West Virginia charter schools are showing mixed results on academic testing.
Charter schools where students gather in person outperformed state averages, according to officials overseeing the system, but students who participate in online charter schools are lagging behind.
The academic assessment results for four charter schools that have been in operation for two years were discussed today during a meeting of the West Virginia Professional Charter School Board. This was all according to the Statewide Summative Assessment.
The presentation showed West Virginia Academy in Morgantown with proficiency rates of 40 on math, 55 in English and language arts and 54 in science.
Eastern Panhandle Preparatory Academy scored 44 in math, 50 in English and language arts and 28 in science.
The statewide average for public schools was 36 for math, 45 for English and language arts and 29 for science.
West Virginia Virtual Academy had 14 in math, 36 in English and language arts and 15 in science.
Virtual Prep Academy had 20 in math, 34 in English and language arts and 14 in science.
“So you can see that the two brick and mortar schools, West Virginia Academy and Eastern Panhandle Prep, generally speaking outscore the statewide average in proficiency in all subjects and in some cases rather substantially,” said James Paul, executive director of the West Virginia Professional Charter School Board.
“You’ll see the two virtual schools, on average, are performing below the statewide average in each of the three subjects.”
Paul also discussed progress for each of those schools from their first year of testing into their second.
Board member Dewayne Duncan said there could be significant reasons that the virtual charter schools lag behind.
“When we look at the brick-and-mortar, I’m very pleased with the way that’s looking — and I immediately started thinking about the virtual. What might be happening is that students are adjusting to the instructional methodologies being used and the strategies. But they’re showing growth, which is good.
“So maybe it’s just getting them in the groove and getting used to it to seeing more growth on their part.”
Adam Kissel, president of the board, expressed optimism about the proficiency scores.
“Often there’s a reason why someone chooses a virtual school, so I would rather be looking at trends and individual growth, overall school growth, rather than individual numbers, for the virtual schools in particular,” Kissel said.
Enrollment for West Virginia’s charter schools continues to grow. Last year’s certified enrollment count was 2,270 students in five charter schools. This fall, Paul estimated, the count at six schools is about 3,300 students. About 80% of those students are enrolled in the virtual schools, Paul said.
By comparison, there were 245,047 students enrolled in public schools statewide in 2023-24.
Clarksburg Classical Academy, the most recent charter school to open, had its first day of instruction Wednesday. “I’m told things went very well on the first day,” Paul said. “People in the community are excited about what’s happening in Clarksburg.”
A new charter school applicant, Wisdom Academy in Morgantown, is under review, with a vote expected by November.
“The developers for the school propose to begin as a K-6 option and add one grade level each year,” Paul said.
The next meeting of the West Virginia Professional Charter Schools Board is 8 a.m. Oct. 3.