State School Board Proposes Lowering Teacher Requirements

The West Virginia Board of Education has proposed lowering some requirements to become a public school teacher.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reported Saturday that among the proposed changes are exempting education bachelor’s degree holders who meet minimum grade point averages from having to pass a basic knowledge test.

Another change would be no longer requiring non-education master’s degree holders within “five years of directly related work experience” to pass a content knowledge test to teach the subject they hold a master’s in.

Other changes concern teacher licensure tests.

State Schools Superintendent Steve Paine says the proposed changes add more flexibility to help fill job positions without compromising quality.

All of the proposed changes can be found online at wvde.state.wv.us/policies. The official public comment period ends 4 p.m. Oct. 10.