Standardized Testing and Enrollment Requirements

Exemption (k) Schools are required to submit standardized testing reports before June 30th of any given school year to maintain their registration status with the state superintendent of schools. Additionally, they are also required to submit annual enrollment reports that show their instructional term, number of personnel employed and student enrollment figures. This is also due by June 30th.

Per W.Va. Code 18-28-3, exemption (k) schools, shall administer during each school year a nationally normed standardized achievement test which test shall be selected by the chief administrative officer of each school. The test shall be administered to students at the same grade levels and in the same subject areas as required in the public schools of the state for administration of the state-wide summative assessment. The selected test shall be published or normed within the last ten years and shall be administered under standardized conditions as set forth by the published instructions of the selected test. The student participation rate on the standardized achievement test must be the same as that required in the public schools for a school’s composite score to be considered valid.”

The schools are required to submit testing scores for all students in the grade levels that are identified in the Summative Assessment Test. Only nonpublic schools that provide education exclusively to special education or learning-disabled students are exempt from having to use a nationally normed test and can administered alternative assessments as outlined in 18-28-3 (b).

(f) If the school’s composite test results for any single year fall below the fortieth percentile on the selected standardized achievement test or a comparable level established by the state board for assessment methods authorized pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, the school shall initiate a remedial program to foster achievement above that level. If after two consecutive calendar years school composite test results are not above the fortieth percentile or comparable level, attendance at the school no longer satisfies the compulsory school attendance requirement of §18-8-1(k) of this code, until the percentile standards herein set forth are met.

Exemption (k) schools will need to submit data for the following grades and subjects:

• Grades 3 through 8 – English Language Arts with writing and Math
• Grades 5 and 8 – Science
• Grade 11 – English Language Art with Writing, Math, and Science

Exemption (b) schools only need to report their school term and enrollment data to the state superintendent. This is for us to complete annual legislative reports.