PLTW Schott 4-10-12 - Arkansas STEM Coalition

•
Created in
1997

as a non
-
profit,
501(c)(3)
charitable organization
to
address the country
’
s need for more
leaders in the fields of STEM.


•
Our Vision is to
ignite the spark of
American ingenuity, creativity and
imagination

within all of our students.


•
Our Mission is to
ensure that America
succeeds

in the increasingly high
-
tech
and high
-
skill
global economy
, by
partnering with middle and high
schools to
prepare students
to
become the most innovative and
productive in the world.

“

… Of the 4 million 9
th

graders who began

their high school careers in 2004, only

4% (167,000)
will graduate in 2012 with

a bachelors degree in a STEM major.
”


-

National Center for Education Statistics

The State of the Nation

Nation
’
s leading provider of STEM Education

Programs

Students are provided
with a foundation and

a proven path to

college and career
success.

Students are highly
engaged and exposed to
typically non
-
pursued
areas of study.

Programs offer

students real world
problem
-
solving and

critical
-
thinking skills.

Programs are dynamic,
rigorous

and emphasize
creativity.

Key Strategies

Intense
Professional
Development

Leading Edge
Curriculum

Powerful
Partnerships

Innovation For Everyone

more than
4,200

schools


over
400,000

students








more than
10,500

trained to teach


with
100
’
s

of partners

More Participation.

More Opportunities.

•
PLTW
’
s flexibility provides all
schools an opportunity to
participate
–

large or small, public
or private, rural or suburban

•
Schools and teachers customize
implementation to fit their needs

•
Numerous funding sources are
available to support PLTW

Program Goals

•
Address impending
critical shortage of
qualified engineering,

engineering technology,

science and health
professionals

•
Prepare students for
rigorous post
-
secondary
education at two and
four
-
year colleges and
universities

Meeting the needs of tomorrow by inspiring
the students of today

Graduates Attributes

•
Communicate effectively

•
Effective and efficient
problem solving

•
Think creatively and
critically

•
Practice professional
conduct

•
Work effectively in teams

•
Understand how research
is conducted


Increased Engagement in School

University of Wisconsin
-
Madison Center on Education and Work (2007)

More Interested in Math and Science

Evaluation of PLTW in Rockwell
-
Sponsored Schools (2008)

Closed the Achievement Gap

University of Wisconsin
-
Milwaukee Report (2009)

Increased College Enrollment,
Persistence and Performance

True Outcomes (2009), MSOE, RIT

Biomedical Sciences Program

•
High School: Biomedical Sciences

–
4 courses


Engineering Programs

•
Middle School: Gateway To Technology

–
7

units

•
High School: Pathway To Engineering

–
8 courses


High School


Biomedical Sciences

•
Principles of the Biomedical Sciences
(PBS)

–
Study of human body systems and health
conditions.

•
Human Body Systems (HBS)

–
Exploring science in action, students build
organs and tissues on a skeletal manikin and
play the role of biomedical professionals to
solve medical mysteries.

•
Medical Interventions (MI)

–
Investigation of interventions involved in the
prevention, diagnosis and treatment of
disease.

•
Biomedical Innovation (BI)

–
Students design innovative solutions for the
health challenges of the 21st century.


Biomedical Sciences HS

Middle School

Gateway To Technology

•
Design and Modeling

–
Solid modeling, engineering design process.

•
Automation and Robotics

–
Development and influence of automation &robotics.

•
Energy and the Environment

–
I
mportance of energy, environment impact.

•
Flight and Space

–
Aeronautics, propulsion, and rocketry.

•
Science of Technology

–
Impact of science on technology throughout history.

•
Magic of Electrons

–
Students unravel the mystery of digital circuitry.

•
Green Architecture

–
Sustainable design, building processes..


Gateway To Technology MS

High School

Pathway To Engineering

Pathway To Engineering HS

Foundational Courses

•
Introduction to Engineering Design (IED)

–
3D computer modeling software; study of the design
process.

•
Principles of Engineering (POE)

–
Exploration of technology systems and engineering
processes.

Specialty Courses

•
Aerospace Engineering (AE)

–
Aerodynamics, astronautics, space
-
life sciences, and
systems engineering.

•
Biotechnical Engineering (BE)

–
Biomechanics, genetic engineering, and forensics.


Pathway To Engineering HS

•
Civil Engineering and Architecture (CEA)

–
Students collaborate on the development of
community
-
based building projects.

•
Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM)

–
Robotics and automated manufacturing; production
of 3
-
D designs.

•
Digital Electronics (DE)

–
Use of computer simulation to learn the logic of
electronics.

Capstone Course

•
Engineering Design and Development
(EDD)

–
Teams of students, guided by community mentors,
research, design, and construct solutions to
engineering problems.


Professional Development

Areas of focus

State Leaders
and Affiliates

Counselors and
Administrators

Teachers

Professional Development

Teacher Professional Development

•
Readiness
Training

•
Core

Training

•
Ongoing
Training


Professional Development

readiness training

Designed to develop a baseline for
all teachers prior to attending Core
Training through the assessment of
skill sets and delivery of any
necessary remedial training.

core training

Lovingly referred to as PLTW
’
s
“
boot camp,
”

this intense training
focuses on the PLTW teaching
model and course content.

core training

Designed to empower teachers with
the confidence, understanding and
knowledge necessary to teach the
curriculum. A teacher is only able to
teach a course after successful
completion of Core Training.

ongoing training

Designed to provide
additional training for
teachers to further
their understanding
of related course
tools, content and
concepts after the
completion of Core
Training.

Assessment & Evaluation

National Assessment Program

•

Summative assessments available for 10 of 12 high
school courses

–
No assessments available for EDD or BI due to portfolio
nature of courses

–
No Gateway to Technology assessments


•
Two
-
part assessments

–
Part A: Online, computer scored, selected response, required

–
Part C: College credit




National Certification

National Certification

•

Certification Process

–

Ensure implementation of a high
-
quality PLTW program

–

Recognize exceptional implementation

–

Provide opportunities for college level recognition to
eligible students



•

Benefits for Schools

–

Students have the opportunity to receive college level
recognition

–

Teachers may apply to be master teachers

–

Schools are eligible for Model School status





Partnerships & Sustainability

Mountain

Midwest






Southwest







Northeast



West Coast








Southeast








Biomedical Sciences Affiliates








Engineering Affiliates

Mountain

Midwest






Southwest







Northeast



West Coast








Southeast

Arkansas PLTW Implementation


A
r
k
a
n
s
a
s

P
L
T
W

S
i
t
e
s





Current Sites



Approved New Sites

Arkansas Career Education

ACE New/Expanded Start
-
Up Grants for STEM


Since 2009, the Office of School Improvement has awarded
39 New or Expanded programs funding across the state.


•

2009
-
2010, 3 programs applied and all were funded (PLTW/GTT)

•

2010
-
2011, 6 programs applied and all were funded (PLTW/GTT)

•

2011
-
2012, 15 programs applied and 13 were funded (PLTW/GTT/ETE)

•

2012
-
2013, 28 programs applied and 17 were funded (PLTW/GTT/ETE)



"PLTW is preparing students today to be the innovators of the future. For California to
remain the innovation leader it is critical for our students to enter into the workforce
pipeline that have not only math, science and engineering skills, but are also able to
solve problems, work as a team and take risks. PLTW is a program that gives the
students the tools they need to compete in the global marketplace.
”


-

Michael Jacobsen, Intel Corporation

“
PLTW
’
s track record of preparing students for college engineering programs is
unparalleled.
”



-

Jim Knotts, Lockheed Martin

“
Project Lead The Way plays a vital role in recruiting middle and high school students
into engineering fields by offering the resources and professional development needed
to support a rigorous pre
-
engineering curriculum.
”



-

Thomas H. Lane, American Chemical Society

The U.S. Department of Education recommends
PLTW as
“
[A]n exemplary program for integrating
rigorous and relevant STEM curricula and professional
development and improving student achievement in
mathematics, science, and English language arts.
”


“
PLTW makes the connection between theory and practice that helps generate interest
in math and science and increase overall academic performance.
”



-

Dr. Ronald Bennett, Minnesota Center for Engineering &
Manufacturing Excellence

“
PLTW is one of the most effective science, technology, engineering, and math
programs in the country. We haven
’
t seen another program that engages students the
way PLTW does.
”



-

Jim Rahn, Kern Family Foundation

We endorsed PLTW because of the network
’
s
“
proven curricula and teacher training
that allow schools to both improve technical education and excite students about
careers in technology fields.
”



-

Lawrence P. Farrell, National Defense Industry Association

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
called PLTW
“
[A] promising program that is both changing the lives of
middle and high school students nationwide and helping
to build a workforce that meets the needs of the 21st
century.
”




IGNITING IMAGINATION AND


INNOVATION THROUGH








LEARNING