In accordance with W.Va. Code §18-2E-5, the West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) voted unanimously to declare an immediate intervention of Mingo County Schools during the WVBE’s March meeting in Charleston today. The decision is the result of an ongoing Special Circumstance Review of the county which has resulted in significant findings.
State Superintendent of Schools Michele L. Blatt directed the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) Office of Accountability to conduct the review of the Mingo County Board of Education’s effectiveness to comply with all state and local policies as well as West Virginia code. To date, the team has identified findings related to county board of education meetings and procedures, and board/superintendent relations. Initial observations raised concerns that student education and achievement are being compromised by political conflict within the county.
The intervention limits the county board’s authority in school operations and requires most rule-making authority to be delegated to Superintendent Blatt or her designee. The action also requires the WVDE’s involvement in the hiring of the next county superintendent. The county board rescinded the four-year contract extension of the current superintendent shortly after last year’s general election.
Control was returned to Mingo County in 2014 after nine years of intervention. The complete declaration is available on the WVDE website. A public report of findings will be released at the conclusion of the review, and the county will be required to update the State Board on progress during future WVBE meetings.
New Assessment Results Portal
The WVBE received an update on a new process to release students’ West Virginia General Summative Assessment (WVGSA) results this testing season. Parents and guardians with students in Grades 3-8 will be able to view test results before the end of the school year via a new online portal. The WVDE hopes this allows families and educators to outline resources that support student learning during the summer break.
This spring, families will receive a unique link to access student results. The portal will include detailed information about student performance in mathematics, English language arts and their corresponding Lexile and Quantile scores. Students in Grades 5 and 8 will be able to see their WVGSA science results, and the portal will also have past exam results for comparison.
The statewide testing window is April 7 through May 23, and families may also navigate to the portal from the WVDE assessment webpage after April 7.
Supporting Counties Affected by Flooding
Superintendent Blatt acknowledged the hard work of districts affected by flooding last month. Additionally, staff from the WVDE supported these counties in a number of ways. In addition to providing guidance to navigate various challenges to ensure students and families were fed and had access to essential supports, the WVDE sent delegations to the counties to deliver goods and work in the relief shelters.
All counties have returned to their traditional school schedules.
The next regularly scheduled WVBE meeting is 10 a.m., Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Building 6, Suite 600, 1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East, Charleston, West Virginia.
The March agenda and documents shared during the meeting are available online along with live and archived video links, minutes and other information. Visit the WVDE website for details.