(4) Submit Evidence for School Culture
4.1 STEM EDUCATION PLAN
Model: A school leadership team has crafted a robust STEM Education Plan within the School Improvement Plan. The STEM Education Plan documents realistic and creative strategies, near-term outcomes, and an ultimate vision. It thoroughly addresses the 5 Overarching Principles of the NC STEM School Progress Rubric.
In the creation of the STEM Education Plan within the School Improvement Plan, input and buy-in was gained from an advisory council of more then one student, teacher, administrator, parent, business/industry professional, and (community college/college/university professional) *(High School).
The STEM Education Plan within the School Improvement Plan contains specific sustainability plans to maintain STEM Education for at least the next 3-5 years.
Due: 00/00/2023
4.2 DATA-INFORMED CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Model: Multiple and varied sources of data for tracking/measuring the strategies and outcomes of the STEM Education Plan (e.g. student performance data, classroom observation data, web analytics, student participation tracking, teacher participation tracking, survey data, test scores, interviews, etc.) are being collected and analyzed.
Based on results of ongoing data collection, the STEM Education Plan activities and/or near-term outcomes are adjusted at least annually to continuously improve the school’s performance (e.g., adjusting professional development offerings, changing schedules, acquiring new materials, increasing goals for student participation in STEM clubs, accelerating goals for student learning/growth, etc.).
A school culture exists in which faculty, administrators, students, and school stakeholders understand and agree that measures of student learning/growth are important, in addition to measures of student achievement.
School leadership consistently prioritizes and supports with dedicated resources the use of teacher-created formative and summative assessments to measure student learning/growth throughout the year.
Due: 00/00/2023
4.3 VIBRANT STEM CULTURE
Model: A school culture exists in which all faculty, administrators, students, and school stakeholders consistently honor, encourage, and incentivize innovation in STEM by students.
A school culture exists in which all faculty feel supported in taking instructional risks and trying new approaches for the benefit of student learning.
A school culture exists in which all faculty, administrators, students, and school stakeholders consistently celebrate high- quality student work in STEM; this includes in ongoing school wide exhibits onsite, online, and/or in state or national forums.
In daily interactions school leaders serve as lead teachers and learners for STEM education, explicitly modeling inquiry, critical-thinking, and problem-solving.
School leadership frequently promotes the vision for STEM education to all stakeholders, including faculty, staff, students, parents, partners, and community members.
Due: 00/00/2023
4.4 SERVING UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS
Model: A general culture of inquiry and creativity that intentionally includes every single student exists throughout the school, in STEM-related and non-STEM-related subjects, with explicit efforts to include students from groups historically underrepresented in the STEM education pipeline.
The school carries out several intentional practices focused on increasing long- term participation by students from groups historically underrepresented in the STEM education pipeline (e.g., provides targeted professional learning, provides mentors, offers targeted clubs or activities, disaggregates school data by a variety of sub-groups, etc.).
Due: 00/00/2023