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Gilmer County Schools board hears data showing declines in reading, math and science; district sets higher goals
Summary
District staff reported countywide declines on state and college-readiness assessments—reading down 4 points, math down 1 and science down 7—and presented targets and classroom-level interventions including benchmarks, leadership teams and professional development to reverse the trend.
Miss West, the district’s continuous-improvement presenter, told the Gilmer County Schools board that countywide performance on key assessments fell from the prior year: reading decreased about 4 percentage points, math by about 1 point and science by about 7 points. She said the percentages are calculated from juniors’ SAT results and third- through eighth-grade West Virginia General Summative Assessment results and noted variation by school and grade.
The presentation included school-level data: Gilmer County Elementary’s overall ELA average was reported as 42.9%, the middle school’s ELA average was 29.4%, and the countywide combined ELA figure was 34% against a county goal of 45%. On math, some elementary grades exceeded state averages while middle- and high-school measures lagged; countywide math was reported at 28.9% versus a 35% goal. Miss West also showed SchoolDigger rankings, noting the elementary improved in state rank while the high school’s rank declined.
Miss West described district action steps: scheduled focus visits in September and February, active leadership teams at each school (elementary monthly; high school weekly), local school improvement councils posting agendas and minutes online, and school-level professional development rotating among Science of Reading, numeracy, technology/assessment and grade-level PLC planning. She said benchmarks (I-Ready for K–8, IXL for 9–12) will be completed districtwide by Sept. 13 and that staff will return to the board with updated results.
Board members and staff discussed how teachers and parents access item- and standard-level feedback. Miss West said teacher and parent reports are available from assessment platforms and that teachers can generate reports by domain and standard to identify specific gaps. Board members urged clearer, easier-to-use reporting for teachers and parents; one board member recommended broader use of free resources such as Khan Academy for supplemental SAT and subject practice, which staff said is already available as a tile on the high school Symbaloo and used by some teachers.
The presentation closed with the district restating new annual goals (reading to 47%, math to 37%, on-track-to-graduate to 85%, and reducing chronic absenteeism to 23%) and a commitment to return with benchmark results and further implementation details at the next reporting point.
