Nine Counties Join WVDE for National Literacy Recognition

Charleston, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) congratulates several counties identified in a recent national report for sustained increases in student literacy proficiency. The Dynamic Districts report issued by Upswing Labs highlights states and districts that have at least 3% gains in third-grade literacy over the course of three years. West Virginia is joined by nine counties to earn this literacy milestone.

Cabell, Kanawha, Logan, Marion, Mercer, Monongalia, Ohio, Putnam and Raleigh counties are among the 260 districts nationwide that have elevated literacy assessments above the 3% mark since the Covid-19 pandemic. As previously reported, West Virginia joined Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina as the four states with sustained increases. The 5% increases over the past three years in the Mountain State is second in the country.

“We are very proud of the counties earning this recognition. It is a reflection of the hard work that is going on in these areas,” said State Superintendent of Schools Michele L. Blatt. “There is success beyond these areas, and we anticipate hearing more good news from other regions as well. Our educators statewide are working hard to support our children academically, developmentally and social emotionally. I commend them for this work.”

In 2022, the West Virginia Board of Education initiated a statewide program called Ready, Read, Write, West Virginia. An aggressive professional development schedule was rolled out to equip counties with a better foundational understanding of the Science of Reading. This program provided young learners with the building blocks of literacy to ensure they had the skills for lifelong learning.

The West Virginia Legislature, working closely with the WVDE, successfully passed the Third Grade Success Act – a milestone statute that requires all schools to teach using the Science of Reading (an instructional approach rooted in research on how the brain learns to read), while also providing critical resources in classrooms and schools to support student learning.

Thanks to the combined efforts of educators, families, leaders and community partners, West Virginia is one of the few states seeing gains in early literacy among young learners.

“It was a very heavy lift to build our comprehensive early-learning literacy initiative in a short period of time, but it was important to start with the young learners and prepare them with the tools that help them development a love of reading,” said Superintendent Blatt. “Our literacy specialists are continuing to work with older grades, and we are expanding he initiative beyond the third grade to support older students with learning gaps. Although the national recognition is good, we are thrilled with the success our educators are witnessing in their classrooms and students who are learning to read and growing the skills every day.”