WV Student Assessment Data Reviewed at August State Board Meeting

Charleston, W.Va. - The West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) received a report on West Virginia's annual assessment data during its meeting today in Charleston. The 2024 state summative assessment results including the West Virginia General Summative Assessment (WVGSA) for grades 3-8, the SAT School Day for grade 11, and the West Virginia Alternative Summative Assessment for grades 3-8 and 11 were reported by the West Virginia Department of Education's (WVDE) Office of Assessment.

The statewide assessments were administered to more than 95% of students in the grades designated above. There were slight gains in overall proficiency with increases since last year in English language arts (ELA) (44% to 45%) and math (35% to 36%). Science proficiency remained flat at 29%. Early learners made the most significant gains in reading.

The report showed progress in ELA with a 6% gain in third grade proficiency, and a 7% decrease in those who did not meet the standard compared to last year's assessment. This is attributed, in part, to the passing of the Third Grade Success Act during the 2023 state legislative session and the WVDE's Ready, Read, Write, West Virginia literacy initiative. With the rollout of the revised mathematics standards on July 1, 2024, and the adoption of new instructional materials at the county level, the WVDE will fully launch its Unite with Numeracy initiative this fall targeting math proficiency and success.

Last year marked changes in SAT School Day testing. All students took a digital version of the test and moved away from the fixed-form paper and pencil version previously available. Additionally, the testing time was shortened from four hours to approximately two hours.

The data reflects student proficiency approaching pre-Covid-19 levels, and the WVDE remains engaged with counties, schools, stakeholders and state leaders to support student academic success.

This year's assessment data report can be found on the WVDE website and the ZoomWV dashboard.

Martinsburg North Middle School Update

The Board also heard a brief update on Martinsburg North Middle School which remains under a state of emergency. In May 2024, the WVBE issued the order after a Targeted School Environment Assessment by the WVDE identified threats to a safe and productive learning environment at the school. Berkeley County administrators have added several supports at the school to address student success, well-being, and safety as well as administrative leadership. This includes a new principal and a School Improvement Specialist who will support improvement practices.

The school has conducted a priority-setting workshop and outlined action steps to achieve goals from the Corrective Action Plan. The WVDE is also assisting Martinsburg North in creating a system to coordinate social-emotional supports that will be available in the school.

To view the Martinsburg North Middle School State of Emergency Action Plan, visit the WVDE website.

ParentGuidance.org

ParentGuidance.org remains a resource for students, families, educators and school personnel. The 24/7 online platform assists children and those who care for them to address and elevate the importance of mental health wellness. These resources are made possible through a three-year contract the WVDE has entered with the national nonprofit The Cook Center for Human Connection to make the platform available for West Virginia families. Across the country, 361 districts and 6,308 schools are using the organization's model offering more than 3.3 million families in 46 states access to services. It is estimated that more than 700,000 people in the state live in communities that do not have enough mental health professionals or resources to support the growing needs.

As counties move into the fall semester, families and educators are encouraged to log onto ParentGuidance.org which offers one-on-one coaching, on-demand sessions and an "Ask a Therapist" question-and-answer forum.

Mathematical Habit of Mind Poster Contest Winners

The WVBE recognized several students who participated in the WVDE's Mathematical Habits of Mind (MHM) Poster Contest. In an effort to include students' voices in the launch of the Unite with Numeracy initiative, the WVDE held the contest last school year. More than 200 students from all grade levels submitted their ideas/artwork on the eight MHMs depicting how math is a part of everyday life. Judges selected winners, and their submissions were the inspiration for the final designs. Teachers throughout the state will display the posters in their schools and classrooms to promote the importance and impact of math.

Winning designs were submitted by:

Student	School	County
Miranda Barger	Morgantown High School	Monongalia
Seboeda Bria	George Washington High School	Kanawha
Julia Bryner	Berkeley Springs High School	Morgan
Ada Chen	Mid-Ohio Valley Technical Institute	Ritchie
Grace Godfrey	Doddridge County High School	Doddridge
Deshawn Hyde	Doddridge County High School	Doddridge
Lilly Morgan	Berkeley Springs High School	Morgan
Aubrey Stone	Hurricane Town Elementary School	Putnam
Avya Talwar	Bridgeport Middle School	Harrison
A'Kaia Williams	Doddridge County High School	Doddridge

Policies on Comment

The following WVBE policy revisions were recommended for public review.

Policy 2423 is being repealed and replaced to update the policy to align with the latest evidence-based practices, clarify content and reflect current policy drafting requirements. The proposed revisions provide clarification and guidance to school nurses who provide and/or delegate school-aged student care.

Policy 8500 is proposed to ensure compliance with W. Va. Code §18-9A-10 as amended by House Bill 5405 during the 2024 regular legislative session. This policy establishes the process for local education agencies to apply for and receive grants managed by the WVDE through a competitive process that is not awarded under another rule.

These policies have been placed on public comment for 30 days and may be reviewed on the WVDE website.

The next regularly scheduled WVBE meeting is 10 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Building 6, Suite 600, 1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East, Charleston, West Virginia.

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