There are various committees at Van Buren Elementary that help support our students. The staff members on the STEM committee chose to be a part of this committee, because they share a passion for implementing the STEM program for our students. These teachers also serve as the liaison between our committee and the members on their interdisciplinary teams.

The agenda and minutes above are documentation of our meetings during the 2020-2021 school year. Using the STEM Certification rubric helped guide our discussions and reflections through the course of our meetings. The STEM committee met monthly to plan and discuss our STEM program at Van Buren.

The image above captures the location of our STEM resources on our Staff Shared Drive. All staff members at Van Buren Elementary have access to this shared drive and the ability to view STEM meeting minutes, resources, and collaborate with other staff members at our school.

Above is an example of communication sent to Van Buren Elementary staff members highlighting STEM meeting minutes and feedback regarding data from a parent survey. Staff members are constantly provided opportunities to reflect and give feedback of the STEM program at Van Buren.

As the STEM Committee reflected on our STEM Program and becoming STEM Certified, the above survey was sent out to staff members to see how staff members feel in regards to incorporating STEM opportunities in their classrooms.

For a second year, a survey was sent to the staff. This year, both classified and certified staff members were invited to fill out the survey to help give an accurate picture of implementing STEM opportunities to our students. STEM Committee members analyzed the results at their October STEM Meeting. The same survey will be given at in the springtime to monitor growth.

This video shows that STEM education begins in kindergarten and is sustained through grade 12. This is done through the hands-on experiences in the classroom, STEM integration in the curriculum, computer science, and Project Lead the Way. Students in elementary school have monthly visits to the Imagination Lab and middle school students have access to the IDEA Lab.

PCSC has integrated PLTW and Defined Learning lessons for every grade level. This holds true even if we were to go to e-Learning. Additionally, our teachers have learned ways to still have students collaborate, even if they are apart from each other. From shared Google Slides and Docs, to FlipGrids, they have utilized all kinds of things to help keep kids connected in their learning. Teachers use a variety of methods to assess student learning. Teachers have taught students ways to produce work completed with technology (Google Slide presentations, digital "exit tickets," FlipGrids with students explaining their learning on video. Teachers also have used 1:1 Google Meets with students to ask questions and hear evidence from the students that they understand content. These are all excellent ways for teachers to assess mastery.

In preparation of the 2020-2021 school year, administrators planned key details in regards to every modality of learning. Plainfield Community School Corporation takes pride in providing the best STEM education to all students regardless of where the students learn. Teachers work to include remote students into STEM education, and it is important that remote students are engaged with the same real world problem solving as in-person learners.

All students are provided an opportunity for summer learning at the Imagination Lab. The aim for these programs is to create STEM related activities for kids to participate in while the kids are off of school during the summer months.

Teachers at Van Buren Elementary were intentional about creating STEM learning opportunities for our remote learners. The lesson plan above is an example of a teacher incorporating STEM activities for her students while they are at home.

All grade levels have common planning time where they meet as a professional learning community (PLC). Having this time allows teachers and staff members to collaborate about the successes and areas of improvement for our students and their STEM program.

Grade level teams are given the template above to capture their PLC meeting times. A specific section in the template allows teachers to be intentional about discussing STEM topics in their meeting. An example of how this has been beneficial is when teachers began implementing Project Lead the Way. This template has allowed teachers to discuss the impacts of its implementation.

Above is a sample PLC document from our First Grade team. At this particular meeting, there was an emphasis on Project Lead the Way, integrating STEM ideas with Fall, and a plan for the next meeting to discuss a First Grade Inquiry Week.

Creating common planning time for Specials teachers is also a way for Van Buren staff to create cross-curricular STEM activities our students. The document above highlights an intentional planning time on a professional development day for the specials teachers to create an interdisciplinary STEM unit.

Using common planning time that was provided, Specials teachers at Van Buren Elementary worked together to come up with a STEM lesson to do with the students at our school. The document above is the lesson that they planned to complete with our students. Taking advantage of these interdisciplinary opportunities is beneficial to our STEM program.

This video above from PCSC assistant superintendent, Pat Cooney, highlights the strategic planning that has taken place over the last five years.

Our district has a plan in place to replace all 1:1 technology on a revolving 3-year basis. This allows for sustainability of technology. This document demonstrates our districts' continued efforts to improve through IT processes, improving the website, and improving the helpdesk. Historically, we have been able to keep technology costs low through grants and rental fees. The device follows students through their career. We have district level technicians that work diligently to service all elementary schools and maintain the network. We have an online helpdesk that supports teachers and administrators.

This document outlines how textbook rental fees are used at Van Buren Elementary to ensure our Project Lead the Way programs are sustainable. Textbook Rental (TBR) is documentation that our district annually manages STEM curriculum and technology with planning each year with a viable sustainability plan.

Plainfield Community School Corporation has a STEM committee that meets regularly to discuss the implementation of STEM in our district. At this meeting, funding for Project Lead the Way was discussed. Incorporating district Professional development and STEM training was also discussed at the meeting.

Teachers were given a survey to fill out about their students regarding various topics such as growth mindset and addressing challenges. The students also filled out the same questions about themselves. This survey, created by The Imagination Lab at Plainfield Schools, gave insight on how teachers and students thought about their learning. Being able to analyze this data (embedded below) helped better prepare The Imagination Lab in their planning, as well as how teachers created lessons in the classroom. The survey data also embodies multiple years to be able to compare data from those years.

Second and Third Grade students were given a survey to complete regarding their interests in careers. Teachers were able to view individual data in their classrooms to help give them insight on student interest about potential career paths.

Fourth and Fifth Grade students were given a survey to complete regarding their interest and viewpoints toward Science and Scientists. The survey above is a modified version of the Test of Science Related Attitudes (TORSA). This data can then be compared for students as they move from Fourth to Fifth Grade. With the Science ILEARN assessment given in Fourth Grade, it will be especially interesting to compare this data to the proficiency rate of students on ILEARN.

Van Buren families are sent a survey regarding its STEM program. In an effort to keep parents informed and be an influence to our STEM program, the STEM committee reflects on the results, and all staff has the ability to see the information collected from our families. From there the STEM committee has been able to reflect on the following details, and make improvements in the following areas:

• Increase Parent Communication on Parent Square regarding STEM activities

• Discuss volunteer opportunities for parents

• Creating more STEM related activities at home instead of only Math practice and Reading practice.

The documents above outline the results of the 2020 parent survey and the STEM committee reflection of how to improve the numbers in each area for the entire staff to access.

The documents above outline the results of the 2021 parent survey and compares that data to the 2020 parent survey. To accompany the data, there is a refection completed by the STEM committee for the entire staff to access.

Van Buren Teachers are evaluated through a modified RISE rubric. Indicators 2.1 and 2.3 specifically address how the principal gives feedback to teachers on their Instructional practices, including during STEM instruction.

This represents work done by administrators in 2019 to create a walkthrough process highlighting for teachers the Design Thinking Process and the use of the 4Cs. The district and building level administration team created this document using their own design thinking process to be clear with teachers what good STEM instruction looks like.

In April 2020, district administrators held a meeting regarding the staff evaluation tool. Part of the meeting was going over changes made to be approved by Board of Trustees. STEM has become an integral part of the staff evaluations at Plainfield Community School Corporation.

This document represents the work teachers did to evaluate computer science standards. Teachers analyzed the PLTW computer science module for correlations to IN Computer Science standards and determine what others may need to be included separately. The teachers worked to improve the implementation of Computer Science standards within their classrooms.

All teachers have multiple opportunities to receive instructional support from our technology department per month. This professional development allows teachers to sharpen their technological skills and practices as they incorporate technology into to their teaching. The communication above is an example of the different supports given to the teachers and the dates they occur.

As a subscriber to Defined Learning, all Plainfield teachers receive training opportunities from their organization. The training includes webinars, articles, and support from Defined Learning. Teachers are able to take what they learn back to the classroom to improve STEM instruction.

The message above is posted on Van Buren's website. In an effort to reach out to current and prospective parents, Mr. Helmuth communicates the collaborative culture that is at Van Buren Elementary.

Teachers at Van Buren communicate with parents in several different ways. The link above belongs to Van Buren's Second Grade team. On that website, the team highlights a page completely dedicated to STEM activities going on in the classroom

Linked above are websites that highlight various STEM activities that are occurring at Van Buren. This is a fun way to communicate the STEM events to the community and showcase the amazing work that Van Buren students complete.

The master schedule shows the times of day that STEM is incorporated at Van Buren Elementary and protected so that 100% of the students can participate. (Highlighted in yellow) Twenty-three out of twenty-three of the grade level teachers at Van Buren teach STEM lessons weekly in the protected STEM time slots. The schedule also shows times of the day when students are pulled for Title I intervention, special education, ELL, and other pull-out services. Those times are highlighted in bright green.)

The building map above shows the location of the STEM/Project Lead the Way room at Van Buren Elementary. All teachers utilize the room and coordinate use with a Google Calendar.

100% of the students at Van Buren Elementary visit the Imagination Lab multiple times every semester. Students are bused from Van Buren Elementary to the Imagination Lab. The schedule above communicates the dates that all students in Van Buren classes attend the Lab.

All students and classes use Van Buren's Outdoor STEM Lab. Volunteers help tend to the lab, and teachers have used this space for their students to even grow vegetables to learn about plants.