CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Board of Education applauds forty-seven West Virginia county school systems that have completed self-evaluations of their technology needs as a prerequisite to participation in Project 24.

The Project 24 initiative, led by former Gov. Bob Wise at the Alliance for Excellent Education, is an effort to help school districts plan for and effectively use technology and digital learning to personalize learning and to ensure that students graduate from high school ready for college and a career. West Virginia is the first state to sign up to participate in Project 24 as a statewide education effort.

“A self-evaluation of current technology practices and inventories is a smart first step to ensure school systems are using technology in the most efficient and effective ways,” said state Board President Wade Linger. “Technology holds the potential to transform the way teaching and learning occurs in our state, and knowing that former Gov. Bob Wise heads the Alliance gives us additional assurance that our participation in Project 24 will be productive.”

To increase the effectiveness of the project, districts were asked to consider the current classroom technology and digital learning infrastructure as they complete the Project 24 self assessment.  The assessments will provide valuable feedback from the districts that will help the state frame its vision for student learning, recognize aspects of the education system that need to be addressed, and specify how technology can help align efforts to prepare students to be college- and career-ready.

The following counties have submitted evaluations:

Barbour, Berkeley, Boone, Cabell, Clay, Fayette, Gilmer, Grant, Greenbrier, Hampshire, Hancock, Hardy, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Kanawha, Lewis, Lincoln, Logan, Marion, Marshall, Mason, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Monongalia, Monroe, Ohio, Pendleton, Pleasants, Preston, Putnam, Raleigh, Randolph, Ritchie, Roane, Summers, Taylor, Tucker, Tyler, Upshur, Wayne, Webster, Wetzel, Wirt, Wood and Wyoming. A self-evaluation also was submitted from the Office of Institutional Education Programs.

Participation in Project 24, which is free to all participants, promises to help West Virginia improve its public schools through the readiness to use online assessments to gauge comprehension and learning. It also pushes for greater system and classroom innovation and strives for  higher standards by creating a more flexible, robust, and student-centered digital learning environment.

For more information, contact Liza Cordeiro in the WVDE Communication Office at 304-558-2699.

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