by Kate Shunney
West Virginia public school students, including those in Morgan County Schools, are improving in English language arts (ELA), mathematics and science according to the most recent state assessment data released by the West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) recently.
The state board received results from the 2024-2025 student assessments during its meeting last month in Charleston.
These include 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.
According to the report, 48 of the 55 counties improved in mathematics, with 26 of them meeting or exceeding annual growth targets set by the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE). In English Language Arts, 52 counties showed improved proficiency, with 30 of them meeting or exceeding the annual growth target.
Morgan County Schools saw an increase in the Summative Assessment scores countywide, with student proficiency in reading rising from 43% to 51% and outpacing the state proficiency level, which stands at 48% for reading.
Local student proficiency in Science also rose, from 30% of students proficient in 2023-2024 to 31% proficient at testing time this last year. Morgan County proficiency is higher than the state percentage, which is at 30% for this last round of testing.
More Morgan County students are also proficient in grade-level Math skills, as of the 2024-2025 academic year. Math proficiency rose from 34% countywide in 2023-2024 to 39% this past year. That exceeds the state proficiency level, which stands at 38%.
Proficiency percentages include students who met the state standards and those who exceeded the state standards in answering test questions.
“These are the highest assessment scores in 10 years for Morgan County Schools. We are very proud of what we are doing,” Superintendent David Banks told The Morgan Messenger.
Warm Springs Intermediate School, Warm Springs Middle School, Pleasant View Elementary and Paw Paw Elementary all saw their student proficiency numbers rise in every subject in last year’s state testing.
Both of the county’s high schools saw some increases in the number of students mastering state skills, but also some decreases.
A presentation about the testing data is planned for the September 2 Board of Education meeting in Berkeley Springs, Banks said.
High school data
Berkeley Springs High School students continued growth in reading proficiency, but lost ground in science and math, according to state data.
In Reading, Berkeley Springs High School saw increased student proficiency on state standards, from 45% of students being proficient to 51% of students in the 2024-2025 school year.
In Math, student proficiency dropped from 21% on 2023-2024 to 16% in the last school year.
In Science, student proficiency declined from 30% in 2023-2024 to 26% last school year.
Eleventh graders at the high school take the state test.
At Paw Paw High School, student subject proficiency dropped in all subjects. In Reading, 33% of students were proficient in state learning standards, down from 35% the previous school year. In Math, 18% of Paw Paw students were proficient in state skill standards, down from 29% the previous year. Test scores showed 12% of Paw Paw high school students were proficient in Science, down from 21% the previous year.
Because of Paw Paw’s small school size, test scores from just one or two students can drive change in the school’s overall proficiency rate.
Eleventh graders at the school take the test.
Warm Springs Middle
At Warm Springs Middle School, student test data showed gains in all subject proficiency, according to state reports.
Half of middle school students achieved proficiency in Reading, up from 40% of students in 2023-2024.
In Math, 33% of middle school students were proficient in state skill standards in 2024-2025, up from 26% the previous school year.
Students also gained in Science, showing 29% of the student body being proficient in state skill standards, up from 26% the previous school year.
The highest Reading proficiency was seen in 6th graders, with 52% showing mastery of the skills.
The highest Math proficiency was seen in 7th graders, with 38% proficiency in that testing group.
Sixth, seventh and eighth graders take the state test.
Pleasant View
At Pleasant View Elementary, more students last year showed proficiency in Science over the previous year.
More than 38% of students were proficient in Science in 2024-2025 testing, up from 32% in 2023-2024.
In Reading skills, 44% of students had met the state standards, up from 41% the previous year.
Math proficiency rose at Pleasant View, with 38% of students meeting or exceeding the state skill standards, up from 32% the previous year.
Third, fourth and fifth graders at Pleasant View take the test.
Warm Springs Intermediate
More students at Warm Springs Intermediate School were proficient in grade-level Reading skills, according to the 2024-2025 test scores. 56% of intermediate students were proficient in those skills last year, up from 49% the previous year.
In Math, student proficiency rose from 47% in 2023-2024 to 55% this past year.
Science test scores showed more students had acquired those subject skills as well, with proficiency numbers rising last year from 36% to 40%.
Third, fourth and fifth graders at Warm Springs Intermediate School take the state test.
Paw Paw Elementary
Elementary grade students in Paw Paw showed greater skill proficiency in all subjects in 2024-2025 testing. Math scores rose from 39% proficiency to 45%, Reading scores saw 40% proficiency, up from 34% the previous year. And Science test scores showed a greater mastery of skills, with 25% of students proficient in their grade level skills, up from 19% the previous year. Third, fifth and sixth graders in Paw Paw take the state test, according to state reports.
Statewide, grade-level content improved or stayed the same with increases of 3% in ELA (to 48%), 2% in mathematics (to 38%) and 1% in science (to 30%). Additionally, the percentage of students in the lowest-scoring achievement level in Grade 3 decreased as well.
“We are so excited to see the continued progress of our students. It is the result of the hard work invested at the local and state levels,” said State Superintendent of Schools Michele L. Blatt. “These incremental steps show sustainable growth that impacts student learning in tangible ways.”
Three years ago, the WVBE directed the State Department of Education, working with the West Virginia Legislature and county school systems, implemented the Third Grade Success Act in 2023 that provided new resources for early learning classrooms.
Morgan County Schools have utilized several testing and academic tracking tools to help students advance their mastery of targeted skills, and are working with a company that is guiding teachers in their academic approach in classrooms.
This year’s assessment data report can be found on the Board of Education’s ZoomWV dashboard at https://zoomwv.k12.wv.us/Dashboard/dashboard/7301
On the upper left of the screen is a “Filter Data” box under which specific counties or schools can be viewed to specify search results.
