State Assessment Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Homeschooling Policy Review Posed By State Board Of Education Members

Last month West Virginia Board of Education members learned the state has not received state-required assessments from many homeschooling families. Barely a third of the state’s homeschooled 11th graders submitted the paperwork last year. Assessments are required in 3rd, 5th, 8th and 11th grades.

At the board’s October meeting held Wednesday, board member Debra Sullivan called on the board and the state Department of Education (WVDE) to reevaluate the requirements in state policy regarding homeschool students.

Sullivan cited recent news stories involving the abuse of homeschooled children, as well as those low assessment numbers in her statement.

“These are our West Virginia children, so I would ask that we have a deep dive into what’s going on with them,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking when you hear news stories as recently as today about ways in which children are not being kept in safe environments.”

It is estimated there are around 24,000 students being homeschooled in West Virginia. Sullivan was joined in her call for a review by fellow board member Robert Dunlevy.

“That’s something we really should look into,” he said. “I know from a couple children in the area that are in homeschooling, and I’ve talked about this several times, they’re not being tested at all, and these children are out running around. They’re not being educated, and I think it’s our responsibility to see we can do something about that.”

School Closures

The board also approved a statewide waiver of Policy 6204 which sets the requirements for county boards of education to close or consolidate schools. The waiver will allow counties to complete the required procedures for closing a school on or before Feb. 28 of the calendar year in which the closures or consolidations are to be effective. The deadline to complete the procedures was previously set at Dec. 31 of the year prior to the effective closure.

The application for the waiver from Greenbrier County Schools states the additional time is needed due to “decreases and uncertainties in student enrolment, personnel shortages, and limited school finances” but that counties are still otherwise required to complete the procedures laid out in the policy.

Sullivan called school closures “the most heartbreaking things” the board has to deal with. She cited analysis from the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy that shows 53 of the state’s 55 counties experienced enrollment loss between the 2022-23 and the 2023-24 school years.

“Of course, that affects state funding,” Sullivan said. “And in eight of those counties, in eight of the 53, the number of students not already receiving Hope Scholarships exceeded the enrollment decline. Meaning that if we didn’t have this voucher program, the county would not be having a negative enrollment. I thought that was fascinating.“

She went on to cite the analysis’ finding that 52 percent of enrollment decline across the state was attributable to the Hope Scholarship, and concluded by asking what the WVDE and the board are doing to help “stop the bleed.”

District Approval Status and Accreditation

The board also approved the 2024 District Approval Status and Accreditation Report. The report provides a review of each district’s operational efficiency (e.g., Finance, Facilities, Special Education), as well as its performance on the West Virginia Balanced Scorecard Indicators of Academic Performance and Student Success (e.g., English language arts [ELA] and Mathematics Achievement and Progress, Attendance, Behavior).

“Indicators that do not meet the standard for one year, are designated on watch,” explained Alexandra Criner, director of the WVDE Office of Accountability. “If any indicator does not meet the standard and does not improve for two consecutive years, it is reported as support. If an indicator does not meet standard and does not make improvement for three consecutive years, the county is designated intensive support for that indicator, additional intervention or possible non approval status is possible based on county willingness and capacity to implement improvements and to make changes to support students.”

For attendance, 91 percent of districts designated as “on watch” in 2023 showed a reduction in chronic absenteeism. Additionally, 100 percent of districts that were designated as “support” showed a reduction in chronic absenteeism.

For English language arts (ELA), 100 percent of counties designated as “on watch” for ELA Achievement last year made gains. No counties were designated in the more intensive categories for ELA Achievement or ELA Progress.

For math, 65 percent of districts designated as “on watch” for math achievement in 2023 made increases. Also, 33 percent of districts identified as “on watch” improved in Math Progress.

Communities In Schools Celebration

Gov. Jim Justice and First Lady Cathy Justice were also in attendance to provide the board with an update on the Communities In Schools (CIS) program in West Virginia.

“The program is thriving,” Cathy said. “It’s going well, and the people are so proud of it and want it to continue.”

CIS has expanded to all 55 counties, reaching 117,000 students through the work of 298 site coordinators in 285 schools. As a result, 99 percent of students served have stayed in school with a significant number of them showing improved behavior, academic performance and attendance.

“Really, when we get right down to the nitty gritty, is there a program that we have in education anywhere that works any better than this?” the governor said. “We should be really proud, really, really proud, because what you’re doing is not only are you impacting and changing a child’s life and you are, but often times that child is a deterrent to lots of other children in the school and and so all of a sudden, what you’ve done now is you really, really changed all kinds of lives.”

Vulnerable student populations often need assistance extending beyond what schools or any single organization can provide. The site coordinators bring together local resources to meet the unique needs of the child and reinforce support through consistent and sustained engagement. This allows the child and family to focus on school success.

Virtual Charter School Data Show Low But Improving Scores

Of the close to 3,400 students enrolled in charter schools in the state, more than 80 percent attend a virtual charter school.

As charter schools enter their third year of operation in West Virginia, student achievement data is now available from the first two years.

Professional Charter School Board Executive Director James Paul presented the board’s annual report to an interim meeting of the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability Sunday.

The report includes state assessment results in math, English language arts and science that showed students in virtual charter schools scoring below the average for state public schools.

Of the students at West Virginia Virtual Academy, 14 percent were rated proficient on the state’s math assessment, while 36 percent were proficient in English language arts and 15 percent were proficient in science. At the Virtual Prep Academy, 20 percent of students were proficient in math, 34 percent were proficient in English language arts and 14 percent were proficient in science.

The average proficiency rates across the state, according to data from ZoomWV are: 36 percent proficiency in math, 45 percent proficiency in English language arts and 29 percent proficiency in science.

Paul says he believes that’s due in part because students that opt into virtual learning begin with lower average achievement.

“It’s why, certainly, I’d like to see these numbers increase. I’m pleased that they’re increasing from year one to year two, but this is something certainly that we’ll continue to watch closely.”

Of the close to 3,400 students enrolled in charter schools in the state, more than 80 percent attend a virtual charter school.

Brick and mortar charter schools fared better, with data from two physical public charter schools meeting or exceeding the state average proficiency. Students at West Virginia Academy in Morgantown averaged 40 percent proficiency in math, 55 percent proficiency in English language arts and 54 percent proficiency in science. Students at Eastern Panhandle Prep in Jefferson County averaged 40 percent proficiency in math, 50 percent proficiency in English language arts, and 28 percent proficiency in science.

Paul also reported on the status of a school that chose to relinquish its charter.

“This was Nitro Prep Academy, which was originally authorized to open to serve students in Kanawha and Putnam counties,” he said. “This school was actually originally authorized as early as 2022 but they had problems identifying a facility for multiple years.”

There has been renewed discussion in recent weeks about allowing public charter schools access to state School Building Authority funds to help ease startup costs and facilitate the purchase of facilities.

In his presentation, Paul also reported that a public charter school focused on business, the Mecca Business Learning Institute, has been authorized to open in Berkeley County in the fall of 2025. Another charter school in the Morgantown area – the Wisdom Academy – is continuing its application process after initially being rejected by the board last year.
Legislators asked several questions of Paul pertaining to the assessment data and instructional practices, before moving on to the promulgation of rules and amendments. Three rules were recommended by the commission without discussion.

State Educational Leaders Hear Homeschool Assessment Numbers

The West Virginia Board of Education was updated on the 2023-2024 assessments for West Virginia’s homeschooled students.

The West Virginia Board of Education heard several reports on student achievement at their meeting Wednesday ranging from state assessment results to chronic absenteeism rates.

At the request of board member Debra Sullivan at last month’s meeting, the board was also updated on the 2023-2024 assessments for West Virginia’s homeschooled students.

Last school year, 57 percent of the homeschooled students presumed to be in grades 3, 5, 8 and 11 submitted assessments by the June 30 deadline. This is an increase from the 37 percent submission rate from previous years.

Michele Blatt, state superintendent of schools, estimated there are around 24,000 students being homeschooled in West Virginia. As she explained, students are “presumed to be” in a grade because families are required to submit very little information.

“When I say we’re not sure about a grade level, it’s because they give an age at one time in that child’s career,” she said. “So, if I enroll a student and I say the child is five, we don’t know anything about that child until we look to see if there’s a third-grade assessment submitted. And of course, that gets trickier as the child gets older and they’re leaving public schools and going into homeschool, and so this data is the best that we have available.”

Submission rates vary significantly from grade level to grade level. Blatt told the board Wednesday that 71 percent of homeschooled third graders have submitted required assessments. She said that number continues to decline until 11th grade, where only 36 percent of required assessments have been submitted for the year.

“Is the concern there, that we’re losing students by the time they get to 11th grade to homeschool for the wrong reasons, because if they were there to be educated and things, we would think that we would see those assessment results,” Blatt said.

Once a child is moved to homeschool, West Virginia code requires the family/guardian to submit an assessment or portfolio of the child’s work by June 30 following their 3rd, 5th, 8th, and 11th grade year.

“The counties have worked to collect this data and thinking about next steps or current steps that we’re dealing with right now, our counties are reaching out to these families that we know need to still continue to submit these assessments,” Blatt said. “Many of them are making phone calls. They’ve sent letters stating that you have not met the requirements of state code. Based on this you have a deadline or a time frame that you need to adhere to to submit this and before they will start filing the petitions against these parents to possibly revoke their home school privileges.”

State Board Of Education Receives Updates On Ongoing Investigation, State Assessments And More

During its monthly meeting Wednesday, Aug. 9, the West Virginia Board of Education received an update on the investigation into Upshur County Schools, which was placed under state control earlier this summer.

Jeffrey Kelley, accountability officer for the state Department of Education, reported to the board that the investigation into Upshur County Schools’ management of funds is ongoing with the collaboration of the state police.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has also become involved based on an early inspection of child nutrition in the county.

With the start of the school year just around the corner, Kelley commended Upshur Schools’ central office, including Superintendent Christy Miller, for balancing the investigation with their regular duties.

“All of this stuff that we reported out last month and this month, these corrective pieces that have been spearheaded by Superintendent Miller have taken place while they’re also trying to get ready for the opening of schools and navigating the craze we call summer personnel,” he said.

Both Kelley and Miller discussed outdated policies that have been discovered as part of the investigations that are being replaced.

“Operationally policy is a big deal,” Miller said. “Each time we open the supposed policy manual that’s in place, we do find outdated policy, outdated language.”

Miller told the board Upshur is on the mend and is on its way to becoming a lighthouse example for others across the state.

“I’m a believer that I have to go in with the enthusiasm, confidence in them, that we’re all there to do the job that we are hired to do, which is to support our students, and improving their outcomes,” Miller said.

Later in the meeting, board members received a detailed report on the state’s Schools of Diversion and Transition. Formerly titled the Office of Institutional Education Programs, the West Virginia Schools of Diversion and Transition provide educational services to juveniles and adults in residential and other state-operated correctional facilities.

Jacob Green, superintendent of Schools of Diversion & Transition, gave the board an overview of the various facilities and programs his department oversees, including a truancy diversion program in 14 counties.

“For instance, in Putnam County, Judge Towers can actually sentence a kid to our classroom instead of going to detention,” Green said. “Last year we served 408 students.”

He said his department also served around 6,000 adults in correctional facilities across the state, and discussed how his department has to deal not only with the state’s shortage in teaching positions, but the correctional officer shortage as well.

“We have a lot of challenges being spread out,” Green said. “We are affected by the correctional officer shortage every day, we sometimes do not have enough officers to hold class the way we normally do. We have to improvise and work with those host agencies because we don’t own any of the buildings we’re in. We are a guest of either the DHHR facilities, those that run those facilities, or the Division of Corrections.”

The board also heard a report on the year’s summative assessment results from Vaughn Rhudy, director of assessment for the department. He reported that overall students showed improvement year over year.

“In math, we increased two percentage points over last year. 35 percent, where we were 33 percent,” Rudy said. “Last year in English language arts, another two percentage point increase 44 this year, 42 Last year. And in science, we did see a one percentage point increase to 29 percent over 28 percent last year.”

Accounting for grade level and subject, there were some small decreases or no change, including for seventh grade language arts from 41 percent to 39 percent. The full results can be viewed on the Zoom WV website.