West Preston staff tell board students are improving despite high special‑needs and discipline loads

West Preston Local School leaders told the Preston County Board of Education on Jan. 28 that students showed year‑to‑year gains on I‑Ready and MAP diagnostics, even as staff manage a high volume of individualized education and behavior interventions.

The school's leadership and curriculum team highlighted improvements in kindergarten and third grade and recognized several students and volunteers. “Without this person, life would be so much harder … we could not do it here without Miss McQuade,” said Mr. Turko while recognizing a staff member for intervention work.

Presenters said kindergarten showed strong growth in both ELA and math and that several other grades recorded meaningful gains. They also said that at present about 23% of students have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and that, when combined with students in the SAT/MTSS process, roughly 50% of the school’s enrollment is working from some form of individualized plan. The presentation listed discipline events mid‑year that the school has documented: 24 out‑of‑school suspensions, 18 in‑school suspensions and 167 lunch detentions; incident categories included harassment/bullying, disruptive behavior and isolated reports of physical battery.

School staff described a multi‑tiered system of supports (MTSS/SAT) in which early diagnostics trigger parent notification, an intervention plan and nine‑week progress checks; stronger documentation and fidelity to researched interventions, they said, are helping some students avoid special‑education referral. Staff also told the board that attendance remains a key barrier: chronic absences can delay or prevent county approval for special‑education testing.

Teachers and administrators asked the board to help clarify county policy around allowable absences during the nine‑week intervention window so families understand how attendance affects eligibility. Presenters requested additional tutoring capacity (one upper‑grade tutor funded with Title I funds was proposed for the remainder of this year) and noted difficulty recruiting for posted positions.

The West Preston team also described their Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) matrix (Ready, Respectful, Responsible) and a set of incentives used to recognize positive behavior. They credited volunteers and local partners — including Clear Mountain Bank, Greensville United Methodist, WV DNR Federal Credit Union and Food for Preston — for ongoing support.

Board members thanked the presenters and asked district staff to follow up with the county special‑education office and with Mrs. Rush, who works on MTSS/SAT coordination, to identify whether a clear, objective attendance threshold can be published to reduce repeated delays in testing and services. The board did not take formal action on the request; staff said they will return with clearer proposals and numbers.