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At Prosser Career Education Center, STEM curriculum is designed to provide students authentic opportunities to be problem-solvers, critical and creative thinkers, and collaborators. As students solve real-world problems, curriculum will ensure that the students are prepared for positive workforce and higher education outcomes after graduation.
All students at Prosser Career Education Center are provided with equitable access to career programming. Wrap around supports are provided, as necessary, to ensure that every student succeeds. Technology resources are provided to support student access and engagement. Students at Prosser Career Education Center are challenged to think critically and logically and to make connections across disciplines. Staff members strive to provide relevant and authentic learning experiences. All programs receive support in the areas of curriculum and lesson design, assessment, and STEM instructional strategies.
Additionally, Prosser emphasizes and integrates Indiana's Employability Skills Standards in pacing guides, daily lesson plan and within our PRIDE incentive program.
Integrated STEM curriculum and instructional strategies are evidence-based through state-level education standards(NLPS/DOE), pacing guides and lesson plans with integrated problem based/project based learning strategies, dual credit, syllabi, including learning objectives, industry credentials, and career and workforce recognition.
2.1 Curriculum Integration
At least 75% of planned, integrated STEM curriculum is evidence based.
Prosser Career Education Center STEM curriculum aligns with standards set forth by the Indiana Department of Education, post-secondary partners, and relevant industry credentialing exams. All curricula have been vetted by program advisory committees, the New Albany Floyd County School Corporation and relevant post-secondary partners. Course syllabus examples have been provided (2.1.A). These course syllabus examples are submitted to the corresponding post-secondary partner (2.1.A). A list of Prosser Career Education Center program offerings (2.1.B) and embedded dual credits that are obtainable per program (2.1.C) is provided.
Prosser uses the Project Based Learning Gold Standard (PBL) to create units/lesson plans. PBL Gold Standard provides structures for teachers to design and plan units/lessons; including align the unit to the standards and learning targets; promote student independence, growth, open-ended inquiry, teamwork, attention to quality and time management skills. Teachers create lessons and implement instructional strategies to complete the lesson and embed assessment that provides authentic feedback and encouragement to the students.
Implementation Plan for Curriculum Integration:
After completing research, via reading books, articles, and conducting interviews with teachers from other districts and our own, Prosser chose the PBL Gold Standard to plan and integrate STEM curriculum.
During the last decade within our local school district, teachers have received training based on Larry Ainsworth's model for Rigorous Curriculum Design units based on real world situations. Part of these units are still being used, but the instructors are now integrating the PBL Gold Standard components below:
Challenging Problem or Question
Sustained Inquiry
Authenticity
Student voice and choice
Reflection
Critique and Revision
Public Product
In July 2021, a team of teachers and administrators from Prosser attended Professional Learning Communities(DuFour & DuFour) refresher training. Professional Learning Communities function to support collaboration to create curriculum and instructional strategies based on best practices, including project/problem based learning.
The first semester of 2021, Prosser took this semester to revisit Professional Learning Communities in collaboration meetings. As we start to implement the Next Level Programs of Study, update pacing guides to include the new NLPS standards, dual credit objectives, specific learning targets and the Employability Skill Standards, we are revisiting lesson plans. Instructors are transforming their previously created performance tasks by incorporating PBL components.
In January 2022, Prosser will be specifically working on crafting/re-crafting lesson plans to include more authentic project/problem based learning(PBL Gold Standard).
In February 2022, on the scheduled half day release day, instructors will dive more deeply into project/problem based learning components and strategies. This will also allow them to collaborate with peers and continue to evaluate current units, lesson plans and projects. The goal is to intentionally incorporate STEM strategies that are embedded in project/problem based learning.
Continuing after February 2022, instructors will bring units, lesson plans or project ideas to weekly collaboration or plan time to transform them into projects that incorporate STEM strategies.
2.1 Evidence Summary
All Courses have provided the STEM Renewal Committee with Course Syllabus.
Multiple Courses offered qualifying students Dual Credits through Vincennes University and Ivy Tech Community College.
All courses are industry aligned and students are using labor market driven curriculum.
2.2 Computer Science
Multiple computer science courses are available to all students.
All Prosser participating high schools are provided access to all of Prosser's courses (2.2.A.) Prosser offers three computer science classes and the schools that feed into Prosser are in compliance or exceeds the requirements of IC 20-30-5-23(2.2.B). In the last three years, we have updated the type of class offerings to include Cyber Security, Web Development and Databases. Attending Prosser is an elective to all feeder school students. All students are encouraged to complete an intent to enroll form for their desired course(career pathway).
At Prosser, students have access to coursework in Cyber Security, Computer Networking and Infrastructure, Programming and Web Design. In figure 2.2.C you can see, the enrollment and completion numbers of all three programs. Additionally, programs such as Automation & Robotics and Precision Machining introduce programming concepts in the real world context and application of Robotics, Programming Logic Controller, and the Programming of CNC Machines.
2.3 Employability Skills
Employability Skills Standards, based upon the appropriate grade band, are integrated into the school curriculum for 100% of students.
Employability skills have always been a priority for Prosser. We focus on employability skills in the classroom across the curriculum. As we update our current pacing guides to include the new Next Level Pathways of Study, we are intentionally embedding Indiana Employability Skill Standards. This action both affirms our current practice and will support better evidence based lesson plans grounded in project/problem based learning (2.3.A & 2.3.B)
In addition, Prosser Career Education Center create and provide numerous employability trainings for all of Prosser students. Throughout each year, Prosser students test their employability skills by engaging with program customers, participating in mock interviews with advisory members for juniors and seniors with immediate feedback to the students(2.3.C), presenting to authentic audiences, and participating in Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) competitions (2.3.D.) These activities also include resume writing, a four hour job shadow, a week long micro-internship and semester long internships. Prosser also holds an Options Day each year for all Prosser students(2.3.E). This is a day that Prosser brings in surrounding employers, military and colleges and all students have the opportunity to talk to the employers to explore job qualifications and openings. (2.3.E).
2.3.C. Mock Interviews for Juniors
2.3.C Mock Interviews for Seniors
2.3.D State Skills USA Champions 2021
2.3.E Options Day
PRIDE Matrix 2021-2022.xlsx2.3.F Prosser Pride Matrix
Prosser has also incorporated Prosser Pride (2.3.F) and the Indiana's Employability Skill Standards in all Prosser programs to show the students what is expected for skills in everyday life and while they are doing work based learning. Also, students periodically evaluate themselves on the Pride Rubric and set new goals based on their self evaluation (2.3.F). All Prosser senior students have the opportunity to pursue the Indiana Governor's Work Ethic Certification and last year Prosser had 103 students earn the certificate (2.3.G).
In May, students participate in signing day at Prosser. All students who have have been accepted into a college, enlisted in the military, accepted into an apprenticeship, or have been offered a job participate in the signing day. Colleges, military, and employers are invited in to watch and participate in the event. (2.3.H)
2.3.H Signing Day
2.4 Equity
General education teachers and appropriate special education teachers and support services teachers collaboratively plan for necessary STEM material development and refinement for diverse learners based upon their understanding of students' academic needs.
Prosser Career Education Center is committed to serving all students. The Prosser Leadership team offers resources and intentional professional development activities that promote equity and diversity within our school community. Because students enter career and technical education programs at varying levels of readiness, a number of supports have been arranged to supply student needs. The Leadership team offers strategies to teachers so that they can appropriately engage students with identified special needs while providing necessary accommodations under a student's IEP/504/Medical Plan/ILP. The instructors work with Teachers of Record to determine if and how curricular materials might be refined to meet the unique needs of a given student. Also, in order to provide the extra support for students, Prosser hired seven CTE Paraprofessional/Success Coaches through our Perkins Grant. Each paraprofessional/success coach will support all CTE programs within a specific career cluster. The Common Local Needs Assessment(CLNA) identifies a great need to provide additional support for special population groups, specifically: disabled, disadvantaged, black, and multi-race. Data indicates that these groups consistently perform at below expectation. The paraprofessionals in this position will continually support students who are struggling to achieve academic and technical standards. The paraprofessionals will also work extensively with the Special Populations Coordinator to ensure students are successfully completing WBL programs and activities.
The CTE Paraprofessionals/Student Success Coach(s) will collaborate with the instructor to design supports for a student. In the first example (2.4.A), the Student Success Coach was used to help the student understand the assignment after the instructor refined the assignment to fit the unique needs of the student. The instructor changed the amount of time the student had to complete the lesson and modified engineering problems to make them more accessible. The Student Success Coach helped the student with understanding the provided rubric, the design board instructions, and made sure the student remained on task and stayed calm when the student felt overwhelmed with the assignment.
Prosser Career Education Center instructors and administrators receive extensive training on how to support the unique needs of a diverse student population. Recent training topics include: PBIS - Diversity Training(2.4.B), Inclusion training (2.4.C), classroom management evaluation discussions, special education accommodations discussions, counselor meetings(2.4.D), multilingual training and supporting English Language Learners, Changes in Title IX legislation.
All Prosser students have access to social-emotional supports from our guidance counselor. Students also have access to employment support and employability skills coaching from our local Career Pathway Specialist.
2.5 Assessments
At least 90% of teachers use a variety of assessment methods for students to demonstrate STEM learning.
The objective of assessment is to measure student learning, but assessment can also be used as a way of gauging the effectiveness of instruction. Prosser Career Education Center teachers measure learning across several domains including: applied knowledge, workplace skills, interpersonal skills and employability skills. They also implement a variety of strategies to assess student learning including proficient checklists and rubrics, observation and discussion, peer-to-peer reflection, quizzes and tests, industry credentialing exams, rubrics and feedback from authentic audiences (2.5.A).
100% of Prosser instructors use a variety of assessment methods for students to demonstrate STEM based learning. Assessments include formative and summative evaluations, with feedback given to encourage continued growth. Throughout student learning, instructors use checks-for-understanding that provide formative assessments. Formative assessments that provide feedback on both what our teachers are doing and what our students are learning. Summative assessments in Prosser programs are aligned to measure standard-based skills aligned with requirements from the Indiana Department of Education, NLPS, post-secondary course objectives, and proficiencies identified by local industry partners. Some samples of assessment are shown in 2.5.B - 2.5.E, the assessments shown are summative, checklists or graded by a rubric. Examples are included that show instructor feedback.
2.5.B HVAC -Perform maintenance on Air Conditioning or Heat Pump System - Assessment by Rubric - Includes Student Feedback
2.5.C HVAC -Perform Black Iron Pipe Nipple Fabrication - Assessment by Rubric - Includes Student Feedback
2.5.D Measuring and Recording Vital Signs - Assessment by Checklist
2.5.E Drafting Creating and Designing a Spa - Includes Student Feedback
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