| By Dianne Weaver
In the complicated world of quantifying and reporting educational achievement, two recent reports give widely divergent impressions of achievement by West Virginia schools and students.
WVReport.com has released its annual ranking of the best public high schools in West Virginia.
The in-state ranking puts Calhoun at 76 out of 122 high schools.
The WVReport program gives top high schools gold, silver and bronze ratings.
Three regional counties fared in the top 25 Gold high schools: Ritchie(6); Wirt(17); Gilmer (23), with Roane at 41, Braxton at 69 and Clay at 80.
The site used statistics from the West Virginia Department of Education, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and the Community and Technical College System of West Virginia in its rankings.
The site's ranking system uses statistics like dropout rates, percentage of classes taught by highly qualified teachers, percentage of students who took ACT, and the rate of students who go to college.
Calhoun High School (which includes Calhoun Middle) did not measure up to No Child Left Behind (NCLB) standards for Special Education Students in math and reading and in the Socio-Economic Status group (students eligible for free and reduced lunch) in reading assessment.
Arnoldsburg and Pleasant Hill elementary schools met the NCLB standards.
Calhoun Middle-High School has lots of company around the state in failing to meet NCLB standards, which are skewed against the student population of rural schools, with critics saying some of the standards are almost impossible to achieve.
Meanwhile, a new national study gives the state's school children an F for classroom achievement, while praising educators for developing policy.
Education Week's "Quality Counts 2008" says West Virginia's 8th graders rank 47th in math and 43rd in reading. Fourth graders rank 40th in reading and math.
The rankings are based on student scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress test.
West Virginia also earned a C-minus grade in student chance for success â among the five worst states.
The report also notes that West Virginia's eighth-graders rank 50th, worst in the nation for improvement.
The state's high marks for accountability standards and its financial equity policy counterbalance the low achievement numbers to help the state earn an overall grade of B-minus, according to the report.
"Quality Counts 2008" joins a number of other national audits and reports that put the Mountain State near the bottom in educational outcomes.
State School superintendent Steve Paine has embarked on significant changes that allows most West Virginia schools to pass NCLB standards, while saying in 2009 the state will increase student requirements for achievement.
STATE HIGH SCHOOL RANKINGS: WVReport
1
Bridgeport
Harrison
100.00,
2
Williamstown
Wood
97.67,
3
Fairmont Senior
Marion
95.82,
4
Hundred
Wetzel
93.66,
5
Tyler
Tyler
88.07,
6
Ritchie
Ritchie
87.51,
7
Pendleton
Pendleton
86.97,
8
Magnolia
Wetzel
86.34,
9
Paw Paw
Morgan
85.79,
10
Paden City
Wetzel
85.59.
11
Elkins
Randolph
85.57,
12
Wahama
Mason
83.50,
13
Matewan
Mingo
82.84,
14
Ravenswood
Jackson
81.99,
15
Cameron
Marshall
81.93,
16
Harman
Randolph
81.91,
17
Wirt
Wirt
81.54,
18
Brooke
Brooke
81.15,
19
Winfield
Putnam
80.80,
20
Williamson
Mingo
79.66.
21
East Fairmont
Marion
79.61,
22
Tucker
Tucker
79.42,
23
Gilmer
Gilmer
79.34,
24
Spring Valley
Wayne
78.73,
25
Hurricane
Putnam
77.58,
26
St. Marys
Pleasants
77.15,
27
Weir
Hancock
76.28,
28
University
Monongalia
75.73,
29
Wheeling Park
Ohio
75.55,
30
Parkersburg
Wood
75.50.
31
Fayetteville
Fayette
75.29,
32
Keyser
Mineral
74.25,
33
Parkersburg South
Wood
72.92,
34
Ripley
Jackson
72.25,
35
Greenbrier East
Greenbrier
72.16,
36
Pocahontas
Pocahontas
71.72,
37
G. Washington
Kanawha
70.90,
38
Liberty
Harrison
70.82,
39
John Marshall
Marshall
70.32,
40
Oak Glen
Hancock
70.14.
41
Roane
Roane
68.92,
42
Morgantown
Monongalia
68.62,
43
Chapmanville
Logan
67.61,
44
Doddridge
Doddridge
67.24,
45
South Harrison
Harrison
67.06,
46
Hamlin
Lincoln
67.00,
47
Frankfort
Mineral
66.94,
48
Robert C. Byrd
Harrison
66.59,
49
North Marion
Marion
65.78,
50
St. Albans
Kanawha
65.31.
51
South Charleston
Kanawha
65.29,
52
East Hardy
Hardy
65.06,
53
Tug Valley
Mingo
64.97,
54
Berkeley Springs
Morgan
64.34,
55
Union
Grant
64.20,
56
Van
Boone
64.14,
57
Nitro
Kanawha
63.68,
58
Poca
Putnam
63.43,
59
Pickens
Randolph
62.03,
60
Logan
Logan
61.99.
61
Clay Battelle
Monongalia
61.97,
62
Capitol
Kanawha
61.26,
63
Greenbrier West
Greenbrier
60.34,
64
Summers
Summers
60.27,
65
Valley
Fayette
59.80,
66
Pike View
Mercer
58.36,
67
Shady Spring
Raleigh
58.21,
68
Scott
Boone
58.13,
69
Braxton County
Braxton
58.13,
70
Cabell Midland
Cabell
58.10.
71
Herbert Hoover
Kanawha
56.85,
72
Valley
Wetzel
56.77,
73
Buckhannon - Upshur
Upshur
56.30.
74
Guyan Valley
Lincoln
56.18,
75
Lewis County
Lewis
55.73,
76
Calhoun
Calhoun
55.35,
77
Bluefield
Mercer
55.23,
78
Moorefield
Hardy
55.15,
79
Midland Trail
Fayette
54.90,
80
Clay County
Clay
54.24.
81
Hedgesville
Berkeley
54.17,
82
Independence
Raleigh
54.12,
83
Phillip Barbour
Barbour
53.90,
84
Lincoln
Harrison
53.90,
85
Buffalo
Putnam
53.40,
86
Meadow Bridge
Fayette
53.30,
87
Burch
Mingo
52.62,
88
Wayne
Wayne
52.26,
89
Tolsia
Wayne
51.98,
90
Wyoming East
Wyoming
51.38.
91
Webster
Webster
50.97,
92
Huntington
Cabell
50.14,
93
Tygart's Valley
Randolph
49.81,
94
Nicholas County
Nicholas
49.73,
95
Richwood
Nicholas
49.50,
96
Man
Logan
49.40,
97
Petersburg
Grant
49.22,
98
Martinsburg
Berkeley
48.44,
99
Oak Hill
Fayette
47.32,
100
Sissonville
Kanawha
46.98.
101
James Monroe
Monroe
46.77,
102
Hannan
Mason
46.31,
103
Woodrow Wilson
Raleigh
45.64,
104
Riverside
Kanawha
45.05,
105
Preston
Preston
44.82,
106
Westside
Wyoming
44.36,
107
Harts
Lincoln
44.34,
108
Point Pleasant
Mason
43.77,
109
Big Creek
McDowell
43.37,
110
Grafton
Taylor
43.06.
111
Princeton
Mercer
42.82,
112
Duval
Lincoln
42.76,
113
Iaeger
McDowell
42.03,
114
Mount View
McDowell
41.39,
115
Hampshire
Hampshire
40.97,
116
Mount Hope
Fayette
39.56,
117
Jefferson County
Jefferson
39.41,
118
Gilbert
Mingo
38.88,
119
Musselman
Berkeley
38.57,
120
Sherman
Boone
34.20,
121
Liberty
Raleigh
33.68,
122
Montcalm
Mercer
28.15.
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