CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s leaders agree there needs to be improvements to the state’s schools.
The discussion about possible action stems from the state Department of Education’s release of statewide assessment data from the 2021-2022 academic year. While students made academic progress from the prior year — when classes moved online because of the coronavirus pandemic — proficiency rates still lagged behind earlier rates.
“You can’t put enough lipstick on the pig. They’re terrible. Plain and simple,” state Board of Education President Paul Hardesty said on “MetroNews Talkline.”
Hardesty, who took over as board president in July, said no one should be proficiency rates in the 30s is acceptable.
“I’m going to do my best over the next two years to try to bring some level of improvement,” he said. “Sometimes, we’ve got to start back to the basics. Give these teachers time to teach math, reading, language arts, core basic subjects. We’re not proficient when we get to the third grade, and look at the test data. look at the way the trends go. When you get to the third grade, if you don’t have that basis, how in the world can you perform higher-level math functions in grades five, eight and 11?”
Hardesty said part of the issue is increased pressure on educators; teachers often face hurdles and responsibilities that take them away from providing engaging lessons.
“Let these teachers teach,” he said. “Don’t turn them into robots and give them a structured, this-is-the-way-you-have-to-do-it model. It don’t work.”
Gov. Jim Justice said the state education system can do better.