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Upshur County Schools posts modest test-score gains as state monitor urges continued focus on instruction
Summary
Superintendent Miller and a West Virginia Department of Education representative told the board the district has modest academic growth but remains below state proficiency levels; officials flagged nearly 2,000 unexcused absences and warned that withdrawing the virtual program would cost roughly $1 million in lost funding.
Superintendent Miller and a West Virginia Department of Education official briefed the Upshur County Board of Education on academic progress, attendance and budgetary risks during the board's regular meeting.
Miller reviewed cohort test-score data and school-level proficiency maps, saying many cohorts remain in the "partially meets" category even as the district recorded modest gains. She told the board that the county's math proficiency this past year was 26.4 percent (compared with the state rate of 35.5 percent) and that English language arts proficiency was 37.5 percent (compared with the state rate of 45.1 percent). Miller said overall district scores improved by about 2 percent when grade 11 is included.
Miller also raised immediate operational concerns. "We currently have 217 students participating in virtual," she said, explaining that if the district stops offering virtual instruction it would lose funding tied to those students. Using an approximate per-student funding figure of $4,500, Miller said that equates to roughly $1,000,000 in potential lost revenue. She added that Missus Martini is the point person for the virtual program and that the purchase order for $900,000 currently on file is not the final cost.
On attendance, Miller reported "almost 2,000 unexcused absences" in the latest data and described steps the district is taking to get parents to submit excuses through the online portal or, if necessary, by paper. She said the district is working school by school to address chronic absenteeism, which is highest in third and fifth grades at present.
Mister Kelly, providing the West Virginia Department of Education update on the state intervention, described a shift from operations to a focus on instruction after a year of policy and process work. He highlighted completed audits, a newly secured special-education specialist, and the start of targeted learning goals at schools. "We're growing kids. We're just not growing them enough," Mister Kelly said, urging continued fidelity to instructional plans and close monitoring of benchmark data.
Board members asked for copies of the strategic plan and school audits; staff committed to provide the documents. The board also discussed how other counties' practices are shared through professional organizations such as the West Virginia Association of School Administrators and noted that leaders sometimes adopt successful programs from neighboring counties.
Votes at a glance - Motion to approve agenda (with personnel adjustment): moved by a board member, seconded, approved by voice vote; all present supported the motion. - Motion to approve minutes with corrections: moved and seconded; approved by voice vote. - Motion to adjourn: moved and seconded; approved by voice vote. The board confirmed five members were present when routine motions passed.
The board asked staff to continue delivering the balanced scorecard and benchmark data at future meetings so members can track instructional gains and the impacts of interventions. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Oct. 8 at 6:00 p.m. at Rock Cave Elementary School.
