2014
NEW FROM THE OFFICE OF RESEARCH • APRIL
Implementation of the Master Plan
for Statewide Professional Staff
Development for 2012-2013
This report examines four main aspects of the West Virginia Board of Education’s Master Plan
for Statewide Professional Development: (a) basic information about the size and scope of
the effort, including attendance, duration, and adherence to the newly adopted standards for
professional development; (b) quality of the sessions, (c) alignment of sessions to Board goals,
and (d) the impacts of the sessions on participants’ knowledge, practice, and attitudes/beliefs.
Method of study. The following results are based on 1,018 session reports submitted by the
Center for Professional Development (CPD), one institution of higher education (IHE, Marshall
University), all eight regional education service agencies (RESAs), and 14 offices in the West
Virginia Department of Education (WVDE); and nearly 6,000 survey responses (64% response
rate) from a random sample of participants in these PD sessions spanning the period June 1,
2012–May 31, 2013.
Findings. The most notable 3-year implementation trend was the reduction by nearly two thirds
of PD sessions submitted by the RESAs, while CPD increased its slate of sessions more than
fivefold; IHEs held steady; and the WVDE more than doubled its offerings. The WVDE was
responsible for more than three quarters of all participants in sessions offered through the PD
Master Plan. Other notable implementation trends include (a) about a third of sessions offered
were brief (up to 4 hours), another third were half-day to slightly less than 2-day technical
training, and the remaining third lasted 2 or more days; (b) nearly 7,400 educators participated
in sessions of 30 hours or more duration; (c) and overall, there was less than a 60% level of
compliance with the new Board standards for professional development. As for perceived
quality, goal alignment, and impacts trends during this time, we note the following: (a) at 3.9
on a 5-point scale, there has been only a slight gain (0.1 point) over the 3 years; (b) there
has been a rise to 76.1% in agreement among participants that the sessions they attended
were aligned to the Board goal they were intended to support, the highest rate so far; and (c)
although perceived effect sizes ranged from moderate to very large, there was only a slight gain
for perceived impacts on knowledge, and slight decreases for impacts on practice and attitudes/
beliefs during the three years. Taken together, these results show general participant satisfaction,
but do not show much movement in improving the quality and impact.
Limitations of study. Implementation and other findings in this report are based on self-reports
by providers and participants, which may be subject to bias.
Recommendations include (a) find ways to increase the participation of IHEs; (b) develop goals
for professional development with a longer view, commit to those goals for a sustained period
of time and publicize them broadly, to help providers align their efforts into a more coherent
statewide system; and (c) provide information about the Board standards for
professional learning to all professional development providers working in the
state, and develop training and incentives that will motivate providers to craft
their offerings to meet those standards.
For more information, Patricia Cahape Hammer, WVDE Office of
Research (phammer@access.k12.wv.us), or download the full report
from the Office of Research website:
http://wvde.state.wv.us/research/reports2014.html.
The most
notable 3-year
implementation trend
was the reduction
by nearly two thirds
of PD sessions
submitted by the
RESAs, while CPD
increased its slate
of sessions more
than fivefold; IHEs
held steady; and the
WVDE more than
doubled its offerings.
Taken together,
results show
general participant
satisfaction, but
do not show much
movement in
improving the quality
and impact.
Nearly 7,400
educators
participated in
sessions of 30 hours
or more duration.
Office
of
Research
2014
NEW FROM THE OFFICE OF RESEARCH • APRIL
Implementation of the Master Plan
for Statewide Professional Staff
Development for 2012-2013
This report examines four main aspects of the West Virginia Board of Education’s Master Plan
for Statewide Professional Development: (a) basic information about the size and scope of
the effort, including attendance, duration, and adherence to the newly adopted standards for
professional development; (b) quality of the sessions, (c) alignment of sessions to Board goals,
and (d) the impacts of the sessions on participants’ knowledge, practice, and attitudes/beliefs.
Method of study. The following results are based on 1,018 session reports submitted by the
Center for Professional Development (CPD), one institution of higher education (IHE, Marshall
University), all eight regional education service agencies (RESAs), and 14 offices in the West
Virginia Department of Education (WVDE); and nearly 6,000 survey responses (64% response
rate) from a random sample of participants in these PD sessions spanning the period June 1,
2012–May 31, 2013.
Findings. The most notable 3-year implementation trend was the reduction by nearly two thirds
of PD sessions submitted by the RESAs, while CPD increased its slate of sessions more than
fivefold; IHEs held steady; and the WVDE more than doubled its offerings. The WVDE was
responsible for more than three quarters of all participants in sessions offered through the PD
Master Plan. Other notable implementation trends include (a) about a third of sessions offered
were brief (up to 4 hours), another third were half-day to slightly less than 2-day technical
training, and the remaining third lasted 2 or more days; (b) nearly 7,400 educators participated
in sessions of 30 hours or more duration; (c) and overall, there was less than a 60% level of
compliance with the new Board standards for professional development. As for perceived
quality, goal alignment, and impacts trends during this time, we note the following: (a) at 3.9
on a 5-point scale, there has been only a slight gain (0.1 point) over the 3 years; (b) there
has been a rise to 76.1% in agreement among participants that the sessions they attended
were aligned to the Board goal they were intended to support, the highest rate so far; and (c)
although perceived effect sizes ranged from moderate to very large, there was only a slight gain
for perceived impacts on knowledge, and slight decreases for impacts on practice and attitudes/
beliefs during the three years. Taken together, these results show general participant satisfaction,
but do not show much movement in improving the quality and impact.
Limitations of study. Implementation and other findings in this report are based on self-reports
by providers and participants, which may be subject to bias.
Recommendations include (a) find ways to increase the participation of IHEs; (b) develop goals
for professional development with a longer view, commit to those goals for a sustained period
of time and publicize them broadly, to help providers align their efforts into a more coherent
statewide system; and (c) provide information about the Board standards for
professional learning to all professional development providers working in the
state, and develop training and incentives that will motivate providers to craft
their offerings to meet those standards.
For more information, Patricia Cahape Hammer, WVDE Office of
Research (phammer@access.k12.wv.us), or download the full report
from the Office of Research website:
http://wvde.state.wv.us/research/reports2014.html.
The most
notable 3-year
implementation trend
was the reduction
by nearly two thirds
of PD sessions
submitted by the
RESAs, while CPD
increased its slate
of sessions more
than fivefold; IHEs
held steady; and the
WVDE more than
doubled its offerings.
Taken together,
results show
general participant
satisfaction, but
do not show much
movement in
improving the quality
and impact.
Nearly 7,400
educators
participated in
sessions of 30 hours
or more duration.
Office
of
Research