WHEELING — It has been five years since the COVID pandemic closed schools and interrupted the education of school students.

Northern Panhandle educators this week have been examining the results of the most recent West Virginia General Summative Assessment measuring student performance across the state, and they report scores are in line with or exceeding what they were in 2020.

Local counties all report at least slight growth with their test scores.

The WVGSA is in its seventh year of data collection.

Results indicate that among that state’s 55 school districts, Ohio County Schools ranked fourth for math and third for reading and language arts. Nearly 50 percent of overall students exceeded or met math standards and nearly 60 percent of overall students exceeded or met reading standards.

Ohio County Schools reading scores increased slightly from 58 percent to 59 percent over last year. In math they stayed steady at about 50 percent, and in science decreased from 37 percent to 34 percent.

This compares to the state’s overall proficiency levels, which were in reading, 48 percent; in math, 38 percent; and in science, 30 percent.

Across the state, the West Virginia Department of Education reports that 48 out of 55 West Virginia counties improved in math, while 52 out of 55 counties showed improved proficiency in reading.

Brooke County

Brooke County Schools test scores took some measurable strides upward in the latest results.

Reading scores jumped from 43 percent to 47 percent proficiency, while science scores increased from 26 percent to 33 percent over last year. Math scores held steady at 39 percent.

“We’re trending in the right direction,” Superintendent Jeffrey Crook said. “We went from 18th to 12th overall, and that’s a good jump.

“We had terrible scores last year, and our folks did a wonderful job getting them (students) ready for the coming year.”

Brooke High School’s scores were especially under the microscope after 2023-24 results. The juniors this year had reading scores increase from 37 percent to 49 percent, math scores jumping from 15 percent to 28 percent, and dismal science results rising from 6 percent to 23 percent.

Crook noted the school district’s teachers “have worked hard with the kids,” and they have reviewed the data they received to better know the strengths and weaknesses of each student.

The students also deserve a lot of the credit, he continued. Crook said school administrators met with last year’s junior class twice to talk about their Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Testing (PSAT) scores, and the areas in which they needed to improve.

“We’re getting students to realize this (testing) is a direct reflection on their schools and themselves,” Crook continued. “Then we make sure they have the tools to succeed so that when they take the test, it’s just another day at the office.”

Along with PSAT testing, Brooke County Schools also has instituted the Khan Academy program – an online learning site that helps students prepare for SAT testing.

“We’re still not where we want to be, but we are trending up,” Crook said. “We had a little bit of a drop in math overall. We had some bright spots. With the math in third and fourth grade we had a nice increase. We also saw a good increase in science scores.

“There’s a couple of grade levels we need to work on. We will be instituting more support.”

He credited the combination of student encouragement and the Khan Academy enrichment for helping students to improve test scores, especially at the high school level.

“But we couldn’t have had that jump if kids didn’t start to take this more seriously,” Crook said. “They did, and we’re going to continue that trend. They rose to the occasion.

“We will just continue with good strategies and building relationships with students. You have to get to know students, and you have to know what makes them tick and what are the best instructional strategies for each kid. With smaller schools, we are able to do that. We can break it down to the micro-level.”

Hancock County

Hancock County Schools also saw a rise in some test scores. Reading jumped from 50 percent to 55 percent proficiency, and math from 50 percent to 51 percent. The overall science score fell from 34 percent to 32 percent proficiency.

“We’re extremely pleased with our test scores,” according to Kristen Bissett, federal programs/student services/assessment director for Hancock County Schools.

“We’re making sure teachers are implementing the proper curriculum. We’re huge on the science of reading, we train the heck out of our teachers and use a lot of data analysis. We look at benchmark tests, see which ones are struggling and where they need help.”

Bissett said she was pleased with the results, but “not necessarily surprised.”

“We’re right in line with where we thought we would be,” she continued. “Our administration and our teachers have done a great job. They are extremely dedicated and worry about the students’ overall achievement.

“We’re always looking to improve areas, but science is still our weakest area.”

Hancock County has been taking measures to increase science interest among students, she explained. Last year the school district started partnering with the Hancock 4-H to develop science units that are being implemented in elementary schools.

“I think it will be a big help, doing those programs,” Bissett said. “For now, we’re going to continue on the same path, provide interventions where needed, and make sure we’re providing quality instruction at all grade levels.”

Ohio County

Ohio County Schools Superintendent Kim Miller said the results of the GSA serve as a way for teachers and students to see how they fared on that test, and how they can get ready and help students improve during the next year.

“Our test scores reflect that we are showing growth, and our teachers are working very diligently,” she continued. “We continue to lead the state and be in the top five counties (among the 55 school districts.)”

Miller explained that JoJo Shay, innovation coordinator for the school district, breaks down the test score data received from the state and teachers then spend time during the summer analyzing the data.

“They look at each individual child, and how they did and what the next steps are. It’s a constant growth cycle,” she said.

“It’s very focused and curriculum-driven. We are focusing on the standards, and deciding how best to meet the children’s needs when they come in.”

For the most part throughout the school district, scores have remained steady or increased slightly. Shay said that means educators in Ohio County Schools are achieving their main objective.

“Our data shows growth and that’s what we want – for every kid to grow,” Shay said. “That’s our ultimate goal.

“And we are tracking very well. That has been our goal since we put our new system in place is to be consistent. That is happening.”

She noted the teachers also received last year’s data so they could compare results for the students coming into their classrooms this fall.

“They can see their strengths and weaknesses, and they can start building units for the new year,” Shay added. “We grew in both English and math (overall) as a county, then from there it’s a bit different at every grade level.”

Middle school math had been a focus following the COVID era, when testing showed middle school skill levels had decreased.

“We really struggled there. That’s where we took the biggest hit,” she said. “So we’ve been working hard over the past few years, and we saw some tremendous growth over time.”

While the West Virginia Summative Assessment is administered to students in elementary and middle schools, high school students receive the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) as their standardized tests.

At Wheeling Park High School, reading scores dropped one point from 61 percent proficiency for the 2023-2024 school year to 60 percent proficiency for the 2024-2025 session. Math scores also decreased one point from 28 percent to 27 percent proficiency.

Marshall County

Regarding Marshall County Schools’ test scores, Superintendent Shelby Haines said the district has realized some improvements.

“We remain committed to improving our assessment scores, while also prioritizing a safe and supportive environment for our students,” she noted. “After taking a deeper look at our recent test data, we’re pleased to report that our ELA (reading) scores have increased by over 3 percent, and our math scores by 2 percent. Both ELA (reading) and math performance are currently in line with the state average.

“In mathematics, all of our elementary grades are meeting or exceeding the state average of 38 percent proficiency, and we are focused on increasing that percentage even further this year.”

She said the school district will continue to monitor the fidelity of instruction to its core curriculum and have implemented more targeted procedures for benchmark assessments in the upcoming school year.

“Principals are working closely with teachers to set realistic and meaningful goals for academic growth,” she said. “However, we also need support from parents in the most critical area — ensuring students are present and on time. Strong, consistent attendance is essential for consistent instruction and long-term success.”

In math, 37.19 percent of all Marshall County students reached proficiency, while 45.66 percent of students reached proficiency in English/language arts and 26.99 percent reached proficiency in science, all slight increases from last year.

Wetzel County

Superintendent Cassandra Porter could not be reached for comment as of Friday evening, but the county showed slight gains in reading, but slight declines in math and science. Math proficiency was at 34.73 percent, down from 35.56 percent in 2023-24. ELA proficiency was 42.20 percent, up from 40.63 percent and science proficiency was 25 percent, down from 25.32 percent.

Wetzel third-graders saw some of the biggest leaps in math, rising from 58.90 percent in 2023-24 to 63.19 percent in 2024-25. But the county’s seventh graders struggled in math, falling nearly 10 points from 31.41 percent to 21.68 percent.

Wetzel County high schools will see a significant change this year, with Hundred and Valley high schools merging at Valley and Magnolia and Paden City high schools merging at Magnolia. This is a temporary measure until one consolidated high school in Wetzel County is built.

Tyler County

Tyler County Schools Superintendent Shane Highley could not be reached for comment as of Friday evening. The county saw slight improvements in all three subjects. Student proficiency rose from 43.65 percent in 2023-24 to 45.44 percent in 2024-05 in math, from 45.77 percent to 47.26 percent in ELA and from 30.54 percent to 36.04 percent in science.

Tyler’s fourth-graders recorded the top proficiency levels in both math and ELA, finishing at 69.12 percent and 58.82 percent, respectively. Both fourth-grade scores are up from 2023-24, when they were 63.51 percent in math and 44.59 percent in ELA. Tyler’s 11th graders recorded the county’s lowest proficiency scores in math at just 11.27 percent in 2024-25, down from 17.35 percent in 2023-24.

In May, the West Virginia Board of Education stripped the Tyler County Board of Education of its decision-making powers, citing reasons including an overuse of closed-door sessions and the fact that none of the board members could articulate the overall purpose of the board.

The board had voted 3-2 earlier in the year to not renew Highley’s contract, but after the state takeover, West Virginia State Schools Superintendent Michele Blatt announced that Highley would remain in the position.