Board members approved State Board Policy 2520.35: 21st Century Science 9-12 Content Standards and Objectives for West Virginia Schools at their December meeting in Wheeling.  

State Board Policy 2520.35 defines the Science Content Standards and Objectives. The policy has been revised to incorporate higher levels of critical thinking, problem solving and other 21st century skills. It changes required high school science courses to physical science, biology or conceptual biology, chemistry or conceptual chemistry. The policy also improved the alignment with national assessments, including the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP), as well as the ACT and SAT college entrance exams, among other changes.  

The board also placed an update to Policy 2510: Assuring the Quality of Education: Regulations for Education Programs on 30-day public comment. The WVBOE hopes to clarify foreign language requirements for middle school students. The policy now requires that a foreign language be taught in seventh and eighth grade and encourages it be taught in fifth and sixth grades.