Miss-Delectable
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State school board approves changes to School for Deaf and Blind - News - The Charleston Gazette - West Virginia News and Sports -
State Board of Education members voted Wednesday to make changes at the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind, after state education auditors found that some practices at the Romney school are outdated and the curriculum needs improved.
For at least two years, a team from the state Department of Education will monitor the school's progress. Administrators at the school must seek national accreditation and visit successful schools in states like Iowa, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Also, they've been asked to create long-term plans to address building needs and become a formal partner with Hampshire County Schools to share programs. Also, they're asked to work with a national advisory board that will identify problems and recommend actions to help improve instruction for students.
Kenna Seal, director of the Office of Educational Performance Audits, said the Schools for the Deaf and Blind operate differently than other public schools and were not always asked to follow some state laws and policies.
Seal and State Schools Superintendent Steve Paine said the Schools for the Deaf and Blind need to be held accountable like other schools, but only for those rules that should apply to them.
The Schools for the Deaf and Blind are not used to audits, and Seal said it was a new job for education auditors, as well.
Seal wants the Romney school to improve lax security to its buildings and Paine is going to find out whether the state School Building Authority could help pay for building renovations.
Most importantly, Seal said, is that the Schools for the Deaf and Blind improve the quality of the content that students learn.
"We're concerned about the overall quality of the curriculum and the academic rigor," he said.
Paine also denied some rumors floating around in the Eastern Panhandle.
"There's a misnomer up there that we're trying to close the school," Paine said. "Absolutely not."
Patsy Shank, superintendent of the Schools for the Deaf and Blind, reviewed the auditors' findings and said she accepts them.
Jorea Marple, deputy state superintendent, said staff at the Schools for the Deaf and Blind have already made some changes and are working on other improvements.
State Board of Education members voted Wednesday to make changes at the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind, after state education auditors found that some practices at the Romney school are outdated and the curriculum needs improved.
For at least two years, a team from the state Department of Education will monitor the school's progress. Administrators at the school must seek national accreditation and visit successful schools in states like Iowa, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Also, they've been asked to create long-term plans to address building needs and become a formal partner with Hampshire County Schools to share programs. Also, they're asked to work with a national advisory board that will identify problems and recommend actions to help improve instruction for students.
Kenna Seal, director of the Office of Educational Performance Audits, said the Schools for the Deaf and Blind operate differently than other public schools and were not always asked to follow some state laws and policies.
Seal and State Schools Superintendent Steve Paine said the Schools for the Deaf and Blind need to be held accountable like other schools, but only for those rules that should apply to them.
The Schools for the Deaf and Blind are not used to audits, and Seal said it was a new job for education auditors, as well.
Seal wants the Romney school to improve lax security to its buildings and Paine is going to find out whether the state School Building Authority could help pay for building renovations.
Most importantly, Seal said, is that the Schools for the Deaf and Blind improve the quality of the content that students learn.
"We're concerned about the overall quality of the curriculum and the academic rigor," he said.
Paine also denied some rumors floating around in the Eastern Panhandle.
"There's a misnomer up there that we're trying to close the school," Paine said. "Absolutely not."
Patsy Shank, superintendent of the Schools for the Deaf and Blind, reviewed the auditors' findings and said she accepts them.
Jorea Marple, deputy state superintendent, said staff at the Schools for the Deaf and Blind have already made some changes and are working on other improvements.