| Calhoun School's WESTEST scores recognizing the educational proficiency of students is a mixed bag.
The scores are under a new improvement model approved by the WVDE, dropping the pass-fail system of No Child Left Behind.
Reading/language arts proficiency at Calhoun High School shows the biggest gains with
WESTEST results from 2013 compared to the 2012 year.
A comparison of 2013 WESTEST scores with the 2012 results shows the biggest gains in Calhoun County schools came in reading and language arts at the high school level, while the biggest decline was in 7th grade science.
The percentage of students reaching proficiency levels in math, social studies and reading/language arts for grades 3 through 11 for the last two school years were provided by Calhoun Supt. Roger Propst.
The 10th and 11th grade science scores were not provided.
Comparing the same groups (for instance, 2012 3rd graders with 2013 4th graders) in each subject area showed 13 increases in proficiency levels from one year to the next, and 14 decreases.
Three were unchanged.
Percentages were rounded to the nearest whole number for the comparison.
Overall, the percentage of students achieving proficiency levels in the four subject areas declined by 5 points when the increases and decreases were combined.
The biggest gain was in 9th grade reading/language arts scores, where 39 percent of Calhoun County students were proficient in 2013. As 8th graders the previous year, only 19 percent of the group was proficient in reading/language arts. That was a gain of 20 percentage points.
Next was 10th grade social studies, where 47 percent were proficient, compared to 28 percent of 9th graders proficient the previous year, a jump of 19 percentage points.
Students in the 11th grade jumped 16 percentage points in reading/language arts, with 38 percent proficient. Next were 4th grade reading/language arts results, which increased by 8 points over the previous year's 3rd grade, and 10th grade reading/language arts students who showed a 6 point gain.
The biggest decline was in 7th grade science, where only 39 percent were proficient compared to 63 percent of the 8th graders the previous year, a drop of 24 points.
Next were 5th grade reading/language arts students who fell from 34 percent proficient as 4th graders the previous year to 23 percent proficient last year.
The third largest decline was among 8th grade social studies students, who fell by 10 percentage points with only 16 percent proficient.
That was followed by 9th grade science students, who measured 30 percent proficient, a decline of 9 points from the previous year.
The percentage of math students in the 10th grade and reading/language arts students in the 7th grade in 2013 each declined by 8 points.
Overall the highest and lowest percentage of students proficient in each subject area in 2013 were, Math: highest, 3rd grade (51 percent) and lowest, 8th grade (33 percent); Social studies: highest, 10th grade (47 percent) and lowest, 8th grade (16 percent; Reading/language arts: highest, 4th grade (53 percent) and lowest, 5th grade (23 percent); Science: highest, 3rd grade (55 percent) and lowest, 6th and 9th grades (30 percent).
See Calhoun County Proficiency Data By Grade
See also CALHOUN MIDDLE-HIGH SCHOOL SHOWING PROGRESS AS TRANSITION SCHOOL - "CM-HS Among Top 15 Most Improved"
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WHERE CALHOUN SCHOOLS STAND IN EDUCATION PERFORMANCE RATINGS
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