The Grow Your Own WV Pathway to Teaching program plans to grow the teaching workforce by providing a faster, no-cost path to a Bachelor’s degree for high school students interested in the teaching profession. The program starts with 2 years of dual credit courses and classroom experience while students are in high school. Then, students complete 2 years of coursework in college paired with paid classroom experience, and then a final clinical year wherein the student becomes the salaried teacher of record in a classroom.
Basics
The pilot program, which began in Fall of 2022, has enrolled 250 students across 34 counties* and established partnerships with 16 institutes of higher education. It provides a path to a Bachelor's degree in teaching through a 2-year high school program followed by a 3-year college program. The delivery of courses is decided by each partner institution based on local needs and can be either online or in-person. The West Virginia Department of Education hopes to make all elements of the program free for students. Students are paid for their work while they complete their Bachelor’s degrees. A 2-year grant has been secured to cover the cost of the high school component, and the program has received commitments from Workforce WV to support the initiative. The governor's office and legislature are currently exploring sustainable long-term support.
Courses, Credits, & Hands-On Experience
The high school portion: Students complete 2 years of the program during their junior and senior years of high school as a U.S. Department of Labor Youth Apprentice. During those years, they complete 8 courses that the partner institutions of higher education have agreed to accept as 24 credit hours toward students’ Bachelor’s degrees. Those courses are:
Introduction to Education
Introduction to Child Development
Introduction to Educational Psychology
Introduction to Social-Emotional Wellbeing
Algebra
English
Biology
U.S. History
The college portion: Students are able to complete their Bachelor’s degree in 3 years because of the credit they have earned in high school. During the first 2 years of college, they complete core content. Their final year of college is a clinical year.