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West Virginia
82,349 high school students
State Profile
As states work to raise their
academic standards, several national high school reform initiatives are
assisting them in their efforts to strengthen their high schools so that they
provide students with a 21st century education and skills.
Through the profile provided here, the National High School Centers offers (a) a snapshot of the state’s graduation requirements and college entrance requirements (see table below) and (b) summaries of national reform initiatives active in the state (see list below table).
High School and College Alignment in the State
The following table shows the state’s alignment between high school
graduation requirements and minimum state college entrance requirements,
providing a quick source for determining whether there is a gap between what
students must know to graduate and what they are expected to have mastered in
order to enter college.
| High School Graduation Requirements* | College Admission Requirements | |
|---|---|---|
|
English |
4 |
4 |
|
|
English 9, 10, 11, 12 |
Grammar, composition, literature |
|
Mathematics |
4 |
4 |
|
|
3 courses Algebra I and above |
3 courses Algebra I & II and Plane geometry |
|
Social Studies |
4 |
3 |
|
|
United States to 1900, Word Studies to 1900, Twentieth and Twentieth-First Centuries, Civics for the 21st Century |
U.S. History |
|
Science |
4 |
3 |
|
|
Physical Science; Biology or Conceptual Biology; Chemistry or Conceptual Chemistry or Life Science or Earth Science |
3 science w/lab |
|
Foreign Language |
2 |
2 |
|
Art |
1 |
1 |
|
Additional |
P.E. - 1 |
N/S |
|
Total Units |
24 |
17 |
|
Tests |
N/S |
SAT or ACT |
| Source | West Virginia Department of Education |
* Requirements listed are for the Professional Pathway Diploma; the Skilled Pathway Diploma requires 4 credits related to a career concentration, and requires only 3 science credits, 2 elective credits, and no foreign language credits. Graduation requirements may vary by county. Students must meet minimal graduation requirements, but county requirements can exceed these. For county requirements, see the West Virginia Department of Education.
National High School Improvement Initiatives at Work in the
State
As states work to ready high school students for
postsecondary success, many are partnering with national organizations to
undertake high school improvement efforts. The following list includes national
improvement initiatives at work in the state. National initiatives are defined
as significant programs, projects, technical assistance, or key information
clearinghouses dedicated to high school improvement. For information about and
related to research on these initiatives, please click on the name of the
initiative to link to a synthesis:
- 21st Century Skills
- America's Promise
- The Council of Chief State School Officers' Resources for Secondary School Redesign
- Education Commission of the States' High School Policy Center
- Small Learning Communities
West Virginia State High School Improvement
Initiatives:
For information on high school improvement
initiatives launched at the state level visit the West Virginia Department of
Education’s Office of Technical and Secondary Program Improvement
Web page.
West Virginia ARRA Information
For information on West Virginia's ARRA efforts as it relates to education, please visit the state Web page.
