WHEELING — Just as each school student hopes to earn an “A” on tests that measure their performance, each public school in West Virginia will get a letter grade ranging from “A” to “F” from the West Virginia Department of Education this fall as the state seeks to improve accountability in its school districts.
State board of education members are set to approve this November the data for a new letter grading system for West Virginia’s schools, according to Walter Saunders, assessment and federal programs director for Ohio County Schools.
The new measurement system is intended to communicate to educators, students, parents and communities the effectiveness of each specific school using the common letter grades with which all are familiar. Previously, such terms as “success,” “focus” and “priority” were used by the Department of Education to describe a school’s level of effectiveness.
Information provided by the WVDOE states grades will be calculated based on data gathered in four areas…