| West Virginia students, including Calhoun students, started testing Monday morning for the state's WESTEST2, which measures student performance in the Mountain State.
WESTEST2 is a yearly educational standards exam for third- though 11th-graders.
State Superintendent Dr. Jim Phares said it's critical students take it seriously.
"The assessments give us an indication of the quality of our schools," Phares said.
The test scores also rank West Virginia alongside the other 49 states.
Phares admitted West Virginia has not done well on the national assessment, nor has Calhoun Schools.
the past few years, and in some categories, the state has ranked at or near the bottom.
Phares says things are only going to get more rigorous.
Educators won't know how their students fared on the WESTEST2 until the results are returned near the start of next school year. | 
