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Education

Slow progress is still progress, and data from the 2023-24 Statewide Summative Assessment shows West Virginians have reason to be encouraged. Slowly but surely, student performance is returning to near pre-COVID 19 levels. West Virginia Department of Education officials said last week that math and reading scores are inching back, after the devastating hit they took in the 2020-21 school year. Across all grades for the prior school year, 36% of students tested were proficient in math, up from 35% in the 2022-23 school year and 33% in 2021-22 school year. During the 2020-21 school ...

Boos & Applause

Applause to the announcement that the renovation efforts at City Hall will pause during the Mountain State Forest Festival, and that all offices will be open during the week. The 86th Mountain State Forest Festival is scheduled for Sept. 28 through Oct. 6. City Operations Manager Michael Kesecker also told Elkins City Council that he has been speaking with the contractors to ensure that no outside construction on City Hall will take place during the Forest Festival, and that no construction equipment will be stored in the city parking lot during that time. Applause to Randolph County ...

Good Trend

The local region has received some good news in the month of August, as both Davis & Elkins College and West Virginia Wesleyan College have shared reports of strong enrollment . In Upshur County, WVWC is reporting an enrollment increase for the second year in a row. More than 360 new undergraduate students arrived on campus earlier this week for Orientation Weekend activities. WVWC officials say enrollment is up 5% over 2023, and up 10% over 2022. The new students coming to WVWC are from 28 states and 13 countries, with 40 West Virginia counties represented. WVWC has seen a 20% ...

Wellness

It’s the start of a new school year, let the spreading of germs begin! If you are a parent or guardian who is not exactly enthusiastic about that prospect, it’s important to make sure your child is up-to-date on routine vaccines — and to consider a few others. According to a report by USA Today, children across the country are still getting caught up after a gap in wellness visits to pediatricians during the COVID-19 pandemic. That can mean a gap in protection against hepatitis B, rotavirus, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, haemophilus influenza type b, pneumococcal disease, ...

Deadline

West Virginia officials are developing a reputation for knowing — for a year or more — that a deadline is coming and sitting on their hands until it is time to act stunned there might be consequences for inaction. This time around, our state’s child care facilities are anxiously awaiting news that another $23 million in funding for child care reimbursements will come their way, to meet the requirements of new federal rules that take effect Sept. 1. Some have decided already to shut down, rather than continue to be at the mercy of those in Charleston. Lawmakers say this has ...

Digital Titles

West Virginia might fall to the bottom of the list in plenty of categories, but increasingly we are leading the way in others. Among those is the improvement of residents’ interactions with the government through technology. To that end, the state Division of Motor Vehicles partnered with Champ Titles and Tyler Technologies to develop the country’s first digital vehicle title program. Among the reasons for developing the digital titles (and making them fully transactable) was to help car dealers and operators of large fleets stay organized and up-to-date. But the system will be a ...