Each year our teachers and administrators work countless hours to prepare our students, teaching them the basic subjects in school, ensuring their future will be bright and successful….or do they? After much delay, the state of West Virginia has released the WESTEST 2 scores for the 2013-2014 school year. This assessment is given to students to monitor their ability and knowledge in the core subjects of mathematics, reading, science and social studies. Content standards are set by the state of West Virginia, for students grade 3 through 11. Each Spring, the WESTEST is administered to measure the achievements of both the students and their teachers. Although test scores are down all across the state, the results for Clay County are heartbreaking. Only 25% of our students in H.E. White Elementary can read at grade level, that’s down from 70% from 2007-2008. 69% of our seventh graders are not performing at grade level in social studies. The dismal facts go on and on. But there have been some improvements throughout the county. Math scores at Clay High School are up 14% from last year and 68% of 3rd graders at Lizemores Elementary are reading at grade level. The silver lining can be found in the small improvements, but the fact remains that they are buried in a dark cloud. Superintendent Kenneth Tanner was unavailable for comments at press time. Overall scores are found below. More detailed scores can be found online at http://zoomwv.k12.wv.us.
| Percent of students performing at Grade Level | ||||
| Math | Reading | Science | Social Studies | |
| Clay High | 48% | 60% | 40% | 36% |
| Clay Middle | 53% | 59% | 45% | 36% |
| Clay Elementary | 40% | 50% | 37% | 39% |
| Lizemores Elementary | 49% | 62% | 48% | 40% |
| H.E. White Elementary | 34% | 25% | 30% | 38% |
| Big Otter Elementary | 53% | 58% | 43% | 39% |
