| West Virginia schools do not bode well in evaluations of nationwide achievement performance, nor does the nation rate well with other developed countries.
Calhoun Schools, not unlike many WV school systems, are facing poor performance problems, while making significant efforts to improve academic outcomes.
Calhoun Schools are in a big boat regarding outcomes.
Despite WV having among the highest per capita expenditures for students, 11th in he nation, small rural counties like Calhoun that do not have a school levy are struggling with deficits, with many long-time teachers retiring and problems recruiting new ones, particularly in math and science.
Education news and research publication Education Week released its 18th annual survey of the status of education in all 50 states.
West Virginia is listed as among the ten worst in he USA, coming out fourth from the bottom.
The report says WVs high school graduation rate is 74.7% (23rd worst in USA), with the pre-school enrollment rate of 35.5%, third from the bottom.
At the same time, WV is among the highest spenders per public, ranked eleventh in the nation, the only state in the ten worst performing states spending with a high rate per pupil.
The Education Week report says between 2003 and 2013, West Virginia fourth and eighth grade students became less proficient readers, with national test scores worsening by 4.5 percentage points and 2.2 percentage points, respectively â the worst declines in the nation.
While nearly 50% of three-and four-year-olds were enrolled in preschool across the nation in 2012, only 35.5% of West Virginia children were enrolled.
Early last year, West Virginia received a waiver releasing schools from No Child Left Behind regulations, allowing the adoption of a new system, a system focused on student improvement.
EDUCATION WEEK TEN BEST STATES: 1. Massachusetts 2. Maryland 3. New Jersey 4. New Hampshire 5. Vermont 6. Minnesota 7. Florida 8. Pennsylvania 9. Washington 10. Colorado
EDUCATION WEEK TEN WORST STATES: 1. Mississippi 2. Louisiana 3. New Mexico 4. West Virginia 5. Alabama 6. Alaska 7. South Carolina 8. South Dakota 9. Michigan 10. Oklahoma
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