2010 West Virginia Code
CHAPTER 18. EDUCATION
ARTICLE 5A. LOCAL SCHOOL INVOLVEMENT.
§18-5A-6. Establishment of school curriculum teams; process for teacher collaboration to improve learning.

§18-5A-6. Establishment of school curriculum teams; process for teacher collaboration to improve learning.
(a) There shall be established at each school in the state a school curriculum team composed of the school principal, the counselor designated to serve that school and no fewer than three teachers representative of the grades taught at the school and chosen by the faculty senate: Provided, That for a school curriculum team established at an elementary school or a combination elementary and middle school, when the counselor is not assigned to the school on at least a one-half time basis, the curriculum team may meet on days when the counselor is not at the school and the principal shall consult with the counselor on the issues relevant to the meeting agenda.

The school curriculum team shall establish the programs and methods for implementing a curriculum based on state-approved content standards based on the needs of the individual school with a focus on reading, composition, mathematics, science and technology. The curriculum thus established shall be submitted to the county board for approval or for return to the school for reconsideration.

The school curriculum team shall review the list of other non required testing and assessment instruments provided by the state board through the statewide assessment program as provided in section five, article two-e of this chapter and may select one or more of them that are applicable to the grade levels at the school for use at the school to improve student learning. The school has the discretion to use the assessments and implement the instructional strategies and programs, upon approval by the school curriculum team, that it determines best to promote student achievement at the school. The school curriculum team may apply for a waiver of any state or county policy requiring it to assess students using any specific assessment except the WESTEST2, the Alternative Performance Task Assessment, the Online Writing Assessment, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), or to employ any specific instructional strategy or program to achieve content standards for courses required by the state board. Attainment by the school of at least full accreditation status for the previous year shall be the factor considered for granting the waiver request.

The school curriculum team also may apply for a waiver for instructional resources approved and adopted pursuant to article two-a of this chapter if, in the judgment of the team, the instructional resources necessary for the implementation of the instructional strategies and programs best suited to teach the school's curriculum are not available through the normal adoption process.

School curriculum teams may request waivers of non-state mandated tests listed in their county board policies. The determination of whether to grant the request shall be based on the school's accreditation status. Waivers are in effect for one year only. School curriculum teams may resubmit the same or additional waiver requests the following year.

The school team may apply for a grant from the state board for the development or implementation, or both, of remedial and accelerated programs to meet the needs of the students at the individual school.

(b) Each faculty senate with approval of the principal may, in addition to or as an alternative to the school curriculum team provided for in subsection (a) of this section, establish a process for teacher collaboration to improve instruction and learning. The mission of the collaboration process is to review student academic performance based on multiple measures, to identify strategies to improve student performance and make recommendations for improvement to be implemented subject to approval of the principal. The collaborative process shall include such members as determined necessary by the faculty senate to address the needed improvements in the academic performance of students at the school and, if applicable, may consist of multiple subject area subcommittees which may meet independently.