Selection Process

School

• Follow county guidelines for selecting School Teacher of the Year.
• The winner will submit his/her application to the County Board of Education by the dates required by the County Board of Education.

County

• A panel appointed by the County Superintendent will decide the County Teacher of the Year based on both state and county criteria.
• The winner will submit his/her application to the West Virginia Department of Education between March 2, 2026 and 11:59 p.m. on May 4, 2026.

State

• County nominees will apply online and upload the following to the West Virginia Department of Education between March 2, 2026 and 11:59 p.m. on May 4, 2026:
  • Acknowledgement Form with signatures from the candidate, the candidate’s principal, and the candidate’s County Superintendent (Chief School Administrator);
  • Resume (no more than two pages);
  • Professional Biography
  • 5×7 Publicity headshot photo;
  • Two letters of recommendation (One from Superintendent and one from a colleague, administrator, or student);
  • Response questions
  • Video (2-5 minutes) of teaching a lesson to students; include YouTube link of lesson (Teachers are responsible for taking the necessary precautions to protect student confidentiality and obtain parent consent.).
• Note: Additional uploaded documents or pages beyond the requirements will not be considered.
• A panel appointed by the West Virginia Superintendent of Schools will review online applications submissions.
• Following a review of the applications of all county nominations, the state review panel will interview the selected finalists face-to-face. The name of the state selected finalist will be forwarded to the West Virginia Superintendent of Schools for consideration as the West Virginia Teacher of the Year.
• West Virginia Teacher of the Year Finalists will be recognized at the annual awards event in September 2026. The West Virginia Teacher of the Year will be announced at that time.
• The name of the state selected Teacher of the Year will be forwarded by the West Virginia Superintendent of Schools for consideration in the National Teacher of the Year Program competition.
• The West Virginia Teacher of the Year will submit his/her application with help from the West Virginia Department of Education to the National Teacher of the Year program.

National