2026 State Test Score Results Data Series
The 2026 State Test Score Results Data Series is published by the Education Data Center and is designed to provide updates on 2026 state assessment data.
What to expect: Our goal is to provide high-level insights on ELA and math state summative assessment outcomes for students in grades 3-8. We will publish overviews as State Education Agencies (SEAs) publicly release assessment results and/or as we receive aggregate results via public records requests.
For additional information about each state assessment, please see the end of this post. All available 2026 assessment data used for this data series will be published by the EDC in December.
Questions, comments, or suggestions? Let us know at info@eddatacenter.org!
Trends Over Time
This month, West Virginia released the 2026 WV General Summative Assessment (WVGSA) results for students in grades 3-8. The state has used the WVGSA since 2018; before this, students took the Smarter Balanced assessment, so results from 2015-2017 are not directly comparable but worth understanding in terms of the state’s trends lines below. On the WVGSA, results are reported across 4 achievement levels, from does not meet standard (level 1) to exceeds standard (level 4).
In 2026, both ELA and math continued to see growth, and both subjects reached their highest levels of grades 3-8 proficiency since the start of the WVGSA eight years ago. Both subjects have therefore surpassed their pre-pandemic proficiency levels.
—>Note that West Virginia also tests Grade 11 on the SAT School Day. WVDE's own published district figures combine results from Grades 3-8 with Grade 11, so the district rates here may differ WVDE's district-level results.
ELA: 47% of students in grades 3-8 reached proficiency in 2026, up from 46.3% in 2025 and above 2019 rates of 45.3%. The gains were mostly seen in the upper grades (Grades 5-8), while Grades 3-4 did not see much change. The share of students in the lowest achievement level also declined from 27% in 2024 to 23% in 2026.
Math: 42.3% of students in grades 3-8 reached proficiency, the highest level since the start of the WVGSA. Nearly all grade levels improved in math, with the exception of Grade 4 (-1.0pp). The share of students in the lowest achievement level has also improved in math, dropping from 33% in 2024 to 30% this year. In 2019, the math gender gap was minimal between male and female students, with female performance slightly ahead; in 2026, male students are outperforming female students by about 4 percentage points.
In a press release, Superintendent Michele Blatt said that the academic achievement gains are a testament to the dedication of the the many individuals in public schools who work to support their students:
“Our teachers, administrators and staff in our public schools are working extremely hard every day to support our students and advance their learning, health and overall outcomes… The increases we are experiencing are the result of the dedication of these men and women. They see our children’s potential and ensure their needs are met so they can be successful in school and beyond.”
The Education Scorecard reports that West Virginia is among the top 10 states for academic growth between 2022 and 2025 in both ELA (8th of 35 states) and math (6th out of 38 states).
Results by Achievement Level
A Closer Look at 2026
State Assessment Background
Assessment Name: West Virginia General Summative Assessment (WVGSA)
Additional Information:
WVGSA assessment resources can be found here: https://wvde.us/academics/assessment/general-summative-assessment
WVGSA results are available from the West Virginia Department of Education here: https://zoomwv.k12.wv.us/Dashboard/dashboard/7301
The WVDE 2026 press release can be found here: https://wvde.us/articles/wv-dept-education-releases-annual-assessment-results
Data presented here are specific to this state’s assessment and are not comparable to assessments administered by other states. For questions, please reach out to info@eddatacenter.org.
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