CHARLESTON, W.Va.– There is progress happening at Martinsburg North Middle School. Principal Kevin Pittsnoggle and members of the Berkeley County Schools Administration delivered an update to members of the West Virginia Board of Education this week in Charleston.
For Pittsnoggle, the challenge of reigning in the troubled school is personal.
“My first teaching position was actually at North Middle as a behavior disorder teacher. I have a lot of history with our area and I understand it. I think there’s a bad perception around North and I don’t think it’s correct,” he told the board.
The school was placed under an emergency order by the state Board of Education after a review team found numerous problems with discipline and poor classroom management back in May.
“In the majority of classroom observations the team described the environment chaotic, disruptive and occasionally hostile,” State Department of Education Accountability Officer Jeff Kelley said of the review. “Most classrooms were observed to have a large number of students off-task in an environment that was not conducive to learning.”
However, according to Pittsnoggle, since then, there has been steady progress on improving the school’s image, discipline, and learning environment.
“We’ve seen classroom management is one of our bigger issues. So we’re building the foundation to learn in the classroom and as we do that, we’re having conversations with teachers about classroom management and how to get better,” Pittsnoggle said.
“We’re really focusing on discipline and holding kids accountable and teachers accountable for holding kids accountable” he added. “That’s led to a lot of positives. We’re still nowhere near where we need to be day to day, but it’s getting better.”
Hear audio from Kevin Pittsnoggle, Principal of Martinsburg North Middle School:
Pittsnoggle says they have been able to identify areas of problems and address them right in the school:
Pittsnoggle says discipline is a key part of the change:
Pittsnoggle says this is somewhat personal to him and he wants the school to succeed:
Pittsnoggle says providing mentors for teachers has been very helpful:
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Administrators from Berkeley County Schools (BCS) presented a progress report on Martinsburg North Middle School to the West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) at its November meeting in Charleston. BCS Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ryan Saxe was joined by a delegation from the county to provide an update on the challenges outlined in last school year’s Targeted School Environment Assessment of the school.
The WVBE placed Martinsburg North under a state of emergency in May 2024, after the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) conducted a school visit and provided a Corrective Action Plan. During the visit, the WVDE team witnessed several violations of state code, WVBE policies and the provision of a safe and productive learning environment.
The county temporarily placed the school under the principalship of BCE Executive Director of Secondary Schools Holly Kleppner for the remainder of the 2023-24 school year. Kevin Pittsnogle was hired permanently to that position this school year.
Kleppner reset student behavior expectations and placed an assistant principal in each grade-level wing. She decreased the number of long-term substitutes in the building and hired a school improvement specialist to support the school leadership team as they transitioned to new permanent school leadership.
Among the areas of focus, Pittsnogle and his leadership team have defined expectations for students and staff and reinforced a focused learning environment with fewer interruptions. They are addressing behavior issues by ensuring students, families and educators have a clear understanding of expectations and the consequences involved. Additionally, his team is prioritizing strong classroom management and student engagement practices among all grade levels.
BCS Superintendent Saxe, who was not in his current position at the time the WVBE action was issued, is working with the WVDE to ensure supports are in place and are effectively addressing the needs of students, educators and staff at the school.
Story by WVMetronews Staff
- An assistant principal was assigned to each of the school’s three grade-level wings to ensure quicker and more consistent responses to behavior issues.
- An extensive hiring initiative significantly reduced the number of long-term substitutes in the building from over 20 to fewer than 10, with many of these teachers now enrolled in alternative certification programs.
- A School Improvement Specialist was hired to collaborate with school leadership and County and School Improvement Teams, supporting leadership transitions and ongoing improvements.
- The school’s master schedule was adjusted to provide daily intervention time for all students.
- Mr. Pittsnogle and his leadership team redefined and communicated clear expectations for students and staff.
- The Star Academy program was implemented as a “school-within-a-school” to support disengaged students who have fallen behind.
- School culture and climate have improved through the Jostens Renaissance framework, fostering an environment where teachers enjoy their work, and students can thrive.
- Academic mentors for new staff facilitated peer-to-peer observations.
- Classroom management was a key focus, emphasizing that engaging classrooms lead to better student outcomes.
