West Virginia test results show need for improvement

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) – All parents want the best for their children, and with schools resuming in West Virginia, parents in the Mountain State are learning how their schools fared in the latest round of state testing.

The results released this week show slight improvements in reading and mathematics.

The state Department of Education says the most significant improvements are in the younger grades. These results show that more students are meeting standards in reading proficiency — a six percent increase.

State schools Superintendent Michele Blatt attributed this improvement to the implementation of a new literacy initiative and the passage of the Third Grade Success Act. This law, passed in 2023, placed teacher assistants in first grades last school year. Additional assistants are planned for second grade this year and third grade next year.

“I think that’s a positive message for the future,” Blatt told WSAZ. “As these students continue to progress through the system, they’ll take those successes with them.”

But even with minor improvements, there is still a lot of work to be done.

For example, the results show that less than half of West Virginia students had proficiency in reading, math, and science.

“How can this be acceptable?” asked Curtis Johnson of WSAZ.

“I don’t think that’s acceptable to anyone, but I think it’s important to note that this is a one-day test and a large percentage of our students partially meet the standards,” Blatt responded.

WSAZ also found that half of the West Virginia counties in our observation area scored 40 percent or less proficient in each of these categories (math, reading and science).

“What needs to change at the local level?” asked Johnson.

“If we see success in third grade by looking at those benchmarks and considering the interventions that we offer based on each child’s skill deficits, then we can begin to implement that in our other grades and in our other content areas,” Blatt responded.

State Sen. Amy Grady (R-Mason) is an elementary school teacher, mother and chair of the Senate Education Committee. She says improving early grades should give everyone the confidence to embrace new initiatives, not resist them.

“Year after year, many districts in West Virginia have very low proficiency rates, but if you keep doing what you’re doing, you can’t expect any different results,” she said.

Putnam, Jackson and Cabell were among the top performers in our region, with Putnam County scoring the highest in each category.

If you want to know how the school in your neighborhood performed, go to the Department of Education’s web portal. There you can click on your specific district and school.

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