West Des Moines Community School District
Professional Development Case Study: The West Des Moines Community School District
Christi Donald and Megan Stephenson
Drake University
EDL 273: Instruction and Learning
Dr. Elaine Smith-Bright
April 10, 2010
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West Des Moines Community School District
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Demographics of the District
The West Des Moines Community School District, in West Des Moines, Iowa, currently
houses 8,848 students from Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade. The growth has remained
stable for the past five years, and it is predicted that the district will increase only slightly over
the next few years. The school district serves four communities: West Des Moines, Clive,
Urbandale, and Windsor Heights.
West Des Moines has experienced changing demographics over the past ten years. In
2004, the district was 88 percent white, 6 percent Asian, 3 percent black, 3 percent Hispanic, and
14 percent qualify for free and reduced lunch. As of 2010, 85.6 percent are white, 4 percent are
black, 4.7% are Asian, and 5.5 percent are Hispanic. Currently, twenty percent of the student
body qualifies for free and reduced lunch. Along with the changing demographics, the district is
witnessing changes in learning supports, initiatives, and attitudes. Fewer students are entering
school ready to learn, and more students are coming to school ill-prepared and with low parental
involvement.
Applying the Operating Principles
Focus on Instruction
The West Des Moines Community School District shows a continuous focus on
instruction, curriculum and assessment through its Guiding Principles and District Goals. The
WDMCS Guiding Principles are continuing improvement which includes focusing on more ways
measure and assess the quality of the educational programming, personalized learning, and
optimum use of human resources, integration and diversity. The second district goal is to
significantly improve instructional and assessment processes. By putting instruction and
assessment into the district goals, WDMCS has pushed curriculum, instruction, and assessment
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to front of everyone's focus. All buildings and teachers' goals have to be aligned with the district
goals.
Participative Decision Making
The West Des Moines Community School District has several committees that allow
stakeholders to participate in the decision-making process for determining student learning
needs. One of the committees that the data analysis starts in is the Administrative Leadership
Team (ALT). After careful analysis, evaluation and discussion the data and discussion points are
taken to other stakeholder groups such as building staffs and curriculum teams. Building a
Learning Community for the 21st Century Committee is the district's school improvement
advisory committee which will analyze the data in comparison to building goals, district goals,
annual improvement goals, student learning goals and specific programs. The school board,
Professional Development Advisory Committee, Safe and Drug Free Schools and Community
Advisory Council, and the Career and Technology Advisory Committee all analyze the data and
give input in regards to district goals.
Simultaneity
Although simultaneity is not explicitly outlined in the CSIP, APR or the professional
development plan, it is woven throughout these documents. West Des Moines Community
School District capitalizes on participative decision making to ensure simultaneity. Different
district committees oversee different goals and visions. For example, the Safe and Drug Free
Schools and Community Advisory Council focuses on the fourth long-range student achievement
goal, "All students will decrease usage of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.”
West Des Moines Community School District
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Leadership
The Professional Development Advisory Committee's main focus is the professional
development plan for the West Des Moines Community School District. This committee is
made up of a representative from each building in the district as well as district curriculum
participation. This committee meets at least twice a year to review WDMCSD Professional
Development Model and to review the results of a staff survey on professional development
opportunities in the district.
Professional Development Cycle
Collecting and Analyzing Student Data
The collection of data is outlined in the first section of the Comprehensive School
Improvement Plan (CSIP). Nineteen different types of data are collected to assess student
achievement. Fourteen sources are collected annually by building and district administrators,
while the remaining sources are collected periodically. Page three of the CSIP outlines the types
of data collected by the district for the purpose of analyzing student achievement.
There are nine different groups who analyze the nineteen different types of data (see
pages four and five of the CSIP to see the different groups and their roles in analyzing data).
Their purpose of analyzing data is to, “determine prioritized student learning needs” (West Des
Moines Community School District Comprehensive School Improvement Plan, 2004).
Goal Setting
After collecting and analyzing the data, the groups involved in participative decisionmaking create goals that address three areas: the district’s vision, assessment and instruction, and
technology. The goals are based on needs, student data, and state indicators. The district goals
are updated annually and address improvements in math, reading, and science, and decreasing
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the use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs. The goals created by the district are approved by
the Board of Education.
Individual buildings also create more specific building goals centered on the four district
goals. Certified staff members for each building are given one professional development day per
year to look at data and create specific building goals related to the district goals. Typically,
these goals are created in the spring for the following school year.
Selecting Content
According to the CSIP, the BLC (Building a Learning Community for the 21st Century
Committee) and the Administrative Leadership Team first recommend specific goals to the
Board of Education. After the goals have been approved, each curricular area agrees to specific
curriculum development and implementation actions that specifically relates to the goals. Then
each building commits to specific action plans that coincide with the curriculum development
actions and tie in with the district and building goals. And with each building, each curricular
area also commits to specific action plans that tie into the district goals.
Designing Process for Professional Development
The West Des Moines Community School District has an intricate process when
designing professional development for the educators. The district looks at sixteen different
factors of professional development to meet the needs of all students. Figure one was created by
the West Des Moines Professional Development Advisory Council in 2009 and outlines the
facets of professional development for the district. The district ensures that research, resources,
assessment, and follow-up support are incorporated in the designing process for professional
development. Although this information is not outlined in the CSIP, it is clearly explained on the
district website under the staff development section.
West Des Moines Community School District
Ongoing Cycle
West Des Moines has a three-year staff development plan centered on improving
personal effectiveness and leadership, curriculum and instruction, and effective teaching
strategies. This information is not found in the CSIP or APR, but rather the district website in
the staff development section. The information is also out of date: it was last updated for the
2008-2009 school year. According to the website, every staff member participates in a threeyear cycle of professional development in each area. The different types of professional
development are implemented and assessed at the end of the cycle.
Collaboration and Implementation
Collaboration and implementation are vaguely outlined in the CSIP. According to the
CSIP, West Des Moines uses a variety of action plans to implement professional development
for the purpose of achieving the four district goals. It states that collaboration is developed for,
"specific programs, curriculum evaluations/updates through Teaching and Learning Services,
staff development plans, and/or building school improvement plans" (West Des Moines
Community School District Comprehensive School Improvement Plan, 2004).
Valley Southwoods, Stilwell Junior High, and the rest of the school district follow the
same procedures when collaborating and implementing professional development. All schools
are granted twelve paid days without students to work on professional development (certified
staff contracts are 192 days). Schools are also granted forty-five minutes every Wednesday to
work towards achieving building and district goals. Each building uses its own discretion for
implementing the Wednesday collaboration time.
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West Des Moines Community School District
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Formative and Summative Data Collection
The West Des Moines Community School District explains how they monitor student
growth in the CSIP and APR. They use a multitude of data sources, both formative and
summative, to determine if student learning has changed and district/building goals have been
met. According to the CSIP and APR, the district and buildings look at grade level and
classroom assessments, data from surveys and focus groups, benchmark assessments, and
standardized assessments (ITBS/ITED). The district also looks at data from the IDEA
proficiency test for ELL students, and they look at IEP data for special education students.
Valley Southwoods Freshman High School
Valley Southwoods building goal, the percentage of 9th grade students in the ITED
"proficiency" level will increase from the previous year (cohort group) in reading, science, and
mathematics, is tied directly to the district goals, guiding principles, long-range student
achievement goals, shared vision, and district educational program goals. VSW has successfully
implemented the strategies that it has listed for its building goal. The staff has been
collaborating in interdisciplinary and departmental teams, has been working on essential
questions in every subject area, and has been continuing its' study of Whatever It Takes and
Failure is Not an Option.
Stilwell Junior High School
Like Valley Southwoods, Stilwell Junior High’s building goal is tied directly to the
district goal, guiding principles, long-range student achievement goals, shared vision, and district
educational program goals. Stilwell’s goal for the 2009-2010 school year states that the
percentage of students in the proficiency level will increase from the previous year in reading,
science and mathematics. Stilwell staff plans to implement this goal through collaboration on
West Des Moines Community School District
Wednesday afternoons, professional learning communities (Stilwell staff and students are
divided into six teams), personal learning plans, teacher quality courses, and teacher quality
study groups. Like Southwoods, Stilwell is also continuing its’ study of Whatever It Takes.
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