Test Scores Show Schools Slowly Climbing out of Pandemic Hole
Joselyn King Trending
WHEELING -- The students in West Virginia's public schools are, as a whole, doing as well or better in their assessment tests than they were last year, as they climbed out of the educational chaos that COVID-19 wrought. In the 2020-21 school year, students were still dealing with remote learning, lack of in-person time with their teachers and the problems that can come with isolation from their friends.
The 2021-22 school year provided a much more normal experience for the Mountain State's students. Classes were held in person. Sports and other activities resumed.
With that, West Virginia students' proficiency went from 40% in reading, 28% in math and 27% in science in 2020-21 to 42% in reading, 33% in math and 28% in science in 2021-22. Those numbers were improvements, yet it still showed less than half of the state's students proficient in reading, a third proficient in math and less than a third proficient in science.
The schools of the six Northern Panhandle counties mirrored that for the most part. Scores were climbing back toward pre-pandemic levels, yet there was still plenty of room to grow, and some schools saw scores lower than last year in certain subjects.
Administrators in those counties say they see promise in the gains realized in the last year, but are nowhere near satisfied with where those scores sit. So the mission now is to find ways to keep climbing, hopefully at a faster pace.
Ohio County
In Ohio County Schools, younger elementary students largely did better than their older brothers and sisters in middle school and high school.
Last year's test scores for the 2020-2021 school year showed Ohio County Schools having an overall drop in language arts and math scores compared to the 2018-2019 school year -- which educators are now calling the "pre-COVID era."
But information presented recently to the Ohio County Board of Education by Walt Saunders, assessment and federal programs director for Ohio County Schools, indicated 2021-22 scores did show some improvement as students began to spend more time in the classrooms with their teachers.
And while the most recent data shows strong results across Ohio County Schools at the elementary school level, those for older students were not good, Saunders acknowledged.
Overall, eight of the 13 schools within the school district improved scores in both math and language arts. These included Bethlehem, Elm Grove, Madison, Middle Creek, Ritchie and Steenrod elementary schools, as well as the Warwood School and Bridge Street Middle School.
But Wheeling Park High School's scores overall decreased in both math and science areas. Math scores dropped from 27% proficiency to 24%, while science scores went down from 36% to 33%.
The science proficiency assessment at Triadelphia Middle School fell from 31% to 26%, while reading scores dropped from 58% to 51%. At Wheeling Middle School, science results fell from 43% to 29%, and reading marks went from 50% to 47%.
Reading scores at West Liberty Elementary School dropped from 63% proficiency to 53%, while math scores at Woodsdale Elementary School, decreased from 54% to 51%.
The previous year, nine of the 13 Ohio County schools saw decreased scores indicating a loss of learning, according to Saunders.
"We have implemented some new stuff, we've put the skids on and we're ready to make the turn back to the positive," he said. "Eight out of 13 is quite an improvement. We're making a comeback, and learning loss is what we are addressing overall. We're going in the right direction."
Saunders also spoke as to why science scores seem to be lower or an issue at most buildings in Ohio County Schools.
"The science component was added in recent years by legislation, but we kept our major concerns on math and language arts. Language arts is a priority. If you can't read, you can't do the science program.
"That doesn't mean science is not important. But when we're picking on what to work on, language arts and math take priority."
Third-grade students in Ohio County Schools achieved the second-highest math scores among the 55 counties, and were the third best in language arts, according to Saunders.
Fourth-grade students were sixth in language arts and 10th in math, while fifth-grade students finished fifth in both math and language arts scores.
Among the highest achieving schools, Ritchie School third-grade students scored 85% proficiency in math scores; and fourth-grade students, 82%.
"Our success is a joint learning effort among students, staff and families," Principal John Jorden said. "I am so very proud of our entire Ritchie community for achieving these amazing test scores."
At the middle school level, disparities in test scores could be seen immediately, according to Saunders. Sixth-graders were fourth in the state in language arts scores. Seventh-graders were 20th and eighth-graders were fifth.
But none of the middle school levels placed in the top 20 in math scores. While sixth-grade math proficiency was listed as above the state average, those in seventh and eighth grade tested below average, Saunders said.
Saunders noted seventh graders' scores in language arts actually decreased 4% from the prior year, while eighth-grade scores dropped 10% in language arts and 6% in math.
Saunders didn't speak about WPHS test results when he addressed the board of education.
"I highlighted the successes, and concentrated on our areas of concern. These were not at the high school," he explained.
"We have all seen a drop in scores across the board, and I don't think these are specific to the high school. The state of education with COVID had something to do with it."
Scores at WPHS indicated drops in math proficiency from 27% to 24%, and in science proficiency from 33% to 30%. Reading scores increased slightly from 49% to 51%.
What is different about testing at the high school level in West Virginia is that just students in grade 11 are tested, and they are administered the SAT college placement test as their standardized assessment.
The issue is that many of the 11th-grade students aren't looking toward a high school education or Promise Scholarship, so many don't take the testing seriously, Saunders acknowledged.
"Our top performers perform well and receive the Promise Scholarships," he said. "As expected, if a student is not college-bound, they don't know what emphasis to put on it. Our job is to help them perform."
And the answer might be to just better prepare all students to have the strongest skills possible, he said.
"If they are able to perform, they are more likely to want to show their ability," Saunders said. "We encourage them to want to learn and progress."
Conversations about how to improve the test scores are going to be incorporated into the work day so that all staff can be present, Saunders said. Rather than examine standards, the focus will be on improving basic skills.
"If I can't add or subtract, it's going to be hard to do that word problem," Saunders said.
The test scores not only indicate which classes with which teachers scored the highest, but also show individual student performance and any areas where they may be struggling. Teachers will seek to identify and provide additional attention to those students, according to Saunders.
There also will be more of an effort to bring teachers at the same grade levels together to discuss what is going wrong and what is going right in their classrooms, said JoJo Shay, innovation coordinator for Ohio County Schools. She said they may share some of this information through the school district's Schoology program.
This collaboration also may extend to teachers in other grades, so that those in upper and lower grade levels can collaborate to discuss what skills are lacking and how they can be improved, Saunders added. He noted that most all school districts - not just Ohio County Schools - show a decline in scores from grades 3 through 11.
"It's a combination of a lot of things," he explained. "In middle school, your mind changes. Your motivation changes. There's more things in middle school. Maybe if you didn't understand some things in third grade you were still proficient.
"Maybe I don't get it now that I'm in seventh grade, and I need some remediation."
Board of education member Pete Chacalos, a retired high school teacher, suggested more critical thinking is necessary from students at the high school level. Board member Molly Aderholt, suggested later start times and more sleep for students.
Saunders suggested students simply need to adjust to standardized tests and start taking them more seriously as they will likely see more in their future.
"It's a standardized test. Guess what happens with other standardized tests in life? There's an ACT and an SAT," he continued. "If you don't get a high score on those, you don't get a Promise Scholarship and that's a $20,000 thing. So that standardized test you start taking in third grade has applications."
Marshall County
In Marshall County, 34% of students met or exceeded standards in math, 31% met reading standards, and 26% were considered proficient in science. These numbers are an improvement over last year, with math proficiency increasing by 6%, reading by 4%, and science by 1%.
Statewide, West Virginia as a whole sees 33% of students meeting or exceeding standards in math, 42% in reading, and 28% in science, according to this year's assessment.
Marshall County Director of Student Services Casey Ward said the county was pleased to have its test scores back to previous levels, but said there was still much room for improvement.
"Our scores have increased in all three areas that are assessed from the 2021-2022 school year," he said. "We attribute this to in-person learning as opposed to remote learning. There's just no substitute for being in the classroom.
"We're happy that we have improved, but we also realize there's a lot of work to do, and we think we can continue to work on those test scores."
Karen Klamut, the county's assistant superintendent and curriculum director, added that the district is always looking for ways to improve, both for the faculty and students. She attributed the district's rise in test scores over the last seven years, in part, to the professional learning communities and collaborative team efforts between faculty, in addition to resources made available through the state Department of Education.
"I do think we'd attribute that to some of the work we've done in PLCs with administrators and teachers, familiarizing them with the state portal and using the resources provided throughout the school year for benchmarking and accessing information for students before it's time to take the high stakes tests," Klamut said. "We've done a lot of training and professional development over the years, and I'm sure, moving forward, we'll continue to do so as we become more familiar with the platform."
Klamut added that she wished the test scores reflected the amount of effort teachers put into their jobs.
"In seeing our teachers and knowing the training we put in, of course we'd want the test scores to be higher based on the work we know our staff are doing day in and day out," she said. "But those just aren't always reflected on a one-day, one-time test.
"Based on what we see in the classroom and the efforts put forth by our students and staff, of course, I'd think that some of them would be higher."
Ward said the county's teachers had been undergoing training over the summer to better utilize their time and collaborate with one another, hopefully further bringing up the county's test scores going forward.
"We will have meetings with our principals, who will then meet with their teachers at the beginning of the year to review the previous year's test results, and develop their own, individual school plan based on the need," Ward said.
Klamut added that many students take the SATs several times in order to better build a portfolio for college admissions.
"A lot of students are taking that test more than once in preparation for a score to target for college," she said. "I don't think the majority of our students are just taking it one time. We have numerous sites and locations for students to take (the SAT) multiple times to try and improve their scores, and career and technical students take (a different test) to go onto technical schools.
"There are a lot of different options that students are using, and of course their parents are pushing them to do better to be eligible for things like the Promise Scholarship. What we're seeing is that people are taking this more than once."
Brooke County
Brooke High School saw big losses in all areas on the standardized test. Between the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years, math proficiency dropped from 24% to 15%; reading scores, 56% to 36%; and science scores, 28% to just 17%.
The school district saw gains at the middle school level, however. Brooke Middle School increased its math proficiency from 20% to 29%, and science scores from 19% to 27%.
At Brooke Intermediate North, math proficiency went from 45% to 54%.
Overall, Brooke County Schools saw gains in math and science proficiency, with a slight drop in reading scores. Math proficiency there jumped from 27% to 33%, and science scores from 21% to 23%. Reading went down from 36% to 35%.
"We are showing growth in all areas," said Superintendent Jeffrey Crook. "There are a couple of areas where we saw a decrease."
Math scores in grades 3-8 increased in all schools, with some having a double-digit increase, Crook noted. He believes a "chronic absence" problem at the high school contributed to the lower scores there. In addition, more and more students in Brooke County are foregoing college to take higher-paying welding and vocational jobs. This means the SAT test they take in grade 11 isn't of much value to them.
"They are seeing that they can come out of high school with a welding degree and make $27 an hour working for a gas company," Crook said. "They are taking advantage of that."
He estimates about 40% of Brooke County students go on to college.
"If we had the answer, we all could retire," Crook said. "We just have to build relationships with kids, and there has to be incentives within the school district so that they try."
Pizza parties, field trips, and putting the names of students who achieve proficiency in a raffle drawing for prizes are all being considered as rewards, according to Crook.
He and Deanna Marsh, director of assessment for Brooke County Schools, added the school district will continue smaller tests in the fall and winter similar to the standardized tests to see which students are struggling, and where they can be helped prior to taking the main test in the spring.
Hancock County
It's the tale of two high schools in Hancock County. Oak Glen High School saw science proficiency plummet from 48% to 19%, while that at Weir High School hiked up from 18% to 29%. Oak Glen's math scores also dropped from 26% to 22%, with results at the middle school and elementary mostly held steady, with some gains.
Overall, the school district jumped from 37% to 45% proficiency in math; 43% to 46% in reading; and 25% to 33% in reading. Calls for additional comment were not immediately returned Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.
Wetzel County
Wetzel County reported 31% of its students proficient in math, 36% in reading, and 25% in science, an increase from the 25%, 34% and 21% proficiencies, respectively, reported the previous year. Testing Coordinator Paul Huston said that some grade levels use i-Ready to benchmark and track improvements among students, which may show different trends than standardized test scores may indicate.
"If you don't have up-to-date information, it's kind of hard to make changes to instruction for the kids," he said. "… We review last year's test scores and that gives us a picture of what our strengths and weaknesses were, but that was last year's data. We really rely on our benchmark data, which is more up-to-date, gives us a fresh picture of what the kids are learning, what they do or don't know."
Compared to state standardized testing, Huston said, i-Ready tracked the development of kids across grade levels, whereas SAT scores, for example, only track the results of one grade level as successive years of students pass through.
"What's really interesting that we've found is that in grades 3-8, if a kid is in 'the green,' there's a 90% correlation that they'll be at mastery or above on the state test," he continued, clarifying that 'in the green' represented a student being proficient at their grade level. "… We use our PLCs to discuss data, discuss kids and we try to make changes in our instructions rapidly."
Huston added that Wetzel County Schools is currently focused on improving "tier 1 instruction" - that is, in-class teaching, in order to keep the most kids on track as possible.
"If we can do a better job making sure the kids are making the standards, or if we need to review a standard, if we can reach as many kids as possible in that tier 1, that's more bang for your buck."
Tyler County
Tyler County Superintendent Shane Highley said the county was pleased with this year's test results and the improvements they showed over the 2020-2021 school year. Math scores improved from 32% to 42%, reading from 39% to 47% and science from 27% to 33% proficiency.
Highley said the county, which also utilizes i-Ready, spent much of its summer preparing the teachers by studying the previous year's test results and internal benchmarks, targeting critical areas for review.
"Our teachers work really hard; they didn't make excuses, they got in the classroom and worked hard," he said. "… Throughout the summer, our teachers logged around 5,000 hours of professional development, and a lot of those hours were spent looking at test scores and ... i-Ready.