The College of Education at West Liberty University (WLU) is now approved for the West Virginia Department of Education Alternative Certification Program. This accomplishment means that students in the education program will be fully certified when they graduate.

Before this change, students had to get their certification after graduating, which takes a long period of time.

According to the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) website, “The West Virginia Department of Education continuously strives to assist school districts in their efforts to promote, recruit and retain a highly effective and diverse workforce. The WVDE Alternative Certification Program has created the opportunities below for school districts to recruit individuals who hold a bachelor’s degree or higher and meet the eligibility criteria to fill teacher vacancies in areas of critical need and shortage.”

This partnership between the five county school systems in the Northern West Virginia Panhandle and WLU under the supervision of the West Virginia Board of Education is designed for qualified persons who desire to become licensed teachers in West Virginia. The courses required for Alternative Certification can lead toward the masters of arts in Education (M.A.Ed.) degree.

In order to be eligible for this program, students must complete a background check, pass the Praxis I (CASE) exam, receive a formal offer of employment from a county superintendent, complete the WLU admissions application online, take the required courses for the specified certification area and pass the Praxis II for the desired certification area. Students must also complete the process within three years.

The required courses for this program are Classroom Teaching, Trends and Issues in Education and Multisensory Teaching Methods for elementary teachers or Advanced Literacy Instruction for secondary teachers.

For more information, contact Dr. Nicole Ennis, the advisor for this program by emailing [email protected]. Students can also go to the Alternative Certification page on West Liberty’s website to learn more about the process of certification.