STEM Indicator ST1.9

STEM teachers and leaders participate in a continuous program of STEM-specific professional learning.

Self-Assessment Rating: 3

Most STEM educators are usually provided with opportunities to stay current about practices in the STEM world through professional learning. STEM educators have multiple opportunities to expand their proficiency in the use of technology. Professional learning for all STEM educators is based on individual needs.

ST1.9 Narrative

What were the areas of strength noted in the Self Assessment?

Christian Academy of Myrtle Beach has a continuous commitment to academic excellence for our teachers and leaders as the school provides and encourages relevant course offerings, engaging class content, innovative instructional strategies, and by employing highly qualified educators. To accomplish this mission, Christian Academy continues to provide multiple opportunities for teaching faculty to engage in continuous development of best practices in regard to science, technology, engineering and the engineering design process, mathematics and other areas of expertise.

All teachers at Christian Academy are certified with and work to maintain certification through the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), who partners with AdvancEd/Cognia as the school’s primary accrediting agency. ACSI accredits over 3,000 member schools in the United States, 20,000 member schools internationally, and supports over 5.5 million students worldwide. Most Christian Academy teachers were also initially state certified; many maintain state certification. All faculty and staff are required to have earned a Bachelor’s degree, and nearly all within the field of education (Bible teachers are generally the exception, however both the middle and high school Bible teachers have earned a Masters of Divinity degrees and have over ten years each of experience teaching and leading youth.) All professional faculty in grades K-12 and in every content area are required to maintain ACSI (and as appropriate South Carolina state) certifications, as ongoing professional development is completed and certifications are maintained and/or enhanced. Sixty-three percent of Christian Academy teachers have earned a master's degree or higher, an increase from fifty-eight percent last year, and several of those have earned Masters +30 credentials. Two teachers and one administrator have additional Post-Master’s degrees, as Educational Specialists, in the areas of Instructional Technology and Curriculum and Instruction, with one of those teachers also teaching at the collegiate level. Two teachers are enrolled in Specialist in Educational Leadership (Ed.S.) degree programs. Four teachers have one or more Advanced Placement (AP) certifications, and six teachers are recognized SCISA Master Teachers. Several Christian Academy teachers have additional certification endorsements in areas such as Online Teaching, Gifted and Talented, and Read to Succeed. One teacher has state certification in Business Administration and Computer Technology, and is planning to work toward another certification in Project Based Learning.

In addition to formal higher education programs and coursework, Christian Academy continues to encourage faculty to pursue both internal and external professional development. Historically, the school has provided financial support for professional development and has encouraged faculty to engage in activities specifically related to math, science, and technology. Specific examples include a focus by faculty on completing STEM-related teacher courses.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• The STEM Coordinator participated in two STEM specific book studies through TeachersFirst.com (In 2017, Integrating Tech into Classrooms: Tools to meet the Needs of Every Student by Boni Hamilton; and in 2018 Learning First, Technology Second by Liz Kolb)
• Teacher’s First Webinars Digital Storytelling and The Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship
• Courses taken through SC eLearning: Making Innovative Classrooms, Google for Educators, The Flipped Classroom
• Three teachers attending a computer coding workshop in 2018
• Two teachers attending the “Making STEM Relevant For All” workshop in 2018
• One teacher attending the TI-Nspire training for the use of scientific calculators in advanced science and mathematics courses
• Teachers attending the SCISA STEM Workshop
• Several teachers participated in Learning with iPads in the Classroom
• In preparation for the AdvancEd STEM visit, two teachers and two administrators attended the AdvancEd STEM Certification training led by Scott Davidson in Columbia, South Carolina in April 2019.

The school calendar provides for ten internal professional development days each year. The majority of the scheduled professional development time is spent working together to collaborate about best teaching practices, continuing to develop STEM teaching and learning outcomes, and refining expectations for biblical integration, classroom management, and safety and security in a K-12 school. All of these efforts are done in order to help students have the best possible educational experience. Internal professional development includes book studies led by one or more of our professionals in STEM, demonstrations of digital teaching platforms and tools, and training to set expectations and train educators for teacher evaluations based on ELEOT (AdvanceEd/Cognia) and COTA (ACSI).

Examples of Christian Academy’s commitment to STEM-specific professional development include but are not limited to:

• Book studies:
  • 2019, one teacher is currently leading an elementary K-5 STEM-focused book study based on the book entitled Step Into STEAM, Grades K-5: Your Standards-Based Action Plan for Deepening Mathematics and Science Learning by Sarah Bush and Kristin Cook.
  • 2017, the STEM Coordinator led a K-12 all faculty STEM book study by Anne Jolly entitled, STEM by Design
• May 2019 STEM Staff Development Presentation
• 2018, Google Classroom training done for teachers to continue to digitize teaching practices
• 2017, Math curriculum review
• 2016, Faculty Meeting Presentation on STEM-rich classrooms and STEM literacy
• Technology-specific training includes but is not limited to Apple, RenWeb, Mimio, Web 2.0 Tools, Blogging in the Classroom, use of TeachersFirst.com, SC Discus
• 5 Year Curriculum Review of All Core Subjects; Science & Math curricula were reviewed respectively in 2017 and 2018; Review Teams met and analyzed information related to STEM standards, curriculum, and needs assessments

An annual faculty survey completed by each teacher indicates individual interests and needs and allows for professional development requests including coursework or conferences that are STEM-specific.

STEM planning and instructional practices are evaluated annually by the Head of School. Teacher observation feedback includes STEM specific documentation. The STEM certification process has encouraged a more focused and formalized look at STEM specific learning outcomes. Thus, classroom STEM practices are formally noted in lesson plans, curriculum guides and the teacher observation tools. School leadership has seen shifts in instruction noting improvement in the area of STEM teaching and learning. As STEM concepts are presented, STEM goals are set, and observations are done, the school has noted qualitatively that the level of student engagement continues to rise.

In addition to site-specific professional development, several of our faculty and staff have taken advantage of presenting to others in a variety of ways through the South Carolina Independent School Association as teacher leaders in STEM fields, including:

• The Executive Director of SCISA requested that the Christian Academy Head of School give a presentation in 2019 at the SCISA Headmaster’s Conference on the STEM topic of “Reinventing Education for the 21st Century.”
• Four CA teachers recently attended the SCISA Master Teacher Colloquy in Orangeburg to help improve SCISA schools, and three CA Master Teachers were involved with facilitation of STEM-specific roundtable groups in mathematics and science this fall at the SCISA Teacher Conference.
• Three CA teachers have presented to SCISA peers as STEM teacher leaders on topics including STEM and Native American Culture, engaging learners in the Flipped Classroom approach, and Digital Citizenship.
• CA also has a total of six SCISA Master Teachers, five who currently teach or lead at CA and work to support and develop new teachers as Mentor Teachers. The SCISA Master Teacher Program is heavily focused on STEM-specific teaching practices, including research, collaboration, cross-curricular design, and presentation of evidence

Administration promotes and encourages high expectations in the area of STEM professional development with the goal of supporting STEM-certified educators. All faculty will be encouraged to participate in one or more of the following STEM activities: virtual courses, workshops, webinars, book studies, SC Department of Education Virtual Education courses.

What actions are being implemented to sustain the areas of strength?

At the beginning of each school year, Christian Academy administration provides an opportunity for staff to pursue areas of need or interest in terms of staff development topics or subjects. Teachers are encouraged to use these opportunities to participate in STEM specific courses and conferences and seek STEM certificates and endorsements. Applicable STEM education is eligible for financial assistance from the school. Christian Academy of Myrtle Beach will also continue to provide STEM specific training during scheduled professional development time. In addition to teacher training and professional development, school wide lesson plans and classroom observation forms include the core tenets of STEM. These consistent standards and expectations transfer to student learning allowing Christian Academy to sustain the STEM program in areas that relate to student-centered and inquiry based learning and creative and complex problem solving.

What were areas in need of improvement? What plans are being made to improve the area of need?

The school administration will continue to encourage and fund STEM-specific professional development, especially as we look to have teachers become STEM-certified in the next 5 years.

Artifacts

ST1.9 a) Continuous STEM-specific Professional Learning

ST1.9 b) STEM Book Study

ST1.9 c) Example: STEM Staff Development