In May, students in Logan County Schools, for the second year, took the new WESTEST 2, a custom designed annual assessment for students aligned to West Virginia’s 21st Century CSOs. The assessment results provide information about a student’s academic strengths, as well as areas that need improvement.

The parent/guardian received on Sept. 9th a student report that indicates levels of performance in each of the content areas. Results of the tests will be used by teachers and other staff to improve student learning and performance. Students in grades 3-11 were assessed. Results from the state assessment determine Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) as defined by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

For the 2009-2010 school year, Logan County had 17 schools that were accountable under the No Child Left Behind Act.

Out of the 17 schools that were accountable, 14 (82 percent) met AYP.

• Ten of Eleven Title 1 Elementary Schools made AYP.

• The Three schools not meeting AYP were Man Middle, Logan Middle, and Man Elementary.

• 38 percent of all elementary students met proficiency in Math and 43 percent met proficiency in Reading/Language Arts.

• 35 percent of Middle school students met proficiency in Math and 40 percent met proficiency in Reading/Language Arts.

• 39 percent of 11th grade students met proficiency in Math and 34 percent met proficiency in Reading/Language Arts.

• The three high schools that were accountable for AYP met or exceeded the graduation standard of 80 percent graduation rate (county was 84 percent).

• 100 percent of Logan County’s elementary and middle schools met or exceeded the attendance standard of 90 percent (county was 95.6 percent)

• 16 out of Logan County’s 17 schools exceeded the standard participation rate of 95 percent in all subgroups. One elementary school fell below that standard in one subgroup.

Results indicate that Logan County did not make AYP because of the Special Education and Low SES subgroups in Math and Reading at the Middle School level. The number of schools in Logan County failing to meet the federal benchmark for this year’s state assessment, WESTEST 2, was the same as last year, with the exception being last year it was the three Middle schools and this year it was two middle schools and one elementary school, mentioned in bullet two above.

Compared to last year’s performance, Logan County Schools showed an improvement in every grade level in Math and Reading except for 4th and 8th grades. Tenth grade Math and Eleventh grade Reading also showed declines.

When the U.S. Department of Education reauthorizes the No Child Left Behind Act next year, a new accountability system will take the place of the current AYP. The new accountability model will recognize student growth and students WESTEST 2 results will be evaluated based on whether they have improved from the year before. This growth system will especially help the schools with special education students, because, instead of having to meet a certain federal standard, they will have to show that those students improved from the year before.

Meeting AYP in the middle schools has always been very difficult, because of the number of special education students and Low SES students. Schools are held accountable for any subgroup with 50 or more students. A school may meet federal standards in the All students group, but fail to meet the standard in any one of several subgroups, and that will keep that school from making AYP. With the new growth model system, it will level the playing field for all accountability subgroups within the schools.

West Virginia also raised the cut scores for this test, making it even more difficult for students to make mastery or higher on the state assessment. Even with the test being tougher and the level students have to meet to make mastery raised, Logan County schools on the whole showed improvement from the 2009 test. In 2009, Logan County had 17 students who scored distinguished in both reading and math. This year, there were 27 students scoring distinguished in both of those subjects.

“Logan County Schools still have a lot of work to do” says Superintendent Wilma Zigmond, “but overall, we are pleased with this year’s WESTEST 2 results.”