WV Board of Ed. Receives County Updates and Harvard Recovery Scorecard Overview

Charleston, W.Va. – The Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University cites West Virginia’s education recovery efforts among the top in the country. According to its Education Recovery Scorecard (issued in collaboration with The Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford University), West Virginia ranked 6th in growth for math and 11th in growth for reading. The study was released this week and an overview was shared with members of the West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) during its February meeting in Charleston today.
 
West Virginia’s academic recovery accelerated between 2022-2024 leading to the top 11 recovery rankings for math and reading. When factoring in 2019-2022, a period which includes the peak of Covid-19 pandemic disruptions to learning, West Virginia ranks 22nd in math recovery and 42nd in reading recovery. This reinforces the need for in-person, uninterrupted instruction for the majority of students.
 
Districts across the country continue to address chronic absenteeism, which rose sharply during the pandemic. In the Mountain State, these numbers are decreasing (from 29% in 2022 to 24% in 2024) due to several collaborative efforts.
 
The report outlines some of the existing challenges among districts and additional highlights such as Marshall, Ohio, Putnam and Raleigh counties surpassing pre-pandemic achievement levels in math.
 
The 2025 Education Recovery Scorecard measures the pace of academic recovery among districts nationwide as determined by students’ performance on the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP). Often referred to as the Nation’s Report Card, NAEP is administered to a sample of students in grades 4 and 8 to assess mathematics, reading and science proficiency.

Pocahontas County Schools State of Emergency

In accordance with W.Va. Code §18-2E-5, the WVBE declared a State of Emergency for Pocahontas County Schools during its February meeting. The decision comes after the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) conducted a Special Circumstance Review of Pocahontas County High School (PCHS) in October 2024 at the request of County Superintendent Lynne Bostic.
 
The WVDE Office of PK-12 Academic Support conducted the review of the school’s counseling program, scheduling and grading procedures, school and county-level leadership practices, school safety, and the provision of special education services.
 
Key findings include:

• No process to develop student personal education plans (PEPs)
• Student schedules were not prepared in advance of the 2024-25 school year
• School leaders lacked expertise and the necessary access to the West Virginia Education Information System (WVEIS) to transcribe grades and complete other important tasks
• The county did not provide adequate mentorship or support to assist the new high school principal transition into the new leadership role
• Insufficient security measures at the school led to inadequate safety supports
• Some special education processes and procedures did not meet state or federal standards and/or requirements

Logan, Upshur and Hampshire County Updates

The WVDE Office of Accountability also provided updates on the Upshur County and Logan County interventions.
 
Assistant Superintendent of Accountability Programs Jeffrey Kelly reported that each county continues to make steady progress in addressing challenges and findings. These include areas of finance, operations, leadership, student success and personnel.
 
The WVBE voted to release Hampshire County Schools (HCS) from a State of Emergency in Special Education. The Board determined HCS is making progress, and the county has agreed to maintain the protocols and practices necessary to support continued improvement. The WVBE initiated the State of Emergency in November 2023, due to a lack of progress over a three-year period on a targeted improvement plan.
 
Special Circumstance Reviews and other reports are available on the WVDE Accountability Services page.

Nicholas County School Closures and Consolidations

The Board approved the request of the Nicholas County Board of Education to close and consolidate Summersville Elementary School, Glade Creek Elementary School and Summersville Middle School and merge them into a new Summersville Academic Complex PreK-8. The new facility is scheduled for completion in time for the 2027-28 school year.

Tyler County School Closures and Consolidations

The Board approved the request of the Tyler County Board of Education for the closure and consolidation of Arthur I. Boreman Elementary School and Sistersville Elementary School into a new Tyler Consolidated Elementary School. These closures are not contingent on any other actions and are proposed to occur upon the completion of a new facility scheduled for completion for the 2027-28 school year.

Charter Schools Stimulus Fund

The WVBE approved Policy 8400, the Charter School Stimulus Fund, which was the result of legislation passed in 2023. The fund will be administered by the West Virginia Professional Charter School Board with oversight from the WVBE. It appropriates public funds to assist with charter school start-up costs. While no monies were attached to the legislation, the policy establishes an accountability structure for the award and expenditure of these funds.

WVBE Policies on Public Comment

Personal Electronic Device Usage in Schools

Policy 4374 establishes minimum standards and requirements for county boards of education to limit the use of personal electronic devices by students in grades K-12. This policy was developed to minimize disruptions and ensure these devices do not interfere with the educational process in order to increase academic achievement for public school students.
 
Policy 4374 will be placed on public comment for 30 days from filing and is available on the WVDE website. 

Next Meeting

The next regularly scheduled WVBE meeting is 10 a.m., Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Building 6, Suite 600, 1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East, Charleston, West Virginia.
 
The February agenda and documents shared during the meeting are available online along with live and archived video links, minutes and other information. Visit the WVDE website for details.