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PARKERSBURG — The West Virginia Department of Education released its annual County Approval Status and Accreditation report this week and Wood County Schools announced that it has met all requirements for county approval and accreditation.

“We are incredibly proud of this accomplishment,” Superintendent Christie Willis said in a release from the district. “It reflects the daily efforts of our educators, administrators, staff, students and families who work together to ensure that every child in Wood County receives a high-quality education.”

The release said this recognition reflects the district’s commitment to providing a thorough and efficient education for every student while maintaining operational excellence across all areas.

The release said each year, the West Virginia Board of Education reviews county scorecards and efficiency profiles provided by the Office of Accountability to determine county statuses. These reviews include measures of student performance, as well as county operational effectiveness.

“This is based on the state code … for the accountability approval status and accreditation for our schools, and to ensure that each county board of education provides a thorough and efficient education for its students,” Deputy Superintendent of Schools Sonya White told committee members on Sunday. “County scorecards and efficiency profiles are reviewed and approval status are determined based on multiple measures of student performance and county operational efficiency.”

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The release from Wood County Schools said the district earned a “Meets Requirements” rating on all 11 Efficiency Indicators–including career technical education, child nutrition, facilities, finance, personnel, transportation, special education, universal Pre-K readiness, and more.

The release said the district also met standards across all Balanced Scorecard Indicators of Student Performance and Success, which measure achievement and progress in areas such as English Language Arts, mathematics, English learners, attendance, behavior, graduation rates, and post-secondary achievement.

It said by meeting these standards it demonstrates both the dedication of Wood County Schools’ staff and the hard work of its students.

The district is “on watch,” not meeting indicators for one year, for attendance, English learner progress, and on-track to graduation but they said in the release they continue to improve in those focus indicators.

The state school board methodology book says the English Learner Progress indicator depends on students’ initial proficiency level status when identified as an English learner. It says to show adequate progress, students must reach and maintain the next level of performance for a period of time.

“Wood County Schools was 1.3% away from partially meeting the standard for English learner progress,” Ashlee Beatty, director of curriculum and instruction, said Tuesday. “The district continues to focus on the growth of all students, including the subgroup for English language learners. Our ESL teachers work closely with classroom teachers to create language-rich learning environments that support and encourage English language development for all students.”