Overall, schools in the Northern Panhandle faired well in making adequate yearly progress for the 2011-12 school year, with just 20 of the region’s 55 schools failing to obtain that mark.

AYP, a measure of student proficiency based on students’ standardized test performance, attendance, graduation rate and other factors, is the guideline for how schools are performing. The results are taken from the West Virginia Educational Standards Test, or WESTEST 2, which all students in third grade through 11th grades must take.

While each district in the Panhandle has some results of which to be proud, the Tyler County School District has earned a distinction unlike any other county in the state in achieving countywide adequate yearly progress for the 2011-12 school year.

Students at all four schools in the county earned the an “at-or-above” proficiency level for last school year, an achievement that requires hard work and preparation from school and district administrators, teachers, bus drivers, custodians, contracted staff and students alike.

Administrators were humble and excited upon learning the news last week, expressing their happiness and gratitude to the students and staff. However, the reason for the disctrict’s success shown brightly, as those same administrators and teachers quickly turned their attention to improving even more during the 2012-13 year.

There is no doubt that success will continue, thanks to the hard work of everyone involved. As schools across the country strive to achieve AYP by the No Child Left Behind-mandated September 2014 deadline, parents in Tyler County can rest assured the Tyler County School District is leading the pack when it comes to helping students succeed in and out of the classroom.