W.Va. Third Graders Exceeding National Testing Estimates

Preliminary test scores released by the West Virginia Department of Education show students who have been taught under the state’s Common Core standards since kindergarten are exceeding national estimates when it comes to testing.

West Virginia third graders were the first to have Common Core standards integrated into their classrooms four years ago as kindergartners.

This year all grade levels in the state took the Common Core aligned Smarter Balanced Assessment for the first time and those 3^rd graders are doing better than predicted.

Children in grade 3 tested five points higher as a whole on the math test and eight points higher in English Language Arts than what was expected based on national estimates.

“Because those students have been taught those standards for the longest period of time, that’s why we’re pleased to see that both in ELA and math those students are outperforming what the projections show,” Vaughn Rhudy, executive director of the West Virginia Department of Education’s Office of Assessment, said.

Students in grades 4 though 11 all tested higher in English than national estimates, but scored far lower in all grades in math.