Photo Courtesy/W.Va. Board of Education
From left, Berkeley County Schools Superintendent Ryan Saxe, Martinsburg North Middle School Principal Kevin Pittsnogle, Berkeley County Board of Education President Jacqueline Long, and Vice President Melissa Power received praise from the West Virginia Board of Education at their monthly meeting in Charleston.
CHARLESTON — Nearly seven months after the West Virginia Board of Education issued a state of emergency at Martinsburg North Middle School, school and district leaders received praise for progress made in improving the troubled school.
The state Board of Education received an update on the Department of Education’s intervention at Martinsburg North during its monthly meeting in Charleston.
The state board declared the state of emergency for Martinsburg North in May after a team from the state Department of Education conducted a targeted school environment assessment at the school in April. The visit was spurred by the results of an October 2023 School Learning Environment Survey that found that 53% of students at the school reported feeling safe versus the statewide result of 80%.
During their April visit to the school, state regulators reported that students and staff felt unsafe at the school, with unfair and inconsistent discipline. Team members observed threatening and hostile behavior from students along with use of inappropriate language, with behaviors either not being effectively addressed by teachers and staff or not addressed at all. When behaviors were addressed, students ignored teachers/staff with no consequences.
Team members said the school uses multiple platforms to collect data on student behavior and interventions, creating confusion and transparency issues. These issues have prevented the school from developing a schoolwide behavior plan.
In the classroom, regulators said teachers did not use effective classroom management strategies, describing what they saw as “chaotic, destructive, and occasionally hostile.” They did not observe the use of standards-based instruction and said learning activities provided to students were below grade-level standards or not relevant.
Staff members at the school reported to regulators that there was a lack of instructional leadership by administration officials, with some teachers reporting never having seen an administration official in their classrooms this school year. During the visit by department staff, they reported an administration presence at the school in the morning that decreased throughout the day. During interviews, the administrative team was unable to explain roles, responsibilities, and expectations.
As part of the state of emergency, the department directed Berkeley County Schools to use their state Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) funds to hire a school improvement specialist. The department also worked with Berkeley County Schools to put together a detailed action plan.
Since then, the Berkeley County Board of Education hired former Cabell County School Superintendent Ryan Saxe to lead the county school system. The board hired Kevin Pittsnogle as the new Martinsburg North principal, replacing Rebekah Eyler, put on administrative leave earlier this year.
Jeffrey Kelley, assistant superintendent of district and school accountability with the Department of Education, said meetings in September with Saxe, Berkeley County Board of Education President Jacqueline Long, and Vice President Melissa Power have been positive.
Pittsnogle said his first mission was looking at the student discipline issue, data collection, and classroom management.
“We’re really focusing on discipline and just really holding kids accountable, and holding teachers accountable to holding kids accountable,” Pittsnogle said.
“That has led us to a lot of positives this year. We’re still nowhere near where we need to be as far as day-to-day, but every day it’s getting better.”