Good News about Public Schools in WV
Students Achieving
Writing Scores Are Up: The proportion of West Virginia public school 8th graders who scored at the highest two levels in writing in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) increased by 17% between 1998 and 2002. RCW
Math Scores Are Up: The proportion of West Virginia public school 4th graders who scored at the highest two levels in mathematics in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has more than doubled between 1992 and 2005. RCM
Math Scores Are Up: The proportion of West Virginia public school 8th graders who scored at the highest two levels in mathematics in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has nearly doubled between 1990 and 2005. RCM
Science Scores Are Up: The proportion of West Virginia public school 8th graders who scored at the highest two levels in science in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) increased by 24% between 1996 and 2000. RCS
SAT Scores Are Rising: More West Virginia students are getting high scores on their SAT college entrance examinations. The proportion of graduating seniors getting high scores on the Verbal SAT has increased by 17% since 1994; the proportion of graduating seniors getting high scores on the Math SAT has increased by 23% since 1996. (A high score is defined as 600 or above). SAT
ACT Scores Are Rising: Since 1994, ACT college entrance examination scores in West Virginia have risen five times as fast as the national average. ACT
More Students Are Taking ACTs: Since 1996, the proportion of West Virginia graduating seniors taking the ACT college entrance examinations has increased by 17%. ACT
More Public Schools Than Private Schools Offer AP: While 78% of West Virginia's public high schools offer Advanced Placement (AP) courses through which high school students can earn college credit, just 27% of West Virginia's private high schools offer these advanced courses. AP
More Public Schools Offer AP Courses: Since 1999 the proportion of West Virginia public schools offering AP courses has increased by 28%. AP
Public School Students Outperform Private School Students on AP Exams: In West Virginia, public school students score higher than private school students on their AP exams in biology. AP
Best in the Nation in Students Taking Advanced Math Courses: West Virginia is the #1 state in the nation in the proportion of students taking trigonometry and pre-calculus. CCS
Best in the Nation in Students Taking Advanced Science Courses: West Virginia is the #1 state in the nation in the percentage of high school students taking upper level science courses. CCS
Students Show Up to School on Time: West Virginia is one of the top 3 states in the country in the percentage of public school 8th graders attending schools without a tardiness problem. EWQ
Among the Nation's Biggest Gains in Students Going on to College: The proportion of West Virginia 18 to 24 year olds enrolling in college is up 20% in the past decade, the 8th largest increases in the nation. HE
Among the Nation's Biggest Gains in College Entrance Exam Scores: West Virginia is one of the top 8 states in the increase over the past decade in the proportion of school graduates with scores in the top 20% nationally on either ACT or SAT college entrance examinations. HE
High Quality Teachers
More Teachers Nationally Certified: The number of West Virginia teachers being honored with certification from the prestigious National Board of Professional Teaching Standards has increased nearly four-fold since 2001. NBP
All Middle and High School Math Teachers Are Certified in Their Field: Every 7th through 12th grade public school math teacher in West Virginia is certified in his or her field. CCS
Middle and High School Math Teachers Are Among the Most Qualified in the Nation: West Virginia is one of the top 8 states in the nation in proportion of 7th through 12th grade public school math teachers with majors in their field. CCS
Even More Good News
Investment in Teachers Has Spurred Student Achievement: West Virginia was recently identified as a state that made great improvements in student achievement after it raised teacher salaries and licensing requirements and invested in more professional development. TQ
Among the Best Gains in the Nation in Preparing Students for College: The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education ranks West Virginia as one of the top 9 states in the gains made over the last decade in preparing its students for college. HE
Public Schools Noted for High Standards and Accountability: West Virginia's public schools are known for their high standards and accountability. Education Week gives West Virginia an A grade (95 out of 100) for the high standards and accountability of its public schools. EWQ
Computers Highly Available: There is one classroom computer available for every 5.7 public school students in West Virginia, making West Virginia one of the top 4 states in classroom computer availability for students. MDR
Widespread Internet Access: Almost all of the public schools in West Virginia (99%) have Internet access. MDR
Schools Are Safe: No schools in West Virginia were identified as "persistently dangerous" under the new "No Child Left Behind" law. EWQ
Yet Challenges Remain
Teacher Salaries Are Among the Nation's Lowest: West Virginia ranks near the very bottom in the nation, 47th out of 50 states, for having the lowest salaries for public school teachers. The average teacher salary in West Virginia is $9,400 less that the average teacher salary nationwide, making West Virginia much less competitive in attracting new teachers. NEA
Teacher Salaries Are Declining: Nationwide in the past 10 years, teacher salaries have increased in constant dollars. However, in West Virginia, teacher salaries have declined by 1%. NEA
Public School Spending Has Declined: Public education spending per pupil has declined in West Virginia. Since 2001, per pupil spending in constant dollars has declined by 3%. DEF, NRE and ESR
Student/Teacher Ratio Is Getting Worse: The number of students for every teacher is getting larger in West Virginia and, as a result, students are getting less individual attention. The number of students per public school teacher has increased by 2% since 2000. DEF and ESR
Schools Need Major Repairs: Sixty-seven percent (67%) of West Virginia's schools have at least one inadequate building feature (e.g., roofs, plumbing, electric wiring), and 82% have at least one unsatisfactory environmental condition (e.g., poor air quality, poor heating, too much noise). ASC
Endnotes
ACT - ACT, Inc., ACT Average Composite Scores by State, 1994-2005.
ASC - American Society of Civil Engineers. 2005 Report Card for America's Infrastructure.
AP - College Board. 2004 AP National and State Summary Report Tables.
SAT - College Board. 2005 SAT National and State Reports. Data published on College Board Online Web site. (Similar data exist for earlier years.)
CCS - Council of Chief State School Officers. State Indicators of Science and Mathematics Education 2003.
TQ - Darling-Hammond, Linda. Teacher Quality and Student Achievement: A Review of State Policy Evidence. Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy: December 1999.
ESR - Education State Rankings 2005-2006: Pre K-12 Education in the 50 United States. (Morgan Quitno Press: Lawrence, KS). September, 2005.
EWQ - Education Week. Quality Counts 2005: State of the States.
MDR - Market Data Retrieval. Technology in Education 2004.
NBP - National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. State-by-State Listing. November 2004.
DEF - National Center for Education Statistics. Digest of Education Statistics 2003. December 2004.
RCM - National Center for Education Statistics. Nation's Report Card: Mathematics 2005. October 2005.
RCS - National Center for Education Statistics. Nation's Report Card: State Science 2000 Reports. November 2001.
RCW - National Center for Education Statistics, Nation's Report Card: Writing 2002. July 2003.
NRE - National Center for Education Statistics. Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2001-2002. June 2004.
HE - National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. Measuring Up 2004: The State-by-State Report Card for Higher Education. November 2004.
NEA - National Education Association. Ranking and Estimates: Rankings of the States 2003 and Estimates of School Statistics 2004. May 2000.