Berkeley County Schools details secondary scheduling, graduation requirements and expansion of CTE courses

Berkeley County Schools staff presented an overview of secondary master scheduling, graduation requirements and planned growth of career and technical education during a board meeting. Leaders explained how course requests and staffing drives the master schedule, outlined credit requirements for graduation, and described new and expanded CTE offerings and staffing approaches that the district plans to pilot next year.

The presentation said high school students in Berkeley County must complete 24 credits under current rules: 12 in the four primary content areas (math, English, science and social studies), 10 in “personally prescribed” classes (college- or workforce-oriented choices), and two elective credits. The district expects to add a year-long personal finance course within the next academic year, which will raise the total required credits to 25. Staff also described typical staffing triggers used when building schedules: principals generally request an additional teacher for a subject when average section size reaches about 28 students, and singleton (one-period) elective courses usually require about 10 students to be offered.

District staff said middle school students are scheduled to receive English (split into reading and language arts), math, science, social studies (8th-grade social studies includes West Virginia history), wellness (health and PE each year), and exposure to art and music on a rotation or as year-long options (band, strings, choir). Middle schools also provide career exploration, a computer-science component integrated into classes or offered as unified arts, and some schools offer Spanish in eighth grade.

Staff and CTE leaders described the district’s CTE expansion: a building and maintenance program has grown at Musselman High and will expand to other schools; the district is exploring greenhouse and hands‑on facilities (district staff referenced a roughly 48-by-30 greenhouse as a planned facility footprint). The district said students who complete multi-year CTE sequences can earn a four-course completer credential, industry-recognized certifications and work-based learning points; passage of the NOCTE industry test was cited as one accountability measure used in the district’s balanced scorecard. Staff reported about 60–65% of high school students in the district took at least two CTE classes this year, exceeding the state’s typical participation rates.

On staffing and certification, presenters described state-supported pathways to address shortages in math teachers: the state is launching a cohort program that will cover tuition and related instructional expenses for teachers pursuing math certification (details and timing were described as forthcoming). The district also discussed alternative certification routes for vocational instructors—recognizing that industry-experienced candidates may need different certification steps (exam components and workplace experience) than traditional classroom teachers.

Staff described dual-credit offerings taught in district high schools in partnership with institutions such as West Virginia University and Blue Ridge, enabling students to earn transferable college credit without leaving campus. Presenters said dual-credit is generally less expensive for families than AP testing and may transfer automatically if a student earns a C or higher; district representatives said Blue Ridge has processes to help students who cannot afford testing or fees.

District officials addressed nonacademic supports that affect scheduling and student success: use of Connexus (credit recovery) to keep students on track when they fail a semester; policies to earn high school credit through multi-year sports participation; and efforts to preserve common planning time for teachers when building master schedules.

The presentation noted practical constraints on expanding some offerings: staffing availability (certified and vocational instructors), retirement and staff movement affect where new CTE sections can be added; some courses require block scheduling (longer periods) to be effective, for example lab science, baking and pastry, or building-and-maintenance project work. Staff emphasized that electives are often the first items reduced in tight staffing scenarios.

The meeting also included brief discussion of student work hours: staff said the district investigates reports when students appear to be working late-night shifts and contacts employers if necessary; exact local permit requirements were discussed as variable and described as “10:00 or 11:00” in practice in district recollection, not a definitive legal citation.

Ending: District staff said they will continue refining staffing and schedule plans as course requests are collected and as state initiatives (math teacher cohort and certification resources) are finalized, and CTE leaders said they plan to present a fuller CTE update at an upcoming work session.