West Virginia Press Association Staff Report
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Education, on Sunday, heard a presentation from the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) Academic Support Director Jonah Adkins, and Coordinator of Mathematics Tim Flatley regarding the state’s “Unite with Numeracy” program.
“Thank you for the opportunity to be able to share with you today the work that our office is doing to increase mathematics achievement and build student knowledge within our state,” Adkins began, deferring to Flatley for the majority of the presentation.
Flatley, who serves primarily as Mathematics coordinator for secondary grades, is also coordinating for primary grades due to current staffing vacancies. Flatley began by providing the committee with a brief overview of the program.
“Unite with Numeracy is the WVDE’s mathematics initiative that provides resources for educators, families, guardians, and students to strengthen teacher effectiveness, and help make students successful mathematicians,” Flatley said. “We are elevating [our] goals by enhancing teacher content knowledge, implementing researched-based instructional strategies, and increasing student achievement and engagement.”
According to Flatley, the Unite for Numeracy team consists of 14 staff members, spread throughout eight offices. Flatley added that a new section of the WVDE’s website was created this fall to “house all of the program’s resources.”
“With all of the components, we are utilizing highly engaging tasks for students, discussing effective teaching and learning strategies, exploring authentic real-world situations, and building a comprehensive support network for educators,” Flatley said.
At the conclusion of the presentation, Del. Heather Tully, R-Nicholas, asked if any tangible increase in test scores has been identified among students whose teachers or administrators have been through the Unite with Numeracy program.
“At this time, no,” Flatley responded. “This just launched in October.”
Adkins then elaborated on Flatley’s statement, saying, “Typically, research shows us that it takes at least three-to-five years before we begin seeing those positive results.”
Next on the committee’s agenda was a presentation from WVDE Educator Preparation Coordinator Jeff Hunter on the department’s “Grow Your Own” program.
“Before talking about the program, I want to frame the discussion,” Hunter began. “This discussion is framed against one issue, that issue is our shortage of professional educators in our state. As you are aware, this year when we did the calculation, we are looking at 1,705 teachers teaching who do not have the credential that matches their grade or their content that they’re teaching. That’s an issue. Grow Your Own is one of the many programs that the WVDE has built to try to address the issue.”
According to teachwv.com, “The Grow Your Own pathway gives students a fasttrack into the education field through a combination of dual enrollment/Advanced Placement courses and an accelerated pathway. Students can then graduate with a bachelor’s degree in just three years.”
At the conclusion of Hunter’s presentation, Sen. Michael Oliverio, R-Monongahalia, requested additional clarification about the duration of required schooling, saying, “So I understand [students] are still involved in four years of education, it’s just that the first year occurs while in the high school setting, the next two years occur on a college campus, and then the fourth year occurs in the form of student-teaching.”
“Those students in that fourth year, they’re being paid, is that correct?” Oliverio asked.
“It’s possible if they meet the requirements for a certified teacher of record,” Hunter replied. “A county can pay them 65% of a full-teacher’s salary. And 65% is a generous stipend to start.”
Jamie Buckland, of WV Families United for Education (FUE), was next to address the committee. Buckland spoke about sports-program access for private and homeschooled students.
“I have been homeschooling for the last 17 years, so I’ve been very involved in the unconventional side of education,” Buckland began. “While I will talk about some of the sports access issues, I’m also going to talk about implementation in general of some of the changes that we’ve seen over the last few years for unconventional education.”
Buckland explained that she is the founder of WV FUE, as well as the organization’s director. According to Buckland, the organization exists for three reasons: to remove barriers, to guide parents, and to support providers.
“Thousands of families across West Virginia look to our organization as an authority for accurate, up-to-date information on their K-12 school options,” Buckland added. ‘In the last several years, those options have increased.”
Buckland cited, homeschool, private school, virtual learning, as some of the “most popular” alternative schooling options, noting that “most families are going to turn to their in-person public school” mainly out of familiarity.
“If a family wants to pursue a private school, we have 10 counties in West Virginia that currently do not have a private school,” Buckland said. “So while we have about 150 private schools that are organized throughout the state we still have 10 counties that if your child needs a private school, those options are limited.”
Buckland further explained that if a parent wants to know if a particular private school is a partner-school with the WVSSAC, they have to “pick and choose” by calling each school individually, adding that, “Learning pods and microschools are new, so if you want to find information, you might be somewhat limited.”
Last before the committee was T.C. Clemons, a 40-year education veteran currently under contract with the Wayne County School System. Clemons spoke on the topic of “overcoming challenging issues in public schools successfully.”
“The ‘T.C.’ stands for ‘Terrifically Cute,’ in case you wanted to know,” Clemons began with a laugh. “I’m a retired Cabell County teacher of 43 years. I did elementary and special education. I currently work for the Wayne County School System as a consultant for the cultural-climate.”
“If you know anything about the Wayne County School System, there are very few people that look like me,” Clemons added, alluding to the color of her skin. “I was drawn to Wayne County. I’ve been to two different schools. The principals asked me to come in because students were freely using the ‘N’ word. Since I happen to have been the black teacher with all the white kids, it didn’t even phase me.”
According to Clemons, prior to her arrival in Wayne County, the prescribed punishment for use of the racial slur was suspension. However Clemons, along with a teacher friend of hers already working within the county, believed education rather than punishment was the answer. To facilitate that education, Clemons said she would meet with her students in a circle, and use “talking balls.”
“These are the talking balls,” Clemons said, while holding three balls up for the committee members to see. “If a student got these balls, they had to talk.”
Clemons, who had spent the entirety of her career with elementary schoolers, said what she found in the middle schools was that “students are in desperate need of love.” Clemons added that both middle schools had 100% white staff, and many of them participated in her class as well.
The West Virginia Legislature’s 60-day Regular Session is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024.