CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Some student teachers are in the process of becoming substitute teachers in parts of West Virginia because of the coronavirus pandemic.
To answer a demand for available substitutes, a change is now being implemented at county levels allowing certain college students who are student teaching to apply to become paid substitute teachers.
Dr. Corley Dennison, vice chancellor for academic affairs with the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, said students who have met certain curriculum criteria are eligible.
“The county will sign an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the institution that they want to work with and then those students who are currently student teaching can use substitute teaching for their student credit,” Dr. Dennison said.
Clayton Burch, state superintendent of schools, announced the option during a meeting of the West Virginia Board of Education last week.
The idea came out of meetings between those in higher education and K-12 education as counties deal with substitute shortages.
Also involved in discussions were representatives with the Teacher Education Accreditation Council.
School officials have noted many existing substitute teachers working in West Virginia are retired or older and at higher risk for COVID-19.
COVID quarantines among school staff members have also added to substitute needs.
“It’s not the first time we’ve had to pivot in the middle of this COVID crisis,” Dennison said of the change.
“We had to pivot to online in the spring and then we had to turn around and pivot with the substitutes here in the fall, but everybody wanted this to happen and everybody really worked together on this to make it happen.”
In general, Dennison said the student teachers participating would most likely be college juniors and seniors.
Some student teachers will be regular substitutes or short-term substitutes and called to classrooms for a day or two at a time.
Others may meet requirements to become a TIR, teacher in residence, which would be a longer-term substitution.
No numbers were immediately available about initial interest in the student teaching to substitute teaching track.
For now, the replacement of student teaching with substitute teaching is temporary.
“We’ll keep an eye on it and see how it goes as it goes along,” Dennison said.
“If it’s something that works in the long run and K-12 is interested in extending this or our institutions are interested in extending this, this is something we can talk about.”