WVBOE announces middle school initiative

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - West Virginia’s newest education initiative is putting the spotlight on middle school students.

The West Virginia Board of Education says the ‘West Virginia Middle School: Bridging the Future’ initiative is designed to bring teachers together to reflect on what’s working, share best practices and strengthen support and education for middle school students.

They say they want to enable schools to implement proven middle school practices while expanding Career and Technical Education resources and opportunities.

State leaders say they’ve seen success at the early and elementary levels, and now they want to bridge that progress into the middle school years, when students are making big decisions about their futures.

“Getting to see that this focus is now moving into the middle school area is really exciting,” Academic Support Coordinator Kelly Massinople said. “We know that they are looking for support and want this professional learning.

“To be a part of bringing multiple departments or multiple offices together at the Dept. of Education to provide that experience and those supports is really exciting work.”

The kickoff event is a statewide middle school conference on July 29 at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.