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MORGANTOWN - Monongalia County students last year pulled down the highest test scores in reading and math in a decade, the district said.
And that's even grading on the curve of an unprecedented global pandemic, said Courtney Crawford, who directs assessment, accountability and counseling services for the district.
Since 2021, when the district was saddled with COVID, student test scores in those two subjects have been steadily rising, Crawford told Board of Education members Tuesday night.
Crawford reports an 8% uptick overall in math and reading from then to now, and she attributes the rise to the community cohesiveness that is Mon Schools, she said.
"This is in part because of the collaborations between our stakeholders," she said.
"Our students. Our families. Our community members."
Thank committed teachers, also, she said.
And the Mon households who traditionally support the excess levy for education, which regularly generates more than $30 million a year for the school district.
Said levy makes it possible for the district's signature Advanced Placement offerings, which is another area where Mon is shining brightly, Crawford said.
Last year in the county, 809 students took 1,612 exams in 32 subjects, she said.
Mon's AP passing rate was 84% - compared to 65% elsewhere in the state and 74% globally.
"We're right there," Crawford said.
Advanced Placement courses matter, academic watchers say, because of the rigor.
AP grades shore up transcripts, they said, while showing admissions officers that a senior about to become a freshman is capable of doing college-level work.
Mon's students, she said, are already propelling themselves to college, via the SAT exams.
Last year, 61% of the county's 11th-graders scored high enough during the testing to ensure they were already ready for college level courses, Crawford said.
"And they hadn't even gone into senior year," she said.
Three Morgantown High students also made the elite of the elite on their SATs, Crawford said.
One netted a perfect score of 800 for the math portion, she said. Two did the same in reading.