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Ohio County BOE looks at new way to certify teachers

WHEELING — Ohio County Schools is looking to ways to make it easier for those with extensive math and science backgrounds — but not an education degree — to get the training they need to be certified to teach in the school district.

Ohio County Schools Human Resources Director Susan Nolte told board of education members this week of a proposed partnership with the West Virginia Department of Education to start its own teacher certification program for those with advanced backgrounds in a subject area, but who lack a teaching certificate.

Nolte said the state has enacted numerous pathways to districts to set up a certification program, but prior to now Ohio County Schools has not had to pursue any of these.

“But as we are now struggling to find science and math teachers, we’re very excited to explore an alternative certification program,” she said.

Ohio County Schools has had an agreement with West Liberty University to provide training for teachers who chose to achieve alternative education, and it is a three-year process involving tuition payments and other requirements, according to Nolte.

Recently, the school district hired a high school physics teacher who has a doctorate in physics, and has taught at the college level. She said the WLU training program didn’t suit that teaching candidate.

As Ohio County Schools is seeking to improve training opportunities for teachers, Nolte said it only made sense for the school district to establish its own teacher certification program. The idea is for it to be only a one-year program with no cost to the candidate.

Ohio County Board of Education gave their approval to the county’s partnership with the State Department of Education to establish the program, and now the program must be approved by the West Virginia Board of Education.

The State Department of Education would provide guidance to Ohio County Schools in setting up the program.

Nolte said not every candidates for a job with Ohio County Schools would be eligible for the alternative certification program, and they would had to have majored in the content area they would be teaching. There would have to be a demonstrated need for a teacher in this area, and the job would have had to be posted twice for at least 10 days with no certified teacher applying before the candidate needing alternative certification would be considered.

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