Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
West Virginia students are making up ground lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, with new state assessment results showing math and English proficiency has returned to or surpassed pre-pandemic levels.
The West Virginia Department of Education says the gains are encouraging, but officials and educators say there is still significant work to do.
“It’s important when people start talking about assessment that they have to think about what’s the purpose of the assessment,” West Virginia Department of Education Director of Assessment Vaughn Rhudy said. “The purpose of the summative assessment, again, is to take a look and get that snapshot at the end of the year on that one day that students take the test as to where they are.”
Rhudy said the state is focused on moving beyond the pandemic’s impact on student achievement.
“We’re actually trying to put the pandemic in the past and we’re trying to move forward,” he said. “We want to continue to build upon what we’ve seen in terms of the improvements in student achievement.”
But Kanawha County teacher and Delegate Andy Shamblin said returning to pre-pandemic levels does not mean the work is finished.
Statewide, about 39% of students are proficient in math.
“I think we should be pleased with what we’re seeing because it tells us that we’re finally moving in the right direction, but there’s still way too many students that aren’t meeting basic proficiency standards,” Shamblin said.
11th grade remains a particular concern. Just 21% of juniors are proficient in math, while English proficiency among 11th graders fell from 55% last year to 51% this year.
Rhudy said one possible factor is the format of the assessment. Juniors take the SAT as part of the state’s testing program, and some students may not see the test as relevant to their plans after high school.
“We know that some students aren’t going to go to college,” Rhudy said. “So I think there might be a factor there that kind of comes into play with some students not being as motivated because they know they’re not going to college.”
The results also raise questions when compared with West Virginia’s roughly 93% graduation rate.
“If we’ve got a 93% graduation rate, but we only have a 39% proficiency rate, then I do think that raises some questions about how students are being evaluated and graded,” Shamblin said.
WVDE officials also caution that state assessments provide only a limited snapshot of student performance. The tests measure how students perform on a particular day and do not capture everything that happens in the classroom throughout the school year.
“It’s possible that on any given day, a student may do well,” Rhudy said. “It just depends a lot of times on how the student’s feeling that day when they come in to take the test, or did something happen at home? We don’t know that.”
The state says the latest results show progress, while educators say the focus now needs to remain on helping more students reach proficiency.
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West Virginia students are making up ground lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, with new state assessment results showing math and English proficiency has returned to or surpassed pre-pandemic levels.
The West Virginia Department of Education says the gains are encouraging, but officials and educators say there is still significant work to do.
“It’s important when people start talking about assessment that they have to think about what’s the purpose of the assessment,” West Virginia Department of Education Director of Assessment Vaughn Rhudy said. “The purpose of the summative assessment, again, is to take a look and get that snapshot at the end of the year on that one day that students take the test as to where they are.”
Rhudy said the state is focused on moving beyond the pandemic’s impact on student achievement.
“We’re actually trying to put the pandemic in the past and we’re trying to move forward,” he said. “We want to continue to build upon what we’ve seen in terms of the improvements in student achievement.”
But Kanawha County teacher and Delegate Andy Shamblin said returning to pre-pandemic levels does not mean the work is finished.
Statewide, about 39% of students are proficient in math.
“I think we should be pleased with what we’re seeing because it tells us that we’re finally moving in the right direction, but there’s still way too many students that aren’t meeting basic proficiency standards,” Shamblin said.
11th grade remains a particular concern. Just 21% of juniors are proficient in math, while English proficiency among 11th graders fell from 55% last year to 51% this year.
Rhudy said one possible factor is the format of the assessment. Juniors take the SAT as part of the state’s testing program, and some students may not see the test as relevant to their plans after high school.
“We know that some students aren’t going to go to college,” Rhudy said. “So I think there might be a factor there that kind of comes into play with some students not being as motivated because they know they’re not going to college.”
The results also raise questions when compared with West Virginia’s roughly 93% graduation rate.
“If we’ve got a 93% graduation rate, but we only have a 39% proficiency rate, then I do think that raises some questions about how students are being evaluated and graded,” Shamblin said.
WVDE officials also caution that state assessments provide only a limited snapshot of student performance. The tests measure how students perform on a particular day and do not capture everything that happens in the classroom throughout the school year.
“It’s possible that on any given day, a student may do well,” Rhudy said. “It just depends a lot of times on how the student’s feeling that day when they come in to take the test, or did something happen at home? We don’t know that.”
The state says the latest results show progress, while educators say the focus now needs to remain on helping more students reach proficiency.
_________________________________________
Follow WCHS on social media:
Facebook: facebook.com/eyewitnessnewscharleston
Twitter: twitter.com/wchs8fox11
Instagram: instagram.com/wchs8fox11
For the latest local and national news, visit our website: wchstv.com
Sign up for our newsletter: wchstv.com/sign-up
