In West Virginia, students in grades three through eight and in grade ten take the West Virginia Educational Standards Test (WESTEST). The WESTEST, which replaces the SAT-9, is an assessment that measures student achievement of the West Virginia Content Standards and Objectives (CSOs). The test provides information about students' academic strengths and weaknesses by performance level descriptors. WESTEST identifies students’ levels of performance in the content areas of reading/language arts, mathematics, science and social studies. Students’ performance is compared to academic standards rather than to the performance of a national sample of students.
AYP is determined by the WESTEST and either attendance or graduation rate.

Merit’s language arts and math software programs correlate to the West Virginia Content Standards and Objectives and can help students prepare for WESTEST. The content and format of Merit’s programs can help students develop and strengthen their test-taking skills as well as their reading, writing and math skills.

Merit reading software has been proven -- through rigorous, scientifically based research -- to increase both student reading comprehension and standardized test scores. Merit research study findings reveal that education software is an effective tool to improve test scores and academic performance.

Published: March 2005