News Brief
Data Shows 28 Percent of W.Va. Schools Meet Student Learning, Improvement Goals
Associated Press (09/04/13) Raby, JohnThe West Virginia Department of Education released data from its new accountability system, which found that 28 percent of schools met goals for student learning and improvement and 38 percent had met one of the two goals. Fifteen percent of schools were in the focus category, which means there were significant achievement gaps and that schools must concentrate on one key issue. Fourteen percent of schools need help in every area and were designated as support schools, while 5 percent of low-performance schools were in the priority category. State Superintendent of Schools Jim Phares says, "Student growth data gives us more accurate targeted information about every individual student. Every student counts and every student must be growing and improving whether you're a top-performing or a low-performing student." The accountability system indicates that 64 percent of students are on par with or exceeding growth expectations in math and 70 percent in reading. Phares explains, "The system is about keeping your eye on the finishing line, not looking to the lane to the left of you, the lane to the right of you. There are various starting points for our students in schools and the finish line is the same. We want all of our schools at some point in time to become a success school and we want them to continue to focus on proficiency as well as improvement of the students." For more performance data, click here.
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