West Virginia

College and Career Ready Definitions

“College and Career Readiness means that students exit high school prepared for success in a wide range of high-quality post-secondary opportunities. Specifically, college and career readiness refers to the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to be successful in postsecondary education and/ or training that lead to gainful employment. Today’s workplace requires that all workers be lifelong learners in order to advance in their careers. Therefore, it is necessary that there be a common set of knowledge and skills that all individuals acquire to successfully transition into postsecondary education or the workplace. As individuals select specific career paths, they will then have to focus on the amount and type of additional knowledge and skills they should acquire to be successful in their chosen field. A student’s goals, desires, and interests influence the precise knowledge and skill profile necessary to be ready for success in their chosen postsecondary endeavors and the level of postsecondary education needed to accomplish a student’s individual career aspirations. All students should exit high school with a full understanding of the career opportunities available to them, the education necessary to be successful in their chosen pathway, and a plan to attain their goals.”

Source:

West Virginia Department of Education. (n.d.). College and career readiness. Retrieved from https://wvde.state.wv.us/counselors/documents/CollegeandCareerReadiness3-12-14GeneralSession.pdf

Accountability Metrics
  • Student achievement status on state tests
  • Student growth on state tests
  • Attendance rate
  • Four-year graduation rate
  • Additional graduation rates (five or more years)
 
Source: Center for American Progress. (2016). Explore the Data for ‘Making the Grade’. Retrieved from https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education/news/2016/05/19/137455...
 
College and Career Ready Reporting Metrics
State School Report Card1
Carl D. Perkins Reports3
AZED Research & Evaluation2
 
ACT composite scores and participation rate1
SAT scores and participation rate1
PSAT participation rate
AP scores1
AP enrollment1
NAEP scores1
Course performance (greater than or equal to two failures in math or reading language arts)4
CTE course enrollment by pathway3 
Dropout rate1,2
Attendance rate1,2,4
Truancy2
Senior opinions survey3
     o Academic readiness
     o Sources of college information
     o Financial aid awareness
     o Collegiate plans
     o College decisions
Behavior and discipline4
College-going rate3
     o In-state
     o Two-year
     o Four-year
     o Independent
     o Degree-granting proprietary
     o Out-of-state
     o Overall
Remediation rate3
     o English
     o Reading
     o Math
     o Any
Fall semester GPA3
Spring semester retention3
     o In remediation
     o Not in remediation
Number of awards and amounts awarded3
     o Higher Education Adult Part-Time Student (HEAPS) Grant
     o Providing Real Opportunities for Maximizing In-State Student Excellence (PROMISE) Scholarship
     o West Virginia Higher Education Grant (WVHEG) Program
 
Source:
1. West Virginia Department of Education. (2016). School Report Cards. Retrieved from https://static.k12.wv.us/a-f/a-f_aboutwithgrades.pdf
2. West Virginia Department of Education. (n.d.). School and district data. Retrieved from http://wveis.k12.wv.us/nclb/pub/
3. West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. (2015). West Virginia higher education report card and high school readiness report. Retrieved from http://www.wvhepc.com/resources/reports-and-publications/
4. West Virginia Department of Education. (n.d.). Office of School Improvement. Retrieved from http://wvde.state.wv.us/schoolimprovement/graduation.html
 
Dual Enrollment and Early College High School

Dual Enrollment and Articulation

West Virginia state policy allows students to earn dual credit for academic or CTE postsecondary courses taken at their high school or a postsecondary institution. Public postsecondary institutions in the state are not required to accept dual-enrollment credits (ECS, 2015).

Early College High School

West Virginia is not participating in the Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI). More information about schools participating in ECHSI is available at the ECHSI website (Jobs for the Future, n.d.).

Citations:

Education Commission of the States. (2015). Dual enrollment – all state profiles. Retrieved from http://ecs.force.com/mbdata/mbprofallRT?Rep=DE14A

Jobs for the Future. (n.d.). Schools. Retrieved from http://www.jff.org/initiatives/early-college-designs/schools

Career Pathways

West Virginia has adopted the National Career Clusters Model and is implementing all 16 Career Clusters.

West Virginia has programs of study in the following Career Clusters:

  • Arts, AV Technology, and Communications
  • Business and Marketing Health Sciences
  • Human Services Manufacturing
  • Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Citations:

National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium. (n.d.). West Virginia [Interactive map of state CTE profiles]. Retrieved from http://careertech.org/West-Virginia

Career Exploration and Career Plans

“In West Virginia, development of the Individual Student Transition Plan (ISTP) should be a systemic process in which the student has ample opportunities to explore personal interests, assess abilities, explore career options, and academic and career technical opportunities available to them within the high school and post-secondary institutions." West Virginia's ISTP is mandated by the state. It includes all students in Grades 9–12.

Citation:

U.S. Department of Labor. (2013). Individualized learning plans across the U.S. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.dol.gov/odep/ilp/map/#MO

Alignment Between High School Graduation and State College Admission Requirements

High School and College Alignment

Subject

High School Graduation Requirements

College Admission Requirements

English Credits:

4.0

4.0

Mathematics Credits:

4.0 (including three courses at or above the level of Algebra I)

4.0 (including Algebra I and II and plane geometry)

Social Studies Credits:

4.0 (United States History to 1900, World Studies to 1900, 20th and 21st Centuries, and Civics for the 21st Century)

3.0 (including U.S. history)

Science Credits:

4.0 (physical science, biology or conceptual biology, chemistry or conceptual chemistry, or life science or Earth science)

3.0 (each with laboratory experience)

Foreign Language Credits:

2.0 (in same language)

2.0 (in same language)

Arts Credits:

1.0

1.0

Additional Credits:

5.0 (physical education [1.0], health [1.0], and electives [3.0])

None specified (N/S)

Total Credits:

24.0

17.0

Tests:

N/S

Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) or ACT®

Source:

West Virginia Department of Education

West Virginia State University and West Virginia University

Notes:

   

 

Early Warning Systems

West Virginia’s state-specific Early Warning System is called the Early Warning System (EWS). Early Warning System data are reported by student level and by school for school administrators and countywide for county administrators, with school administrators and leaders, county administrators, and special education teachers given access to data.

Citations:

West Virginia Department of Education. (n.d.). 2015 Spring School Counselors Workshop: Handouts. Retrieved from http://wvde.state.wv.us/counselors/workshops/2015-Spring-Counselors-Workshop/handouts.php 

College and Career Readiness and Success Center. (n.d.). National High School Center Early Warning System High School Tool technical manual. Retrieved from http://www.ccrscenter.org/products-resources/resource-database/national-high-school-center-early-warning-system-high-school

Balfanz, R., Bruce, M., Bridgeland, J., Hornig Fox, J. (2011, November). The Use of Early Warning Indicator and Intervention Systems to Build a Grad Nation. On Track for Success. Retrieved from http://diplomasnow.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/on_track_for_success.pdf