(3) Submit Evidence for School Structures

3.1 PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOCUS

Model: Time, support, and resources for professional learning on all 4 of the following topics is available to all STEM- related content area teachers. This is not limited to professional learning that is a recognized CEU.

- inquiry-based and problem-based instructional practices that require students to integrate content and design and conduct investigations and experiments and analyze results

- connecting instructional content to real-world problems and career pathways

- teaching students design-based thinking

- providing opportunities for hands-on learning, including for students to handle instruments to gather data, engage with the natural environment, and manipulate physical objects

Time, support, and resources for STEM- related content area teachers to grow their own content knowledge in the constantly accelerating fields of science, technology, engineering, and others (for example, teachers have time to learn about the recent developments in the genetics field or in agricultural sciences), is available to all STEM-related content area teachers.

Over 75% of STEM-related content area teachers participate every-other-year in at least one applied learning experience to increase their STEM content or career knowledge (e.g., study trips, fellowships, internships, etc. with a duration of 1 day to 1 year).

3.2 PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FORMAT AND STRUCTURE

Model: The majority of professional learning for STEM education is personalized based on participants’ self-identified professional learning needs as well as through secondary data (e.g., surveys, evaluations, classroom walk-throughs, etc.).

All teachers experience at least 2 of these forms of job-embedded professional learning annually: peer observation, lesson study, critical friends feedback, coaching, modeling, action research, and/or mentoring.

All administrators participate in professional learning on STEM education instruction and/or STEM education leadership.

3.3 PHYSICAL SPACE FOR PROJECTS

Model: One or more facilities or spaces are consistently available specifically for students to collaborate and do project work, such as a STEM lab; the spaces can be used for face-to-face or virtual collaboration among students and teachers; they can be used as exhibition spaces.

The arrangement of STEM classrooms can support individual work and various group work; the vast majority of STEM- related content area teachers regularly change the arrangement to meet instructional needs.

3.4 STRATEGIC STAFFING FOR STEM

Model: The school has at least one STEM Education leader who is not an administrator and has at least 50% of their time allocated to leading STEM education.

The school recruits, hires, and/or trains the vast majority of teachers on their faculty to have high quality STEM instructional skills (for STEM subject teachers) or rich understanding of the positive relationship between STEM subjects and all other subjects (non- STEM subject teachers).

The school has formal pathways to identify and develop current and future teacher-leaders for STEM education.

3.5 VARIETY OF STEM COURSES

Model: Courses in 7 or more STEM fields (not including traditional core subjects) are available to students both face-to-face and/or virtually.

The school offers several courses in STEM fields that provide postsecondary credit, based upon agreements with a postsecondary institution(s).

The school provides education, training, support, and access for students to acquire a variety of industry certifications and/or credentials by graduation.