WV sees increase in third-grade reading proficiency three years in a row
By RealWV Staff
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia has increased third-grade literacy proficiency levels every year for the last three years.
This information was presented in the recently released Dynamic District Report issued by Upswing Labs and written by David Scarlett Wakelyn.
According to Wakelyn, data presented in the 2024 Nation’s Report Card showed that early education reading achievement has stagnated since the Covid pandemic. However, West Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina have been defying that trend.
In addition to the statewide achievement, nine West Virginia counties have shown an increase in third-grade reading results by more than three percent and are considered Dynamic Districts. Those counties include Raleigh, Cabell, Kanawha, Logan, Marion, Mercer, Monongalia, Ohio, and Putnam.
Percent meeting and exceeding standards county data
| County | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Average Annual % change | Number tested 2024 | Poverty % Rate | Diversity % |
| Raleigh | 40.1 | 45.3 | 51.6 | 5.7 | 716 | 23 | 9 |
| Cabell | 40.6 | 45.6 | 51.2 | 5.3 | 783 | 41 | 8 |
| Kanawha | 35.5 | 36.5 | 45.1 | 48 | 1,561 | 19 | 11 |
| Logan | 27.8 | 39.7 | 42.7 | 7.4 | 318 | 28 | 2 |
| Marion | 40.5 | 41.2 | 48.3 | 3.9 | 500 | 17 | 5 |
| Mercer | 29.3 | 35.6 | 46.1 | 8.4 | 614 | 24 | 10 |
| Monongalia | 46.1 | 49.4 | 55.6 | 47 | 813 | 14 | 6 |
| Ohio | 48.7 | 56.5 | 65.2 | 82 | 358 | 17 | 9 |
| Putnam | 44.9 | 49.6 | 60 | 7.6 | 639 | 11 | 3 |
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 scheduled 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.”
