ED-WATCH: LATEST A-F WEST VIRGINIA SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM DEAD IN WATER?

(03/10/2017)

The short-lived West Virginia education A-F accountability system is likely dead. The West Virginia Board of Education voted Wednesday to not label entire schools with A-F grades next school year. The withdrawal followed a backlash from educators and state politicians. "That's got to go. A-F is gone," Gov. Jim Justice had said Feb. 8 in his first State of the State Address. Justice has appointed four new members with voting power to the board, which has a maximum of nine voting members and still has two voting member vacancies he can fill. Though the idea had been discussed for years, the A-F grades were only first unveiled this past November. They were based on last school year's data, including growth in standardized test scores from the 2014-15 school year to last school year. Most of the A-F grades are based on math and English standardized testing, although they take into account some other measures, such as graduation rates in high schools. The A-F grades are part of West Virginia's "accountability system." Blatt said that if A-F is permanently abandoned in the future, the federal government will require the state to have a new accountability system in place for next school year.

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