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DRAFT for Public Review - November 2011The Oregon STEM Education Initiative STEM is an acronym to identify the disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.. The commo

DRAFT for Public Review - November 2011

The Oregon STEM Education Initiative

STEM is an acronym to identify the disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and

Mathematics This initiative encompasses the integration of the four disciplines with an

emphasis on their interconnectedness and the engagement of students in rigorous and relevantlearning opportunities Oregon proposes the following as a new description of STEM education STEM education is:

“An approach to teaching and lifelong learning that emphasizes the natural interconnectedness

of the four separate STEM disciplines The connections are made explicit through collaboration between educators resulting in real and appropriate context built into instruction, curriculum, and assessment The common element of problem solving is emphasized across all STEM disciplines allowing students to discover, explore, and apply critical thinking skills as they

 Improving student performance in STEM related content

 Increasing interest in and improved preparation for STEM careers

 Becoming proficient in STEM concepts necessary to make personal and societal

decisions.

Connection to Other Oregon Initiatives

The Oregon Diploma, Common Core Standards, Next Generation of Assessments, Teacher Effectiveness, Technology Standards, Career and Technology Education Skill Sets, Credit for Proficiency, and School Improvement all have connections to STEM The goal of this initiative will be to help forge the connections to each of Oregon’s initiatives As Oregon endeavors to prepare all students for college and career readiness, students can no longer miss out on opportunities due to current lack of STEM preparation Following the Soviet launch of Sputnik

in 1957, the United States accepted the challenge of keeping up with technological

advancements and joined the race to put the first man on the moon The result was

coordinated educational efforts around mathematics and science resulting in increased

numbers of students wanting to excel in math and science and choosing to study for careers in STEM Today, many of our students do not have the chance to study enough science until they get into middle school They have no inspiration like the race for space to challenge them Oregon must create that excitement around STEM for students by addressing a variety of components.

The Need for the Oregon STEM Education Initiative

There are bright spots in Oregon STEM education In 2011, students in 10 Oregon schools won awards at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair The McMinnville school district has partnered with local businesses and Chemeketa Community College to offer robotics experiences, engineering courses, and an engineering academy to students in middle school and high school In Klamath Falls City, elementary students attend the Department of Defense STARBASE program (Department of Defense, 2011) that is designed to engage students in hands-on science, technology, engineering and mathematics to increase their interest in STEM careers

These, and efforts like them, represent the hard work of teachers, administrators, parents, business partners, and postsecondary institutions aimed at providing students with a 21st

Century STEM education However, there are far more students who do not have the same level of access to the same level of STEM education The inequity in access results from a wide range of issues including financial resources, informed leadership, and community involvement.The Oregon STEM Education Initiative is developed to outline a coherent structure for

improving STEM education for all students in Oregon The structure is described in this

Initiative framework by:

1 Defining what Oregon means by STEM education

2 Identifying the critical components needed for improvement in STEM education

3 Describing a mechanism for linking educators interested in improving STEM education

As a framework, this document supports statewide development of STEM education and

encloses STEM education within a definition and set of goals that will help focus activities in thestate These two functions are critical in a time of diminishing resources for education and increased accountability This STEM Initiative framework will help form strategic links between current federal and state funded projects and help Oregon compete for future resources

Why a Focus on STEM Education?

Our nation, state, and local communities face challenges that will only be solved with assistancefrom a well trained and STEM educated citizenry The growing world demand on energy has

created a need to develop new and cost effective resources An aging population will require increased services from the health care industry Finally, driving an economy that thrives on innovation requires a growing number of innovators Increasingly, the solutions to these problems have required a coherent and coordinated effort from all four disciplines in STEM Many of the problems faced will require some form of engineered solution However, those solutions will rely heavily on the knowledge base in science and mathematics as well as the analytical power of sophisticated technological tools.

In Oregon, there are several signs that STEM education needs a boost The Oregon Workforce Investment Board (OWIB) Manufacturing Workforce Committee has identified inadequate STEM knowledge and skills as one of their four priority challenge areas Apprenticeship

programs have consistently pointed to mathematical knowledge as a barrier to many who want

to enter the workforce Technology industries continue to invest large sums in out-of-state recruiting to fill the gap between the qualified and available Oregon STEM workforce and the industry need

Oregon’s efforts to improve preK-12 STEM education have produced mixed results There are excellent examples of work by individual teachers, schools, and districts that have resulted in significant positive change in student performance and interest in STEM disciplines Oregon students have received significant national and state recognition for their efforts However, national measures of student performance in STEM related disciplines place Oregon near a national average that falls in the middle of the pack in measures of international performance Even more troubling is the achievement gap among some groups (National Science Foundation,2010) While many students in Oregon may be poised to contribute to a workforce that

demands greater knowledge in STEM, there are other groups who will continue to be seriously underrepresented in many STEM fields unless there is intervention

In 2010, The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology released Prepare and

Inspire: K-12 Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math for America’s

Future(2010) The report highlights the increasingly familiar argument for improved STEM

education Perhaps less familiar is the argument that lack of proficiency in STEM disciplines is not the only problem Even students who demonstrate proficiency demonstrate a lack of interest in STEM fields This interplay between proficiency and interest is an essential part of the Oregon STEM initiative

How is STEM Different?

STEM has been frequently attached to a great deal of proposed and actual expanded funding for education It is hard to miss the growth in STEM education reforms and literature and the importance of those reforms With such a rapid rise in dialogue about STEM education, the

eminent question is whether STEM is just an acronym for existing content or if it represents a new vision of how the four disciplines should be taught

This initiative was developed with input from a group of people representing industry and education When this group was asked to describe a vision of STEM education, it characterized STEM as problem-based, interdisciplinary, and connected to a wide range of other disciplines STEM problems easily emerge from global issues such as energy independence, green

technology, and world food production Solutions often tap into the historical record of past problems The creativity necessary in developing solutions can be cultivated in the arts

However, there is a notion that STEM has enough of an integrated identity to treat it as

something more than a cluster of four disciplines and something less than the entire realm of human knowledge and skill

The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (2010) report attempts to describe the unique relationship between the four STEM disciplines The report describes the distinctive nature of STEM education as having characteristics that include:

1 STEM subjects tend to be highly cumulative and sequential

2 STEM knowledge is specialized

3 STEM knowledge is rapidly changing

4 STEM-trained individuals have alternative, high-paying career options

5 STEM is not always familiar and accessible to the public and education leaders

6 The STEM professional community can be a major resource for educators

7 STEM trained individuals tend to be tech-savvy

In addition to the seven characteristics described in the 2010 report, STEM disciplines have a common focus on problem solving and critical thinking Although there may be some

differences in specific problem-solving strategies in each of the four disciplines, there is far more common ground Scientific Inquiry and Engineering Design both demand identification and clarification of a problem or question and a systematic approach to finding an answer or solution Both involve reliance on empirical data and an iterative approach Both also require acritical analysis of the results in terms of their meaning in light of the problem or question Mathematics and technology also have their discipline-specific strategies

This Initiative is based on the notion that STEM education is coherent and more than a sum of its sub-disciplines STEM education is also unified in the use of problem-solving and critical thinking For the purpose of this Initiative, STEM education is defined as:

“An approach to teaching and lifelong learning that emphasizes the natural interconnectedness

of the four separate STEM disciplines The connections are made explicit through collaboration between educators resulting in real and appropriate context built into instruction, curriculum, and assessment The common element of problem solving is emphasized across all STEM disciplines allowing students to discover, explore, and apply critical thinking skills as they

learn “

Transformation

The success of the Oregon STEM Education Initiative is dependent upon the work of many coming together in a Collective Impact Partnership (Bryk, Gomez, & Grunow, 2010) in order to effect change PreK-12, community colleges, higher education, business and industry, non-profits, government, parents and students must come together to address the five key

elements of a Collective Impact Partnership: a common agenda, shared measurement systems, mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communication and backbone support organizations

The Common Agenda for the Oregon STEM Education Initiative Partnership is to transform

preK-12 education so that all students experience STEM curricula that keep them on a

successful pathway for college and career readiness Many hands will make the lifting light when partners align their education goals to the goals of improving student equitable access to quality interconnected STEM education in order to:

 Improve student performance in STEM related content

 Increase interest in and improve preparation for STEM careers

 Become proficient in STEM concepts necessary to make personal and societal decisions.

Success of the Oregon STEM Education Initiative statewide impact requires Shared

Measurements or agreements on the measurement and reporting of progress Shared

indicators across all participating organizations ensure that efforts are aligned and allow each tolearn from the other participant’s results Shared measurements for the Oregon STEM

Education Initiative should include:

a Student achievement

b Overall STEM program performance

c Improved skills of teachers and leaders to implement STEM instruction

d Partnership engagement

Mutually Reinforcing Activities are the power of collective impact Each participant in the

partnership brings a unique action to the collective The multiple actions working in concert with each other brings together a symphony of opportunities, solutions, and supports for STEM

systems, information infrastructure, student support systems, human resource systems and governance

Continuous Communication allows for all participants to develop common language, an

understanding of everyone in the collective, and provides for decision-making representative ofeach member of the partnership The Oregon STEM Education Advisory Committee will meet quarterly and include representatives from each of the Regional STEM Education Centers Web-based tools will provide a medium for status updates and keep communication flowing between Advisory Committee members and Regional STEM Centers

The Backbone Support Organization for the Oregon STEM Education Initiative will initially be

the Oregon Department of Education, transitioning to a support organization that fully

represents the entire state of Oregon This organization will manage and support the initiative

by serving the roles of project manager, data manager, communications hub and facilitator The Oregon STEM Education Advisory Committee will provide guidance and oversight to the operations of this organization

Regional STEM Centers will be encouraged to follow the Carnegie model of Networked

Improvement Communities (Bryk, Gomez, & Grunow, 2010) where diverse expertise within the region comes together to solve complex problems Each region will address how STEM

education resources will be deployed and opportunities will be seized to increase student achievement in STEM content areas, increase student interest and skill in STEM, and provide opportunities for students to become proficient in STEM concepts The centers will use the organizational model of a Network Improvement Community to help structure and guide the varied multiple efforts required to sustain collective action towards solving complex

improvement problems associated with STEM education

STEM for the 21 st Century

One of the implications of Oregon’s definition of STEM education is that STEM education looks fundamentally different in a classroom than education in any of the four disciplines treated separately The Partnership for 21st Century Learning Skills(2011) identifies learning and

innovation skills such as creativity, innovation, critical thinking, problem solving,

communication, and collaboration Applied to STEM education, this would mean that students will need to ask questions that can be answered through scientific inquiry, make sense of complex math problems, identify appropriate technological tools, and define engineering problems These are unlikely to happen in a classroom solely focused on facts, algorithms, and tools

The Oregon definition of STEM education also recognizes the interconnection between

disciplines Although there are times when it is necessary to learn a specific scientific concept,

operate a certain technology, or internalize a mathematical algorithm, this is seldom how STEMdisciplines are applied outside of the classroom More likely students in a STEM career will need to use their scientific knowledge to identify possible solutions to an engineering problem while deploying math and technology as tools to define and refine those solutions This can be

a pleasant surprise to someone who has only experienced STEM as a set of isolated disciplines.The implication for education in Oregon is that STEM classrooms are problem-based

classrooms Teachers engage students in instruction centered around important themes or problems Students work together and access sophisticated technologies to generate creative and innovative solutions based soundly in the fundamentals of each STEM discipline Teachers are versed in pedagogy and content so they can guide students through their investigations while growing in their understanding of rigorous standards-based content STEM education willcall for increased use of proficiency-based teaching and learning where instruction is student-centered, learning outcomes are well-defined, and students take responsibility and ownership for their learning with the support of their teachers

STEM Education and Student Learning

A statewide STEM Initiative only has real educational meaning if it addresses the intended impact on students and an approach that leads to that impact STEM education as defined in this Initiative has three broad student goals or outcomes This Initiative is developed to improvestudent equitable access to quality interconnected STEM education in order to:

 Improve student performance in STEM related content

 Increase interest in and improve preparation for STEM careers

 Become proficient in STEM concepts necessary to make personal and societal decisions.

These three goals encompass a wide range of purposes for education The first two address needs for students intending to enroll in STEM related college programs and pursue STEM careers These are often called pipeline goals because meeting them helps fill an increasingly shrinking pipeline of potential employees in STEM careers The third goal, often called a

mainline goal, addresses the general need for an educated citizenry that can make informed decisions and understand important STEM related issues These three goals make it clear that STEM education is important for all students

In order to reach these goals, there will need to be a change in the complexity of the STEM content; the knowledge and skills teachers bring to instructional practice and the engagement

of students in the instruction These three aspects of teaching and learning interact with each other in complex ways to change what Richard Elmore describes as the instructional

core(Elizabeth A City, 2009) Only by changing the instructional core will we be able to reach

The first three

components address the

three aspects of the

instructional core as

illustrated in the diagram

below The last three are

drivers to accelerate the

process of change

Without the drivers,

changes in the

instructional core may

languish due to lack of

direction, resources, and

knowledge

The Components

Systemic and sustainable reform in STEM education requires more than a single activity or program It relies on more than a single group of people or a single agency Systemic reform in STEM education will result from a targeted interaction of multiple strategies, organizations, andindividuals Most of the actions that will move STEM education forward are encompassed in one of six categories that are identified as components for this Initiative

For the purposes of the tables under each of the components, the following definitions apply:

Department of EducationRegional Community: Refers to those activities that a collaborative of regional

partners might implement Regional partners should include schools, business and industry, community colleges and higher education, Education Service Districts, and informal education entities

Local (District/School) Refers to those activities that might be implemented

within the school or districtExamples in the tables below are not comprehensive and are presented to illustrate the

potential of the Oregon STEM Education Initiative Under each component there is a

description of what that component addresses, specific connection to the STEM education initiative goals for students, and the objectives to be accomplished

(1) Effective Learning Environments

STEM learning environments must challenge students to engage personally in their learning Janice Morrison (2006) outlined several functions of a STEM education She suggested that students should be:

 Problem-solvers—able to frame problems as puzzles and then able to apply

understanding and learning to these novel situations (argument and evidence)

 Innovators—“power to pursue independent and original investigation”

o Using the design process (Gilman, 1898)

o Inventors—recognize the needs of the world and creatively design and

implement solutions

 Self-reliant—able to set own agendas, develop and gain self-confidence and work withintime specified time frames

 Logical thinkers—using the logic offered by calculus and found in 60% of all professions world-wide; able to make the kinds of connections to affect an understanding of natural phenomena

 Technologically literate—understand the nature of the technology, master the skills needed and apply it appropriately (National Academy of Engineering, 2002)

 Participants in the STEM lexicon that supports the bridge between STEM education in school and the workplace

 Able to relate their own culture and history to their education

STEM learning is influenced by both the physical and social environments With an emphasis onproblem solving and critical thinking in STEM, students need to be part of a social environment that encourages dialogue with teachers and other students Effective learning requires an environment that includes appropriate pacing of instruction, grouping of students and

feedback Careful consideration of physical layout of classrooms including appropriate tools and technologies is required to support social aspects of learning

Connection to Student Outcomes

 Teaching and learning that takes place in an effective physical and social environment is likely to increase student engagement and the depth of understanding and retention of knowledge

Objectives:

1 Support student interaction with STEM content in ways that promote deeper understanding

of real-world complex ideas, engage students in solving complex problems, using

technology and creating new opportunities for STEM learning across the core curriculum

2 Increase access to learning environments that support multidisciplinary, highly interactive learning within a social setting that engages all students

State

Provide professional development

opportunities throughout the state

that demonstrate the use of

 Improved student performance in STEM understanding and skills.

Regional Community

Provide professional development Students use interactive digital  Improved student performance

for teachers in the effective use of

interactive digital content and

virtual environments for learning

content and virtual environments to gain conceptual understanding and

to problem solve.

in STEM understanding and skills, resulting from use of digital content and virtual learning environments.

Students participate in STEM career

related learning experiences.

Greater number of students exposed to STEM career opportunities.

 Greater percentage of students choosing STEM related careers.

 Greater percentage of students expressing interest in STEM related careers.

Local (District/School)

Increase student access to

communication, digital and

manufacturing technologies.

District policies allow students to bring personal technology (laptops and mobile devices) to school.

Districts/schools increase opportunities for students to use technology for learning

Students have the opportunity to use industry standard tools

 Students use technology ubiquitously for learning

 Teachers are confident in the integration of technology into curriculum and instruction

 Students have acquired CTE skill sets

Students have access to digital

 Artifacts of communication as documented by students embedded in projects

(2) Effective Instruction

Teachers are central to effective STEM instruction whether they are teaching science or

mathematics in a school, coaching a robotics team, leading a 4-H club, or guiding a group through a museum A STEM teacher can be someone who has completed a professional

education program, attended training sessions, or accumulated life experience in STEM

disciplines They can hold a variety of credentials and teach in a variety of settings STEM teachers create opportunities for students to make connections between science, technology, engineering and mathematics and use that knowledge and critical thinking skills as they

problem solve

Teachers within the K-12 system providing an evaluation of student progress towards their diploma must meet requirements for being highly qualified in the content area they teach However, there are many other teachers of STEM that provide students effective instruction and spark interest in STEM related careers These teachers might include a retired engineer or

scientist, a docent in a museum or zoo, a 4-H leader, and many others who share their

enthusiasm and expertise with students

In order to improve teacher effectiveness in STEM instruction, teachers need professional development opportunities to improve their knowledge and skills to integrate science,

technology, engineering and mathematics into coherent classroom instruction Coaches or mentors are needed to provide job embedded professional development for teachers as they develop their skills Additionally, teachers need to be able to collaborate with others on the development of STEM learning opportunities for students, improve practice through lesson

studies, and have access to coaching support

Networked improvement communities can support effective teaching through a variety of partnerships Industry and STEM professionals can provide opportunities for experiential learning for teachers through externships, partnering in professional development and

collaboration on student projects of study Higher education can support teachers with

evaluation and research of best strategies for STEM learning Pre-service teacher education programs can apply lessons learned in order to prepare the new teacher force for STEM

Connection to Student Outcomes

 By improving the skills of teachers to provide increased opportunities for students to engage in STEM learning, students’ performance in STEM related content and interest inSTEM careers is expected to increase

State

The state creates the vision for

STEM education.

The state provides guidance to

districts on coordination of funding

sources to support STEM.

Regional STEM partnerships established.

Regional STEM Centers.

ODE and its partners support training for STEM coaches to build statewide STEM capacity.

 Oregon STEM Education Initiative.

 ODE holds regional meetings to identify local STEM activities and support networked improvement communities.

 Statewide STEM coaches

Regional Community

Regional partners work with a

district or school to identify needs

and to help develop a STEM

professional development plan to

address those needs.

Professional development

collaborative could be formed using

the expertise of districts,

community colleges, higher

education and informal education

entities.

District or school STEM education plan specifically identifies STEM professional development needs.

Partners work together to leverage resources to provide high quality STEM education professional development opportunities.

 Increased number of STEM education professional development opportunities for teachers

 Professional development opportunities specifically target school and district needs.

Local (District/School)

Job-embedded, professional

learning communities.

Professional development on

lessons integrating STEM provided

by district teacher coaches

Provide professional development

 the inquiry process

 engineering and design

processes.

Professional learning communities

in each school facilitated by a STEM coach

Authentic experiential, based learning occurring in STEM classrooms.

project- Teachers continue to be involved in the professional learning community after first year.

 Survey of teachers shows 75% have designed and delivered STEM instruction w/students.

 Teachers share lesson plans on ODE Lesson Plan Tool.

 STRETCH Survey of students shows 75% can apply STEM in real world problems

 Students engaged & marked by an increase in the %

motivated-of students enrolling in higher level STEM courses.

Infuse STEM attributes into current

Teachers allow for opportunities for

students to earn credit by

proficiency.

Teachers have an understanding of how to evaluate student mastery of content through proficiency.

 Increased numbers of students receiving credit through proficiency.

(3) Coherent Standards and Policies

Coherent standards and policies help remove barriers to implementation and provide support for development of interconnected STEM education programs Standards define what is

expected to be taught and learned at each grade level Coherent standards help support educators in understanding how to meet these standard expectations within a STEM learning environment

Policies that influence STEM learning may be local, regional, statewide, public, or private These policies need to be reviewed to make sure that they support rather than set up barriers

to STEM teaching and learning

Connection to Student Outcomes

 Coherent academic standards and policies provide the opportunity for all students to have equitable access to STEM learning environments that prepare them for career, college, and citizenship

Coherent Standards and Policies Subcomponents:

Coherent standards within grades

 Articulate how interconnected K-12 STEM teaching and learning provides the

opportunity to meet the grade level standards in multiple subjects

 Provide examples of what STEM content and practices look like at each grade level

to help teachers better understand what STEM learning environment would look like

at their grade level

Coherent standards across grades

 Articulate interconnected preK-12 STEM standards progressions

 Provide examples of what STEM content and practices look like at each grade level and how each grade level fits into the learning progression across grades

Coherent Policies

 Analyze current policies, laws, and OARs to make sure they support preK-12 STEM education:

o Review federal laws and regulations for ways to leverage reporting and

accountability and funds to support STEM education

o Review state laws, rules, and policies for ways to explicitly support STEM

education

o Connect with organizations (e.g., COSA, OSBA) that provide guidance and

support for developing local policies to ensure alignment to STEM education

o Collaborate regionally to explore the possibilities of aligning state policies to support STEM education

 Change any laws, rules, or policies as needed:

o Reword or remove laws, rules, or policies that are barriers to STEM education

o Create new laws, rules, or policies as needed to support STEM education

o Leverage existing laws, rules, and policies to support STEM education

Objectives:

1 Align policies across ODE, TSPC, community colleges, higher education and

schools/districts that support STEM integration

2 Increase the understanding of how existing STEM related standards can be

interconnected within and across grades

State

Respond quickly and effectively to

new National Academic Framework

for Common Core Standards.

Resources are developed to assist ESDs, districts and schools in the implementation of the Common Core Standards.

 ODE and partners provide professional development opportunities for districts and schools across the state for effectively implementing the Common Core Standards.

Regional Community

Include engineering and computer

science content in preparation of

future science and math teachers

More teachers prepared to teach engineering & computer sciences and do so in both core courses and electives.

 All students have increased opportunities to engage in engineering, computer science and STEM learning.

 All students reach “meets” level

of knowledge of STEM.

Local (District/School)

Invest in professional development

in engineering design components

of Oregon’s science standards.

Students are able to draw meaningful connections between science, technology, engineering and math.

 Twice as many students choose STEM career or major in STEM field in college.

Provide professional development

and coaching for teachers for

implementing the Common Core

Standards emphasizing the

connections and requirements

addressing STEM.

Teachers understand National standards, integrating them into effective teaching

Teachers use STEM strategies and data to improve student outcomes

Students acquire deep understanding of all STEM principles.

 Teachers are competent and confident in their ability to provide STEM learning opportunities for students.

 All students reach “meets” level

Review the link between effective

use of technology for learning and

teaching included in the Common

Core Standards, Oregon Educational

Technology Standards, CTE Career

Related Learning Standards and

Council of Chief State School

Officers (CCSSO) Interstate Teacher

Assessment and Support

Consortium (InTASC) Models for

Effective Teaching.

Incorporate increased use of technology for learning as called for

in the Common Core Standards:

o Science standards (e.g., lasers, radar, transistors).

o Math standards (e.g., simulators, geometry software).

o Integrate engineering software into engineering design component of science standard.

 Students are using technology as required by the Common Core Standards.

 Teachers are developing their skills and strategies for effectively integrating technology into curriculum and instruction.

 Students have increased access to the tools required to develop their skills and meet Common Core Standards successfully.

Engineering design processes are

incorporated into teaching and

learning preK-12.

Students acquire deep understanding of engineering &

computer science principles.

PreK-12 graduates can use STEM to solve practical problems outside of classroom

 Student artifacts illustrate increased understanding of engineering and computer science principles.

 Twice as many students choose STEM major in college or STEM related career

(4) Effective Leadership

Effective Leadership is critical to ensuring equitable access to high quality STEM teaching and lifelong learning Leaders may come from both inside and outside of the schools An effective leader may be a teacher leader, a school level administrator, a district level curriculum

specialist, a regional professional development provider, ESD or school district superintendent, state level education specialist, a community member, or an industry representative