Culture

Domain Summary: Culture

Kokomo High School administrators and teachers are committed to providing a STEM-focused education for our students. Giving teachers the freedom to plan together, learn together, set up classrooms as they desire, and work toward improvement are all integral to our academy. We work to partner with the community and families through Gear Up tutoring, SHAK Maker Space, and TechnoKats Robotics team as a school, and individual teachers include community and family connections within their classrooms. Whether our students are planting gardens, designing tiny houses, building radios, or launching rockets, teachers are working to integrate STEM concepts on a regular basis. We communicate with families through class Canvas web pages, email updates, phone calls, and family nights. Our academy is committed to improve learning opportunities for all KHS students through STEM lessons, activities, and contact with local leaders.

1.1 Decision-Making

Decision-making regarding planning and implementing the school's STEM program is the work of a school team, comprised of administrators, and teachers, and includes the opportunity for feedback on the program from at least 95 percent of the certified staff

Leadership Team

Our leadership team is comprised of the two assistant principals, Mr. Jason Spear and Ms. Kelly Barker, additionally, we have a curriculum supervisor, Mrs. Canady-Hickey and we have one teacher on the team as well, our STEM Building Coordinator, Ms. Scott, who teaches English. The leadership team meets regularly to develop plans for our academy as we are working to embed STEM practices in all courses. On a weekly basis, we carry out meetings with 100% of the staff in our academy to present the work we have done and to get all staff buy in.

The leadership team meets regularly to develop plans for our academy as we are working to embed STEM practices in all courses. On a weekly basis, we carry out meetings with 100% of the staff in our academy to present the work we have done and to get all staff buy in.

STEM Team Agendas

The attached document is the agendas for all of the STEM Academy meetings that took place throughout the course of the 2019-2020 school year.

STEM 2019 DAY 1 [Autosaved].pptx

STEM Academy Roster

This roster shows the teachers who comprise our STEM academy. Our leadership team engages with these members on a weekly basis to gather feedback focused on STEM integration in all disciplines.

STEM ACADEMY ROSTER 2020

Kokomo Educator STEM Survey

This educator STEM Survey was carried out to gather information from our staff members about their attitudes towards STEM Education and Collaboration between students in their classrooms.

Kokomo Educator STEM Survey Results

Below are some of the results from the survey that was carried out by more than 95% of our staff members. This information has been analyzed by our STEM Leadership team. This has been used over the course of the year to evaluate our program and to implement more Problem Based Learning school wide.

STEM Unit Creation Survey

Our STEM Leadership team recently used the following survey with the STEM Academy Staff to gain ideas about what they would like to structure our full academy STEM unit around. The results of the survey are housed below. The Leadership Team utilized this feedback to create units focused on "One Year After Covid". The units created based on the results of this survey can be seen in Element 3.2.

Covid: One Year Later

jspear_3-26-2021_13-44-17.pdf

Survey Results

STEM Unit Ideas (Responses)

2021-2022 STEM Educator Survey

Below, you will see the STEM Educator Survey and results that we carried out with our teachers. We are utilizing this information to inform the direction of our STEM Programming for the upcoming school year. In order to provide our teachers with the tools they need, we will be updating our Makerspace based on their feedback as well as provide them the training to utilize these tools with their students.

1.2 Continuity of Learning Plan

The school's continuity of learning plan includes all three of the following:

1) Integrated STEM lessons in the context of solving a real world problem or challenge
2) Students to work in teams either synchronously or asynchronously
3) A variety of methods are used to assess student STEM learning

Continuous Learning Plan

In our Continuous Learning Plan, we outline expectations for staff to continue implementing PBL units of study on a quarterly basis. We also address how students will leverage technology to continue working in teams/groups. Multiple assessment methods are laid out.

Continuous Learning Plan Google Doc.pdf

Virtual Learning K-12 Program

The website bellow states that while carrying out virtual learning, "Teachers will provide instruction, guidance, and support, while evaluating student work; as well as tracking student attendance and academic progress. Through a design that includes communication on a regular basis, a strong partnership with families will be developed. "

Virtual Learning K-12 Program

ReEntry Plan

The attached ReEntry Plan outlines specifically that students will have the ability to carry out "real-time virtual instruction where students may participate virtually in "real-time" instruction from home." Thereby still being able to participate in group work synchronously with their classmates.

Re-Entry Plan 02_09_21 REVISED.pdf

1.3 Common Work Time

Common work time is provided, on a weekly basis, where teachers plan integrated STEM learning opportunities as an interdisciplinary team

All teachers attend STEM Professional Development weekly (every Wednesday). During that time, teachers and administrators prepare integrated STEM instruction.

Certified STEM staff meet weekly on Wednesdays from 2:30-3:15 to plan interdisciplinary STEM instruction.

100% of Transition Certified staff in STEM have common prep time during 6th period to plan STEM learning opportunities.

STEM Collaborative Workgroups

This is an outline of our Collaborative Workgroups as teachers worked to prepare their Covid-19 One Year Later projects together.

Common Work Time

Common work time has been built into our master schedule so teachers have the opportunity to work together in a cross curricular manner during their prep time.

Copy of 2020-21 MASTER SCHEDULE (002)

Weekly Team Planning Meeting Agenda

This agenda outlines the communication and planning that takes place on a weekly basis when our STEM Academy meets to plan out integrated STEM units.

STEM 2020-2021.pptx

1.4 Sustainability Plan

There is a five-year STEM certification sustainability plan in place identifying funding sources for both technology and STEM curriculum and training needs due to staff turnover

Sustainability Plan

Attached is our 5 year STEM sustainability plan. It outlines our plan to scale our STEM programming and instruction for our students.

Stem Sustainability Plan.docx

TOPS Program Agendas

These are the agendas from the TOPS program kickoff this past school year.

TOPS Agendas.docx

TOPS Program

In order to prepare teachers new to the Kokomo STEM Academy, Kokomo School Corporation has created the TOPS program. This program pairs teachers new to the academy with experienced STEM teachers in order to help support them in STEM practices. These teachers meet for multiple days prior to the start of the school year and then they meet on monthly basis throughout their first year in the Kokomo STEM Academy.

mentor handbook.docx

Collaboration Log for New Teacher.pdf

_Gabriel - Rinker Mentoring Log.docx

1.5 Measurement of Students' Attitudes/Interests

Formal measurement of students' attitudes toward STEM and/or interest in STEM classes/career pathways are measured at least two times per school year and the school's STEM program is revised, as needed, based upon analysis of this data

Student Interest Survey

The attached survey has been shared with our students for the first time this fall. We plan on sharing out this survey once again in the spring. At that point, we will use the data and feedback that is collected to determine changes that need to be made next year in our STEM programming.

Survey

Results

TEST Of Science Related Attitudes

Science Related Attitudes (Responses)

1.6 Student/Parent Feedback Data

There is a formal collection of student and parent feedback regarding STEM integration on an annual basis and the school's STEM program is revised, as needed, based upon analysis of this data

Parent Feedback Survey

We carry out parent surveys regarding the STEM instruction their students are receiving on a twice yearly basis. The form below is an example of one of the feedback surveys.

1.7 STEM Instructional Feedback

All of these indicators are documented:
1) Evaluation indicators have been determined, in the current local evaluation instrument or through modifying the local evaluation instrument, for identifying targeted STEM instructional practices

2) All evaluators are trained in observing targeted STEM instructional practices, using the local evaluation instrument

3) Evaluators incorporate feedback on targeted STEM instructional practices in formative and summative evaluations, using the local evaluation instrument

Instructional Feedback

All administrators at Kokomo have been trained in conducting evaluations and looking for best practices in STEM instruction within the classroom by members of the Equitable Education Solutions team. Many of these team members have experience working for the Indiana Department of Education and have worked in schools supporting them in educational growth and proficiency. We have created the Jot-Form attached below which is used as part of our evaluation instrument to provide teachers feedback on their incorporation of STEM and SAMR practices.

Instructional Feedback Samples

Attached are three non-evaluative walkthrough forms that were recently carried out. The names of the teachers on these forms have been redacted for privacy purposes, but each of them highlights the STEM focused feedback educators receive at the Kokomo STEM Academy through the utilization of our evaluation tool.

Redacted Walkthrough form1.pdf

RedactedIII.pdf

Redacted Walkthrough II.pdf

1.8 Instructional Support

At least 75 percent of teachers experience at least one of these forms of instructional supports, related to STEM instruction, on a quarterly basis:

1) peer observation
2) lesson study
3) critical feedback
4) coaching
5) modeling
6) action research
7) mentoring
8) targeted professional development sessions
9) curriculum training

STEM Instructional Coordinator

Ms. Jenifer Scott-English teacher in the STEM Academy is our certified STEM Building Coordinator and leads weekly STEM PD to ensure all teachers are promoting STEM Habits of Mind within lessons. The attached document was an introductory activity she carried out with staff members at one of these PD sessions.

SHAK Maker Space

75% of our staff members participated in STEM/PBL training put on by SHAK Maker Space in Kokomo. The training was open to all staff members. Multiple professional development sessions have been put on, and we are excited to apply what we learned when 1st Makerspace installs our new maker lab next month.

SHAK Maker Space Training Roster

Sustainability Plan

As part of our sustainability plan, we have targeted growth percentages of our STEM Academy teachers to attend the Indiana STEM Conference on a yearly basis in order to receive annual STEM Professional Learning.

Stem Sustainability Plan.docx

Indiana GEAR UP

Approximately half of the staff at the Kokomo STEM Academy went through training last year that was put on by Bill Walker from Indiana GEAR UP.

Puliyanda 3.1 Fable Robotics.pdf

3.1 Rinker Gear up PD.pdf

STEM Instructional Priorities Training

More than 45 teachers and administrators at Kokomo are currently going through STEM and PBL Instructional Priorities Training carried out throughout the next 8 months. This training is a micro-credentialing process and is put on through Equitable Education Solutions.

IPM STEM_PBL (102620) (1).pdf

STEM Instructional Coaching and Feedback

The following document is part of the STEM Instructional coaching model that the STEM Academy teachers have participated in with the leadership of Jason Bletzinger. This is only one of the components of the face-to-face work that Jason has carried out with us throughout the course of the 2020-2021 school year.

Jason Bletzinger info from canvas.pdf

1.9 STEM Communications

Communication tools (e.g., website, newsletters, social media, webinars, meetings, etc.) are used two-three times per month to communicate about STEM education

Twice monthly, STEM information is shared out with students, parents, and the community through the use of our social media platforms.

Kokomo High School website, Social Media Twitter and Facebook links can be found in the footer area of the site.

Monthly or bi-monthly parent information emails.

Kokomo facilitates a private Facebook group for parents and guardians of students transitioning to Kokomo High School.

Stem TechnoKats .pdf

1.10 Equity

Middle School and High School: STEM elective enrollment, including AP/dual credit, mirrors school demographics

The following STEM courses are offered to students at Kokomo High School STEM Academy

The following STEM electives are available to students at Kokomo High School's general education population as well as an advanced placement option.

STEM Programming Promotion

Below, you will find our STEM/AP courses promotional plan that highlights that these courses are available to ALL learners at Kokomo High School

Life Skills Class Grow Lab and Aquaponic System

In Mrs. Rinker's Life Skill class, students engage with STEM content by learning how to work with controlled growing environments for plants including two full aquaponic systems.

STEM Enrollment Breakdown for AP/STEM Courses

The table below shows the enrollment breakdown numbers for the following demographics, male, female, asian, hispanic, black, white, multi-racial, our free and reduced lunch populations that are in our AP or STEM Course Offerings.

STEM Enrollment Breakdown.docx

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