtual Instruction
							 Program
As per W. Va. Code §
													18-5F-1 et seq., a CBEM or a
							 multi-county consortium may create a virtual instruction program for one or
							 more schools serving any composition of Grades Kindergarten through 12 by
							 adopting a policy creating the program. When there is a multi-county
							 consortium, CBEM in the consortium shall adopt a policy creating and monitoring
							 the virtual instruction program.
Policy
All counties are required to have a virtual
							 instruction program policy.
The policy adopted by the CBEM pursuant to this
							 section shall govern the virtual instruction program offered by the county or
							 multi-county consortium.
The policy shall be consistent with W. Va. Code
							 §
													18-5F-1 et seq., and may offer
							 eligible students in Grades Kindergarten through 12 an online pathway for
							 earning a high school diploma and, at a minimum, shall include the
							 following:
* the scope, instructional model, and capacity for
							 the virtual education program;
* assessment protocol and specific requirements for
							 monitoring performance that are consistent with W. Va. Code §
													18-2E-5, including, but not
							 limited to, students participating in county virtual instruction must
							 participate in the statewide summative assessment;
* a plan for monitoring students receiving virtual
							 instruction in accordance with pacing and completion of the required virtual
							 coursework: Provided, that, if virtual instruction occurs in a public school
							 classroom, then a teacher, professional personnel, professional educator, or
							 paraprofessional employed by that county must be present to monitor
							 students;
* qualifications of faculty, which at a minimum shall
							 include a teaching certificate issued pursuant to W. Va. Code §
													18A-3-1 et seq. and WVBE
							 policies; and
* requirement that any virtual school provider will
							 comply with state and federal privacy laws.
Course Approval
Online or virtual course content will be reviewed for
							 correlation with the current WVBE content standards. Courses shall include
							 appropriate instructional resources.
Course providers will adhere to the state and federal
							 privacy regulations regarding students.
Coursework offered through a virtual instruction
							 program shall be aligned to the appropriate academic standards as required by
							 state law and WVBE policies.
After adopting a policy, the county or multi-county
							 consortium may contract with virtual school vendors or utilize the West
							 Virginia Virtual School.
Responsibilities
The county superintendent shall designate a virtual
							 instruction program contact at the school level who will be responsible for
							 registering students. Any costs incurred by the county WVVS contact are the
							 responsibility of the county.
Each school is responsible to assign specific
							 individuals to monitor student progress, proctor exams, and post student final
							 grades to WVEIS.
Each school is responsible for providing onsite
							 technology and support to any student enrolled in a virtual or online
							 course.
Counties shall annually provide to the WVDE Office of
							 Teaching and Learning a copy of their virtual instruction program policy; a
							 list of their chosen virtual school providers; number of students per grade
							 level enrolled in their virtual instruction program; the number of students who
							 are enrolled in the full-time virtual instruction program and the number who
							 participated in a blended virtual instruction program; the number of students
							 who were homeschooled, the number of students enrolled in a private school, and
							 the number of students enrolled in a public school immediately preceding
							 enrollment in the virtual instruction program; and how the students enrolled in
							 a virtual instruction program performed academically as compared with students
							 in a traditional classroom setting.
Funding
The cost of WVVS courses are the responsibility of
							 the county.
The WVVS may provide funding, when available, for
							 online and virtual courses based on legislative appropriations specific to
							 virtual instruction.
Funding for online or virtual courses and associated
							 materials may be provided through county instructional budgets or grant
							 awards.
An eligible student enrolled in a virtual instruction
							 program shall be counted in the net enrollment of the county in which the
							 student resides for the purposes of calculating and receiving state aid.
Instructional Resources
Appropriate instructional resources are provided for
							 all courses within the WVVS.
Credit recovery options are available through the
							 WVVS.
Each county must ensure its virtual program
							 instructional resources meet the minimum WVDE Instructional Resources Criteria
							 for each content area.
Each county will select virtual/online resources that
							 will be used to provide opportunities for credit recovery. This does not
							 include resources used to deliver first-time course credit. When selecting
							 additional credit recovery resources, the following protocols should be
							 met:
* verify that a county team of educators has reviewed
							 the credit recovery program content for the respective courses to ensure that
							 the material aligns with the approved content standards;
* provide the WVDE with the name(s) of instructional
							 resources used for credit recovery purposes; and
* follow all state and county purchasing procedures
							 when obtaining course materials.