School choice in West Virginia
 in West Virginia |
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School choice is a term that refers to programs offering alternatives to assigned local public school options. Public school choice options include open enrollment policies, magnet schools, and charter schools. Other options include school vouchers, scholarship tax credits, and education savings accounts (ESAs).[1][2]
School choice options in West Virginia include: homeschooling, online learning, private schools and two voluntary public school open enrollment policies.
Educational choice options
Charter schools
As of the 2014-2015 school year, West Virginia did not have a charter school law.[3]
Magnet schools
Magnet schools, sometimes called theme-based schools, are public schools of choice that use a specialized subject area or innovative learning approach to attract students from more diverse backgrounds. In fact, magnet schools began as a way to desegregate public schools through choice rather than force. Magnet schools can reach beyond the barriers of school districts, but they are still managed and funded publicly by local districts, even though they are centered around specialized themes and subjects. As of December 2014, West Virginia did not have any dedicated magnet schools as in many states. Instead, the state uses "magnet programs," which are out-of-school programs that give students opportunities to further certain skills. These programs are different from magnet schools in that students still attend their home school for their core classes, but travel to a different location at certain times to receive additional instruction. These types of programs are not considered by the federal government to be magnet schools, so there is little, if any, information on them available from federal or state sources.[4][5][6]
Homeschooling
An estimated 6,720 students were home-schooled in West Virginia during the 2012-2013 school year, which represented approximately 2.39 percent of all students in the state.[7]
Parents or guardians must have a high school diploma or GED in order to homeschool their children. They must also submit a plan of instruction for the coming year to the county superintendent or county board. An academic assessment of each home-schooled child must also be submitted to the county superintendent or county board. The assessment must be submitted by June 30 each year and can be a nationally normed achievement test, the testing program currently used by the state in public schools or a portfolio of the child's academic progress for the year.[8][9]
Online learning
Most online learning opportunities in West Virginia come from the West Virginia Virtual School (WVVS). WVVS is a state virtual school that offers courses for students in sixth through 12th grades and approves of courses for younger grades as well. WVVS was created in 2000, and during the 2012-2013 school year, it served 6,039 enrollments, which was an increase of 35 percent from the previous school year.[10]
Private Schools
In the 2011-2012 school year 12,325 students, or 4.36 percent of school age children, were enrolled in 116 private schools. West Virginia ranks 48th in the U.S. in private school attendance.[11]
Public school open enrollment
West Virginia has voluntary intra-district and voluntary inter-district public school open enrollment policies. The voluntary intra-district policy allows superintendents to transfer students in between schools within the county at the request of a parent or guardian or for reasons that affect the best interests of the school. The voluntary inter-district policy allows county boards of education to transfer students to different school districts within the state, either part-time or full-time. This is used particularly when topography, such as passable roads or long bus rides, impedes a student's access to school.[12]
Education ballot measures
Ballotpedia has tracked no statewide ballot measures relating to school choice in West Virginia.
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term "West Virginia + Education + Choice"
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
See also
- West Virginia state budget and finances
- West Virginia Department of Education
- West Virginia school districts
- West Virginia
- Education Policy in the U.S.
External links
- West Virginia Department of Education
- West Virginia State Board of Education
- West Virginia Superintendent of Schools
- West Virginia Virtual School
- West Virginia School Directory
- West Virginia School Data and Reports
- West Virginia Finance Information
- West Virginia Public School Ratings by PSK12
- West Virginia Public School Ratings by Great Schools
References
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "School Choice and Charters," accessed June 18, 2014
- ↑ Friedman Foundation for School Choice, "What is School Choice?" accessed June 18, 2014
- ↑ Washington Examiner, "Another state joins the charter school movement," March 20, 2015
- ↑ Public School Review, "What is a magnet school?" accessed December 9, 2014
- ↑ Magnet Schools of America, "What are magnet schools?" accessed December 9, 2014
- ↑ Charleston Daily Mail, "Magnet school for music," accessed December 16, 2014
- ↑ A2Z Home's Cool - Home Education from A to Z, "How Many Homeschoolers in America?" updated February 3, 2014
- ↑ A2Z Home's Cool - Home Education from A to Z, "West Virginia Home School Laws," accessed June 26, 2014
- ↑ West Virginia Code, "Chapter 18, Section 18-8-1," accessed June 26, 2014
- ↑ Keeping Pace with K-12 Online & Blended Learning, "Data & Information: West Virginia," accessed June 26, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Private School Universe Survey (PSS)", 2011-12 ; "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey", 2011-12 v.1a; "State Nonfiscal Public Elementary/Secondary Education Survey", 2011-12 v.1a.," accessed May 12, 2014.
- ↑ Education Commission of the States, "50-State Analysis," accessed June 26, 2014
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