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By Mackenzie Mays, Staff writer/Charleston Gazette
Last year's standardized Westest scores have still not been announced, though their release was expected Thursday.
State Department of Education Spokeswoman Liza Cordeiro did not give a specific date, but said scores can be expected in the very near future.
"We are still validating and working with counties. Ultimately, we don't want to have a mistake and put misinformation out there and have to retract. We're being very careful and taking our time," Cordeiro said Thursday. "There's a lot of effort being made to check and double check, so with that said, we're not going to be putting those out publicly this week."
Test scores are typically announced publicly in August each year and reviewed by teachers over the summer.
Cordeiro said in September that the Westest 2 scores were delayed because last year was the first time students took the test online instead of with pen and paper.
The transition to computer testing requires a compatibility test to be conducted by the test vendor, which takes time, she said.
While teachers across the state have received their test results by now, they, too, received them later than usual.
Teachers and local school officials cannot release information about their scores until the Department of Education lifts its embargo.
Christine Campbell, president of the state's branch of the American Federation of Teachers, told the Gazette in September that she heard concerns from teachers across the state about the effect later test results could have on their classrooms.
Teachers were required to determine student learning goals based on those scores by Nov. 1.
"Usually, everyone had time at the beginning of the year, before the kids came, to analyze data to kind of guide what they need to focus on," Campbell said then. "...If we're going to use test scores to rate schools and evaluate teachers, then we should have them in as early as possible."
Earlier this week, Kanawha County school board members also voiced concerns about the late release of the scores.
"I just express discomfort and frustration with the fact that we're going to be halfway through the academic year and we don't know where the achievement levels are for our students for the 2013-14 school year, and I need to publicly say that," Robin Rector, Kanawha school board president, said in a meeting on Tuesday. "This board is interested in the achievement of our students... and I am anxious for the time and the day that we get to share that with our community and the public."
Rector said she hopes the results will be available for the school board's curriculum meeting scheduled for Dec. 1.
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