##### *2005-2006 No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools Program*

*U.S. Department of Education*

**Cover Sheet** Type of School: (Check all that apply)
[\_\_]{.underline} Elementary [\_\_]{.underline} Middle
[\_X]{.underline} High [\_\_]{.underline} K-12 [\_\_]{.underline}Charter

Name of Principal [Mr. James DePue]{.underline}

(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other) (As it should appear in the
official records)

Official School Name [Adel-DeSoto-Minburn Senior High
School]{.underline}

(As it should appear in the official records)

School Mailing Address [801 Nile Kinnick Drive South]{.underline}

(If address is P.O. Box, also include street address)

[Adel IA 50003-2024]{.underline}

City State Zip Code+4 (9 digits total)

County [Dallas]{.underline} State School Code Number\*
[0027]{.underline}

Telephone [( 515 ) 993-4584]{.underline} Fax [( 515 )
993-3025]{.underline}

Website/URL [www.adel.k12.ia.us]{.underline} E-mail
[jdepue@email.adel.k12.ia.us]{.underline}

I have reviewed the information in this application, including the
eligibility requirements on page 2, and certify that to the best of my
knowledge all information is accurate.

Date\_ [10 February 2006]{.underline}

(Principal's Signature)

Name of Superintendent\* [Dr. Timothy Hoffman]{.underline}

(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other)

District Name [Adel-DeSoto-Minburn Community School
District]{.underline} Tel.[(515) 993-4283]{.underline}

I have reviewed the information in this application, including the
eligibility requirements on page 2, and certify that to the best of my
knowledge it is accurate.

Date [10 February 2006]{.underline} (Superintendent's Signature)

Name of School Board

President/Chairperson [Mr. Darrell Weems]{.underline}

(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other)

I have reviewed the information in this package, including the
eligibility requirements on page 2, and certify that to the best of my
knowledge it is accurate.

Date [10 February 2006]{.underline}

(School Board President's/Chairperson's Signature)

*\*Private Schools: If the information requested is not applicable,
write N/A in the space.*

**PART I ‑ ELIGIBILITY CERTIFICATION**

**\[Include this page in the school's application as page 2.\]**

The signatures on the first page of this application certify that each
of the statements below concerning the school\'s eligibility and
compliance with U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights
(OCR) requirements is true and correct.

1.  The school has some configuration that includes grades K-12.
    (Schools with one principal, even K-12 schools, must apply as an
    entire school.)

2.  The school has not been in school improvement status or been
    identified by the state as \"persistently dangerous\" within the
    last two years. To meet final eligibility, the school must meet the
    state's adequate yearly progress requirement in the 2005-2006 school
    year.

3.  If the school includes grades 7 or higher, it has foreign language
    as a part of its core curriculum.

4.  The school has been in existence for five full years, that is, from
    at least September 2000 and has not received the 2003, 2004, or 2005
    *No Child Left Behind -- Blue Ribbon Schools Award.*

5.  The nominated school or district is not refusing the OCR access to
    information necessary to investigate a civil rights complaint or to
    conduct a district‑wide compliance review.

6.  The OCR has not issued a violation letter of findings to the school
    district concluding that the nominated school or the district as a
    whole has violated one or more of the civil rights statutes. A
    violation letter of findings will not be considered outstanding if
    the OCR has accepted a corrective action plan from the district to
    remedy the violation.

7.  The U.S. Department of Justice does not have a pending suit alleging
    that the nominated school, or the school district as a whole, has
    violated one or more of the civil rights statutes or the
    Constitution\'s equal protection clause.

8.  There are no findings of violations of the Individuals with
    Disabilities Education Act in a U.S. Department of Education
    monitoring report that apply to the school or school district in
    question; or if there are such findings, the state or district has
    corrected, or agreed to correct, the findings.

**PART II ‑ DEMOGRAPHIC DATA**

**All data are the most recent year available.**

**DISTRICT** (Questions 1‑2 not applicable to private schools)

1\. Number of schools in the district: [3]{.underline} Elementary
schools

[1]{.underline} Middle schools

[0]{.underline} Junior high schools

[1]{.underline} High schools

\_\_\_\_\_ Other

[5]{.underline} TOTAL

2\. District Per Pupil Expenditure: [\$7007 (FY04)]{.underline}

Average State Per Pupil Expenditure: [\$7369 (FY04)]{.underline}

**SCHOOL** (To be completed by all schools)

3\. Category that best describes the area where the school is located:

> \[ \] Urban or large central city
>
> \[ \] Suburban school with characteristics typical of an urban area
>
> \[ \] Suburban
>
> \[ X\] Small city or town in a rural area
>
> \[ \] Rural

4\. [5]{.underline} Number of years the principal has been in her/his
position at this school.

[NA]{.underline} If fewer than three years, how long was the previous
principal at this school?

5\. Number of students as of October 1 enrolled at each grade level or
its equivalent in applying school only:

  ----------- --------- ----------- ---------- --------- -- ----------- --------- ----------- ---------
  **Grade**   **\# of   **\# of                **Grade      **Grade**   **\# of   **\# of     **Grade
              Males**   Females**              Total**                  Males**   Females**   Total**

  **PreK**                                                  **7**                             

  **K**                                                     **8**       1                     1

  **1**                                                     **9**       72        59          131

  **2**                                                     **10**      60        61          121

  **3**                                                     **11**      55        53          107

  **4**                                                     **12**      60        51          112

  **5**                                                     **Other**                         

  **6**                                                                                       

                                    **TOTAL                                                   472
                                    STUDENTS                                                  
                                    IN THE                                                    
                                    APPLYING                                                  
                                    SCHOOL**                                                  
  ----------- --------- ----------- ---------- --------- -- ----------- --------- ----------- ---------

***\[Throughout the document, round numbers to avoid decimals.\]***

6\. Racial/ethnic composition of [99]{.underline} % White

the students in the school: [0]{.underline} % Black or African American

[1]{.underline} % Hispanic or Latino

[0]{.underline} % Asian/Pacific Islander

[0]{.underline} % American Indian/Alaskan Native

**100% Total**

Use only the five standard categories in reporting the racial/ethnic
composition of the school.

7\. Student turnover, or mobility rate, during the past year: \_
[7]{.underline} %

> \[This rate should be calculated using the grid below. The answer to
> (6) is the mobility rate.\]

  ------------------------- --------------------------- ------------------
  **(1)**                   Number of students who      19
                            transferred ***to*** the    
                            school after October 1      
                            until the end of the year.  

  **(2)**                   Number of students who      14
                            transferred ***from*** the  
                            school after October 1      
                            until the end of the year.  

  **(3)**                   Total of all transferred    33
                            students \[sum of rows (1)  
                            and (2)\]                   

  **(4)**                   Total number of students in 472
                            the school as of October 1  

  **(5)**                   Total transferred students  .0700
                            in row (3) divided by total 
                            students in row (4)         

  **(6)**                   Amount in row (5)           7%
                            multiplied by 100           
  ------------------------- --------------------------- ------------------

8\. Limited English Proficient students in the school: [0]{.underline} %

[0]{.underline} Total Number Limited English Proficient

Number of languages represented: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Specify languages:

9\. Students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals: \_ [15]{.underline}
\_%

Total number students who qualify: [71]{.underline}

> If this method does not produce an accurate estimate of the percentage
> of students from low‑income families or the school does not
> participate in the federally‑supported lunch program, specify a more
> accurate estimate, tell why the school chose it, and explain how it
> arrived at this estimate.

10\. Students receiving special education services: [15]{.underline} %

[70]{.underline} Total Number of Students Served

> Indicate below the number of students with disabilities according to
> conditions designated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education
> Act. Do not add additional categories.

[2]{.underline} Autism Orthopedic Impairment

Deafness Other Health Impaired

Deaf-Blindness [61]{.underline} Specific Learning Disability

[2]{.underline} Emotional Disturbance Speech or Language Impairment

Hearing Impairment Traumatic Brain Injury

> [3]{.underline} Mental Retardation Visual Impairment Including
> Blindness
>
> [2]{.underline} Multiple Disabilities

11. Indicate number of full‑time and part‑time staff members in each of
    the categories below:

    **Number of Staff**

**[Full-time]{.underline}** **[Part-Time]{.underline}**

Administrator(s) [2]{.underline}

Classroom teachers [27]{.underline} [0.77]{.underline}

Special resource teachers/specialists [5]{.underline}

Paraprofessionals [6]{.underline}

> Support staff [3]{.underline}
>
> Total number [43]{.underline} [0.77]{.underline}

12. Average school student-"classroom teacher" ratio, that is, the
    number of

students in the school divided by the FTE of classroom teachers:
[17]{.underline}

13\. Show the attendance patterns of teachers and students as a
percentage. The student dropout rate is defined by the state. The
student drop-off rate is the difference between the number of entering
students and the number of exiting students from the same cohort. (From
the same cohort, subtract the number of exiting students from the number
of entering students; divide that number by the number of entering
students; multiply by 100 to get the percentage drop-off rate.) Briefly
explain in 100 words or fewer any major discrepancy between the dropout
rate and the drop-off rate. Only middle and high schools need to supply
dropout rates and only high schools need to supply drop-off rates.

  -------------------------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
                             2004-2005   2003-2004   2002-2003   2001-2002   2000-2001

  Daily student attendance   97%         97%         97%         97%         96%

  Daily teacher attendance   96%         97%         95%         95%         96%

  Teacher turnover rate      6%          6%          6%          3%          6%

  Student dropout rate       1%          1%          1%          1%          1%
  (middle/high)                                                              

  Student drop-off rate      1%          0%          1%          0%          0%
  (high school)                                                              
  -------------------------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- -----------

No significant statistical difference exists between dropout and
drop-off rates.

14\. **(*High Schools Only*)** Show what the students who graduated in
Spring 2004 are doing as of September 2004.

+--------------------------------------------------------+-------------+
| Graduating class size                                  | > [\_       |
|                                                        | \_\_\_112]{ |
|                                                        | .underline} |
|                                                        | > \_        |
+--------------------------------------------------------+-------------+
| Enrolled in a 4-year college or university             | > [\_\_     |
|                                                        | \_\_\_44%]{ |
|                                                        | .underline} |
+--------------------------------------------------------+-------------+
| Enrolled in a community college                        | > [\_\_     |
|                                                        | \_\_\_38%]{ |
|                                                        | .underline} |
+--------------------------------------------------------+-------------+
| Enrolled in vocational training                        | > [\_\      |
|                                                        | _\_\_\_5%]{ |
|                                                        | .underline} |
+--------------------------------------------------------+-------------+
| Found employment                                       | > [\_\      |
|                                                        | _\_\_\_9%]{ |
|                                                        | .underline} |
+--------------------------------------------------------+-------------+
| Military service                                       | > [\_\      |
|                                                        | _\_\_\_3%]{ |
|                                                        | .underline} |
+--------------------------------------------------------+-------------+
| Other (travel, staying home, etc.)                     | > [\_\      |
|                                                        | _\_\_\_0%]{ |
|                                                        | .underline} |
+--------------------------------------------------------+-------------+
| Unknown                                                | > [\_\      |
|                                                        | _\_\_\_1%]{ |
|                                                        | .underline} |
+--------------------------------------------------------+-------------+
| **Total**                                              | > [100      |
|                                                        | > %]{       |
|                                                        | .underline} |
+--------------------------------------------------------+-------------+

**PART III ‑ SUMMARY**

**Mission:** Our mission is to enable all students to master the skills,
acquire the knowledge, and develop the social skills necessary for them
to reach their full potential as citizens who can successfully meet the
challenges of society.

**Belief Statements:**

-   Our school exists for the purpose of providing all students with the
    opportunity to acquire knowledge and master the skills essential to
    their future success and well-being as learners and citizens.

-   Students can learn and achieve when given the right conditions.

-   Our school exists to provide the conditions for student learning and
    success.

-   Students are entitled to expanded opportunities to master what is
    ultimately expected of them.

-   Students should be required to demonstrate that they can apply the
    knowledge they have acquired.

-   Students should be consistently held to high standards of
    performance.

-   Our school's effectiveness is maximized when students, staff, and
    community share a vision of success.

-   Our school can be continuously improved by seeking and using the
    best available knowledge and data to guide our ongoing planning,
    decision-making, and program delivery.

## The Adel-DeSoto-Minburn High School Items of Pride

The Adel-DeSoto-Minburn High School is known regionally as a school with
high expectations for our students. Our grading scale reflects these
expectations, with 70% being the lowest passing grade. At the same time,
the school provides opportunities to educate and support all students.
We provide a work experience program for students to connect classroom
learning to on-the-job expectations. For students who need a
non-traditional setting for learning, the ADM Learning Center provides
flexible learning opportunities for students to earn an
Adel-DeSoto-Minburn diploma. Teachers in our building regularly tutor
students before and after school and on Saturdays in a
district-supported tutoring program.

High school student attendance rates are above state averages. Fall
parent-teacher conference attendance is annually over 95%. At the high
school, fall conference participation is above 90 percent. Student
participation in extra-curricular activities is high.

We are proud of our focus on literacy. Beginning in the elementary
buildings nearly ten years ago and moving into the secondary buildings
in the past few years, we have a framework for understanding reading
comprehension that provides a common language for parents, students, and
teachers. Our student achievement data indicates that this focus is
making a difference for students.

Our school board of education and community help us to continually
review and improve our programs and expectations. We have raised
graduation standards to require more mathematics courses. In the past
two years, we have begun to revise our physical education program to
focus more on health and wellness. High school staff members have been
involved in the state of Iowa's high school reform workshops and will
continue to study areas such as the rigor and relevance of curriculum
and the need for personalization through advisory programs.

**PART IV -- INDICATORS OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS**

1.  *District Assessment Results*

As all school districts in the state of Iowa, the Adel-DeSoto-Minburn
school district uses data from the Iowa Tests of Educational Development
(ITED) as a key indicator of student academic success. The Iowa Tests of
Educational Development has a long history of use nationally and
specifically in Iowa, thus providing us with over ten years of trend
data to track our progress in school improvement. Additionally, the
test's widespread use has proven it to be a reliable and valid
assessment. The Iowa Tests are norm-referenced. The norms used for No
Child Left Behind accountability purposes were developed with a
nationwide pool of student data. Cut points for the three levels of
performance (Less than Proficient, Proficient, and Advanced) were
established in the most recent norming year and do not fluctuate from
year to year, as a typical norm-referenced assessment would. Students in
the less than proficient category score at the fortieth percentile or
lower; students classified as proficient score at the forty-first
percentile or higher; student classified as advanced score in the
ninetieth to ninety-ninth percentile. Specific information about the
Iowa Tests of Educational Development can be found at the Iowa Testing
Program website (www.education.uiowa.edu/itp/ited/ited_about.htm).

Reading proficiency on the Iowa Tests of Educational Development is
based on a reading comprehension subtest. Reading passages come from
published works, both literary and informational. Math proficiency is
based on a mathematics concepts and problem solving subtest. Items in
this subtest ask students to apply mathematical concepts and solve
mathematical problems.

Over the past three school years (2002-2005), Adel-DeSoto-Minburn High
School has steadily increased the percentage of eleventh grade students
at the Proficient level in both reading and mathematics. Further, this
increase has not come at the expense of our most talented students. Our
three-year trend data shows that as we have been decreasing the
percentage of students in the Less than Proficient level, we have also
been increasing our percentage of students in the Advanced level.
Statistically, schools could expect to have ten percent of their
students in the Advanced level. Over the past three years, we have
increased the percentage of eleventh graders in the Advanced range in
reading comprehension from nineteen percent to thirty-five percent. In
mathematics, we have seen an increase in the Advanced range from twenty
percent to forty percent in the same three-year period.

As in most schools, the greatest disparity in subgroup performance is
found between our students with disabilities and those students without
disabilities. However, we have begun to see a slight narrowing of that
gap in our data. Special education and general education teachers are
working together to address this achievement gap. Strategies include
more consultation between special education and general education
teachers, more professional development for teachers on meeting the
needs of all students, continuous work on focused, appropriate
interventions for students, and better use of data to track on-going
progress of students.

Iowa school achievement data can be found at the Iowa School Profile
website
([www.iowaschoolprofiles.com](http://www.iowaschoolprofiles.com/)). At
this site, visitors can obtain student achievement data for schools, and
can also compare schools' achievement data.

2.  *Using Assessment Results*

With the assistance of our Area Education Agency, the teachers at
Adel-DeSoto-Minburn High School have a number of tools and resources
readily available to help them access and use student achievement data
to inform instruction and decisions regarding student performance.

One professional development day each school year is deemed "data day."
During this professional time, teachers access ITED results to not only
analyze how well students performed that school year in relation to
local and state goals but also to analyze trend data on grade levels and
cohorts of students. All teachers in the building, regardless of the
subject matter they teach, are a part of the process; we believe all
teachers have a stake in our student achievement, not just simply those
responsible for teaching Language Arts or mathematics. The results of
this data day are a common understanding of whether or not we have met
our goals, recommendations of new local goals for the next school year,
and development of action plans on how to meet those goals and continue
to focus on increasing student achievement. Teachers then personalize
these goals and actions as they use the building plan to guide the
development of their individual career development plans.

During our data day, we also examine data that represents other aspects
of the school that influence student achievement on standardized
academic tests. Groups of teachers analyze student behavior data and
student perceptual data to look for areas for improvement in the
academic environment.

3.  *Communicating Assessment Results*

Communication of student achievement data to parents, community members
and others interested in the district is a critical, on-going activity
in the Adel-DeSoto-Minburn School District. Multiple avenues are used to
get information out to various audiences.

Adel-DeSoto-Minburn has a district newsletter that is written, edited,
and designed by high school students. This newsletter is distributed to
the community monthly. Student achievement data for the district is
broken down into small topics and shared over the school year through
this newsletter. Where appropriate, data is shared in both narrative and
graphic formats.

In addition, presentations of student achievement data are made to
various district groups. These include the board of education, the
district advisory committee, building advisory committees, and building
staff. Individual results are shared with students and parents both in a
written format and in face-to-face conferences. In recent years,
academic achievement data has also been published on our various
athletic and fine arts activities event programs.

Finally, we have a district website where parents, community members,
and others can access district achievement data and also be linked to
the state School Profiles site. Website visitors can access a complete
copy of our annual report to the state, our board approved local student
achievement goals, and a complete copy of our district Comprehensive
School Improvement Plan.

4.  *Sharing Success*

Adel-DeSoto-Minburn Community School District staff are members of
several regional organizations that allow them to share information with
other schools. High school administrators meet monthly with other local
high school administrators. School improvement is a regular topic on
those monthly agendas. Schools share their data and action plans with
others so as to learn together the best ways to affect change in their
buildings.

Additionally, curriculum/school improvement coordinators in the central
Iowa area meet monthly for state and local education updates and
professional learning opportunities. These include formal presentations
of activities happening in schools and informal group sharing of data
and activities. The district director of school improvement regularly
attends these network meetings.

Our district's work with defining the state teaching standards with
local criteria and supporting those with mentoring and a focused
evaluation process has been highlighted in state training classes on the
new state teacher evaluation system. Administrators have been asked to
share our process for developing the criteria, tools we have developed
to support teachers in meeting the standards, and successes we have had
in involving teachers in the process.

A goal for the Adel-DeSoto-Minburn High School and other schools in our
district is to seek out more opportunities to share our processes and
success. We feel this Blue Ribbon Schools nomination will help us meet
this goal.

**PART V -- CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION**

***1. Core Curriculum***

The focus of all the curricular areas at Adel-DeSoto-Minburn High School
is to help students become effective communicators, complex thinkers,
collaborative workers, self-directed learners, and responsible citizens.

Mathematics -- The focus of the Adel-DeSoto-Minburn High School math
curriculum is to give students the skills and concepts needed to be
successful in the workplace and in future education. Typically, students
will take Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and Advanced Math. Students
who take Geometry as freshmen may take Calculus as their fourth course.
Additional math electives are Math in Life, Career Math, and
Intermediate Algebra.

Language Arts -- Students are required to take four years of language
arts in order to receive a diploma. During the first three years all
students pass through a sequence of courses in which they practice
mechanics, read the works of important authors, build vocabulary, edit
their own work and the works of others, develop effective speaking
skills, and construct a variety of formal and informal essays. Electives
are offered in advanced and college preparatory writing, theater,
vocational reading and writing, and journalism.

Science -- Physical Science and Biology are required courses at
Adel-DeSoto-Minburn High School. This ensures that students understand
the concepts and processes that are part of physical and life sciences.
Students are engaged in research, labs, and readings, and then apply
their knowledge and skills to the world. A majority of students take
electives in Environmental Science, Human Physiology, Chemistry, and
Physics.

Social Studies -- All students are required to take World History,
American History, Government and Economics. Additional courses offered
are Sociology, ICONS, Psychology, and AP Psychology. The social studies
curriculum gives students the historic and cultural contexts for
contemporary events and helps them understand the forces that shape our
world.

Foreign Language -- Students may take four years of Spanish or French.
Students learn the structure of the language and move toward speaking,
reading, and writing more fluently. The curriculum focuses on the
practical application of language. Additionally, students learn about
the cultures where these languages are spoken. Students with high
interest and aptitude may also take Latin or Russian as an independent
study.

Electives -- Adel-DeSoto-Minburn High School provides students with a
wide range of elective opportunities. Four strands of vocational
electives are offered in Family and Consumer Science, Accounting,
Drafting, and Marketing. All students must take one semester of
computers. A Websites course is offered and part of the expectations are
for students to maintains the district website. Many two- and
three-dimensional art courses from introductory to advanced are offered.
Each year Adel-DeSoto-Minburn High School hosts an Art Fair where
student work is displayed and critiqued by professional artis. Students
may also elect courses in robotics, electronics, metals, woods, small
engines, and construction. Finally, band and chorus are also offered
with a variety of performing groups as part of each program. Students
take part in performances and contests throughout the year.

*2b. English Language Curriculum*

The Language Arts curriculum involves the interactive process of
composing (speaking, expressing visually/nonverbally, and writing) and
comprehending (listening, viewing, and reading). Courses are designed to
integrate literature, mechanics, speaking and writing to help students
grow and develop as effective communicators.

Specific courses are designed to meet the needs of students who read
below grade level. Applied Communications is an elective for students
who perform at a low level in language arts. Students develop reading
and writing skills through assignments that replicate the workplace. In
Leisure Reading students select, read and discuss novels of their own
choice and at their own pace. Enrollment is limited to those who are
struggling readers.

Students in special education with a reading goal take Resource Reading.
Students work to develop decoding, fluency, and comprehension.

The Language Arts Department has been a leader in the implementation of
Adel-DeSoto-Minburn's professional development focus on reading
comprehension. The instructional strategies are integrated into the
curriculum and utilized regularly in daily lessons.

*3. Math Curriculum*

The math curriculum is designed to move students from guided to
independent practice while mastering important skills and concepts.
Assessments are used extensively to guide future instruction; these
include homework, unit and semester exams, and standardized tests. If
students are not successful, they receive reteaching and retesting until
they can demonstrate mastery. The curriculum also emphasizes the
importance math plays in developing complex thinking. Additionally,
students have had the opportunity to explore careers that involve
higher-level math.

Students in the traditional sequence of math courses are required to
score a C (78%) or above and score at the 50^th^ percentile nationally
or above on ITED in order to move on to the next course. Students may
retake the current math course if they do not receive a C or higher.
Those who score below the 50^th^ percentile have the option of attending
summer tutoring that focuses on their deficit areas on ITED. Math
teachers are also available before and after school and on Saturday
mornings for tutoring. Teachers are compensated for the time they spend
working with students when it falls outside the contract day.

*4. Instructional Methods*

The Adel-DeSoto-Minburn School District has a history of seeking
effective instructional practices and creating a sustained professional
development plan to support the use of those strategies in the
classroom.

Mastery learning is a strong part of the school culture. It is most
evident in our mathematics classrooms across the district. Students are
assessed before instruction to facilitate learning targeted at what they
do not know. Clear learning expectations are shared with students at the
beginning of the unit. If on the final assessment students do not
achieve the level of mastery required by the district (80% correct),
reteaching and retesting is the expectation.

Coupled with mastery learning is the use of classroom assessments to
inform instruction, not just serve as a final unit activity.
Adel-DeSoto-Minburn High School staff have studied materials from the
Assessment Training Institute on developing quality classroom
assessments and effectively using the data from those assessments in
assisting students in meeting course expectations. As a part of our
curriculum review cycle, we revisit end of the course assessments for
quality and alignment with course expectations.

Currently, our professional development focus at the secondary level has
been on direct, explicit instruction of reading strategies in all
classrooms. Even though we have a high percentage of our students
scoring at a proficient level on the Iowa Tests of Educational
Development, our data analysis shows this is still an area of concern
for our students. The district has studied and adopted as our reading
framework the reading strategies of proficient readers as outlined by
Harvey and Goudvis in the book [Strategies that Work]{.underline}.

5.  *Professional Development Program*

In the past three years, the district has developed a professional
development plan that has a district focus, but differentiates to meet
content-specific needs. The current focus for the district is on reading
strategies. Learning activities for teachers are designed to find the
best reading strategies for particular curricular areas.

Such differentiation would not be effective if not for a strong building
leadership team. The Adel-DeSoto-Minburn School District has a district
Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) which uses data from our "data day"
and teacher input to create an overall design for the professional
development for the year. This district group meets quarterly to learn,
share, and design professional development activities. The building ILT
then supports the district professional development plan at the building
level by helping design specific activities for full day and afternoon
release professional development time, by collecting and analyzing data
on the implementation of the strategies and using that to focus future
professional development, and by extending their own professional
learning on the strategies and in the areas of leadership and the change
process.

Using the Iowa Professional Development Model as our guide, the ILT
works to make sure teachers get not only the theory and demonstration of
strategies but also time to collaborate in departments, time to visit
classrooms and get feedback from peers and administration, and time to
assess the impact of the strategies on their teaching and on student
learning. In the future, we will be incorporating into the professional
development plans for the high school conversations on rigor and
relevance of our curriculum and how that connects with strong
instructional strategies.

**PART VII - ASSESSMENT RESULTS**

**Subject** [Reading]{.underline} **Grade** [11]{.underline} **Test**
[Iowa Tests of Educational Development]{.underline}

**Publisher** [Riverside Publishing]{.underline}

  ---------------------------- ----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
                               2004-2005   2003-2004   2002-2003   2001-2002

  Testing month                November    November    November    November

  **SCHOOL SCORES**                                                

  \% At or Above Proficient    91          86          76          86

  \% At Advanced               35          19          19          19

  Number of students tested    99          98          119         119

  Percent of total students    100         100         100         100
  tested                                                           

  Number of students           1           2           1           0
  alternatively assessed                                           

  Percent of students          1           1.7         .8          0
  alternatively assessed                                           

                                                                   

  **SUBGROUP SCORES**                                              

  1.White                                                          

  \% At or Above Proficient    90          90          76          86

  \% At Advanced               35          35          16          19

  Number of students tested    98          98          118         118

                                                                   

  2\. Asian/Pacific Islander                                       

  Number of students tested    Less than   Less than   Less than   Less than
                               10          10          10          10

                                                                   

  3\. Black                                                        

  Number of students tested    Less than   Less than   Less than   Less than
                               10          10          10          10

                                                                   

  4\. Hispanic                                                     

  Number of students tested    Less than   Less than   Less than   Less than
                               10          10          10          10

                                                                   

  5\. Economically                                                 
  Disadvantaged                                                    

  \% At or Above Proficient                73          64          77

  \% At Advanced                           0           0           23

  Number of students tested    Less than   11          11          13
                               10                                  

                                                                   

  7\. Students with                                                
  Disabilities                                                     

  \% Below Proficient                      64          80          50

  \% At or Above Proficient                36          20          50

  \% At Advanced                           0           0           0

  Number of students tested    Less than   14          15          10
                               10                                  

  **STATE SCORES**             *2003-05*   *2002-04*   *2001-03*   *2000-02*

  \% At or Above Proficient    76.8        76.8        77.0        77.1

  \% At Advanced               19.0        19.0        19.2        18.6
  ---------------------------- ----------- ----------- ----------- -----------

**Subject** [Mathematics]{.underline} **Grade**[11]{.underline} **Test**
[Iowa Tests of Educational Development]{.underline}

**Publisher** [Riverside Publishing]{.underline}

  ---------------------------- ----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
                               2004-2005   2003-2004   2002-2003   2001-2002

  Testing month                November    November    November    November

  **SCHOOL SCORES**                                                

  \% At or Above Proficient    94          88          84          89

  \% At Advanced               40          24          20          23

  Number of students tested    99          98          119         119

  Percent of total students    100         100         100         100
  tested                                                           

  Number of students           1           2           1           0
  alternatively assessed                                           

  Percent of students          1           1.7         .8          0
  alternatively assessed                                           

                                                                   

  **SUBGROUP SCORES**                                              

  1.White                                                          

  \% At or Above Proficient    94          94          85          89

  \% At Advanced               41          24          21          23

  Number of students tested    98          98          118         118

                                                                   

  2\. Asian/Pacific Islander                                       

  Number of students tested    Less than   Less than   Less than   Less than
                               10          10          10          10

                                                                   

  3\. Black                                                        

  Number of students tested    Less than   Less than   Less than   Less than
                               10          10          10          10

                                                                   

  4\. Hispanic                                                     

  Number of students tested    Less than   Less than   Less than   Less than
                               10          10          10          10

                                                                   

  5\. Economically                                                 
  Disadvantaged                                                    

  \% At or Above Proficient                73          55          92

  \% At Advanced                           0           0           8

  Number of students tested    Less than   11          11          13
                               10                                  

                                                                   

  7\. Students with                                                
  Disabilities                                                     

  \% At or Above Proficient                29          27          40

  \% At Advanced                           0           0           0

  Number of students tested    Less than   14          15          10
                               10                                  

  **STATE SCORES**             *2003-05*   *2002-04*   *2001-03*   *2000-02*

  \% At or Above Proficient    78.4        78.5        79.2        81.4

  \% At Advanced               22.1        22.2        23.0        30.4
  ---------------------------- ----------- ----------- ----------- -----------