Ohio County Schools Assistant Superintendent Rick Jones

WHEELING — Ohio County Schools recently announced that the composition requirement for all high school students in West Virginia is being eliminated, and this year’s incoming freshmen will be the first required to take a personal finance class prior to graduation.

Ohio County Schools Assistant Superintendent Rick Jones informed board of education members about the upcoming changes to credit requirements in the school district during this week’s meeting.

The State Board of Education changed some graduation requirements for the classes of 2025 through 2027 — incoming sophomores through seniors — beginning this year following action by the West Virginia Legislature, he explained.

For students in the non-career technical education professional concentration, English arts credits dropped from 4.5 credits to four credits.

There is no longer an English composition requirement, as writing skills will be “intertwined throughout the curriculum throughout high school,” he continued. Graduation requirements for those in non-career tech electives, meanwhile, increased from 1.5 to 2 credits, according to Jones.

“This will give them the ability to take more classes in the field, and introduce more internship work,” he said. “There will be workplace skill building, and students will be able to leave the building to go to a job. There will be more flexibility in their schedule.”

For career technical education students in grades 10-12, the half-credit composition requirement also was eliminated, and required elective credits were increased from 1.5 credits to 2.

Then, starting with the class of 2028 – this year’s incoming freshmen – every student will be required to take one credit of personal finance. The end result is that they will have one less elective credit.

Freshman non-career tech students will have two elective requirements as a result, and career tech students will have one.

The total number of credits needed for graduation will remain at 24, according to Jones.