| At every school across West Virginia this week, students will spend half of each school day hunched over their desks.
It's WESTEST week.
Students will have number 2 pencils and whatever knowledge they've gained this year to tackle the long exam.
The WESTEST is the state's answer to proving students learned knowledge, required by No Child Left Behind.
The WESTEST is given to students in grades three through eight and in grade 10. The test is focused on reading and math.
Skeptics say the system has moved toward "teaching to the test," or moving away from teaching that develops critical thinking.
The federal government maintains schools are deficient in virtually every area of knowledge, far behind many other countries in the world.
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