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Learning Standards Standards

What does a student learn in ?

West Virginia writes its own College- and Career-Ready Standards and uses them across English, math, science, and social studies. The state revises these standards on its own schedule rather than adopting a national framework wholesale. That means one consistent set of expectations runs from elementary school through high school, written by the state for its own classrooms and tested by the state each spring.

  • West Virginia College- and Career-Ready Standards
Source: West Virginia West Virginia College- and Career-Ready Standards
The shape of K-12
A plain-language read of how the state runs school.
What students learn
English and math anchor the elementary and middle school years, with students moving from sentences and basic operations toward longer essays and algebra by eighth grade. Science enters the testing picture in grade 5 and again in grade 8, asking students to explain how things work rather than just recall facts. Social studies follows the same state-written standards, building from local community in the early grades toward U.S. history and civics later on.
How students are measured
The West Virginia General Summative Assessment is the spring test that matters most, covering English and math in grades 3 through 8 and adding science in grades 5 and 8. In eleventh grade, students take the SAT School Day during the regular school day, which doubles as the state's high school accountability test. Students with significant cognitive disabilities take the West Virginia Alternate Summative Assessment, and a sample of fourth and eighth graders sit for NAEP every other year.
Frameworks adopted, by subject
The standards documents the state writes against in each subject.
Subject Framework Adopted Source
English Language Arts
West Virginia College- and Career-Ready Standards
—View
Mathematics
West Virginia College- and Career-Ready Standards
—View
Science
West Virginia College- and Career-Ready Standards
—View
Social Studies
West Virginia College- and Career-Ready Standards
—View
Assessments
The tests students take across K-12, grouped by purpose.

Other

Tests that do not fit the buckets above.

State Summative

West Virginia General Summative Assessment: ELA

Annual statewide English language arts assessment for grades 3 through 8, aligned to West Virginia college- and career-readiness standards.

When given:
spring
Frequency:
annual
Official source
State Summative

West Virginia General Summative Assessment: Mathematics

Annual statewide mathematics assessment for grades 3 through 8, aligned to West Virginia college- and career-readiness standards.

When given:
spring
Frequency:
annual
Official source
State Summative

West Virginia General Summative Assessment: Science

Annual statewide science assessment in grades 5 and 8, aligned to West Virginia college- and career-readiness science standards.

When given:
spring
Frequency:
annual
Official source
National College Readiness

SAT School Day

High school accountability assessment administered to grade 11 students, covering evidence-based reading and writing and mathematics.

When given:
spring
Frequency:
annual
Official source
Alternate assessment

West Virginia Alternate Summative Assessment

Dynamic Learning Maps alternate assessment for eligible students with significant cognitive disabilities, covering the same tested subjects as the general summative program.

When given:
state testing window
Frequency:
annual
Official source
National Monitoring

NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress)

Federally administered sample-based assessment in reading, mathematics, science, writing, and other subjects. NAEP results inform state-by-state comparisons rather than individual student or school accountability.

When given:
biennial in winter
Frequency:
every two years
Official source
Browse by grade and subject
Pick a cell to see exactly what students learn that year.
Subjects covered
4
Grade levels
13
Standards on file
3,256
Assessments tracked
6
Common questions
  • Does this state use Common Core?

    Not by that name. The state adopted its own College- and Career-Ready Standards for English, math, science, and social studies. The English and math standards share roots with Common Core but have been revised by state educators over the years.

  • What test do students take in the spring?

    Students in grades 3 through 8 take the West Virginia General Summative Assessment in English and math each spring. Science is added in grades 5 and 8. Eleventh graders take the SAT School Day instead, which covers reading, writing, and math.

  • Which subjects have official state standards?

    Four core subjects have full state standards: English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Other subjects such as the arts, world languages, physical education, and computer science have their own state guidance documents outside the four tested areas.

  • How often do the standards change?

    The state Board of Education reviews each subject's standards on a rolling cycle, usually every seven or eight years. Reviews are led by committees of West Virginia teachers and content specialists, with public comment before adoption.

  • Where can a parent see what students are expected to learn this year?

    The grade-level pages on this site list every standard for a given subject and grade, written in plainer language. Pick a subject and grade to see what students work on across the year.

Sources
Every page link goes back to the state's own document.

Frameworks

Assessments