Texas Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (T-STEM) Academies

1. Texas Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (T-STEM) Academies “Getting Started” T-STEM Cycle 5 Technical Assistance Session September 2009

2. Agenda • Greetings and Introductions • Overview of Texas High School Project and T-STEM Initiative • RFA Overview • Questions

3. THSP and T-STEMwww.thsp.org

4. Introductions Communities Foundation of Texas (THSP) • Dee Chambliss, Program Officer for T-STEM Academies • Reo D. Pruiett, Program Officer for T-STEM Academies • Joe Ferrara, Associate Program Officer, T-STEM Texas Education Agency • Stacy Avery, Program Manager College and Career Readiness Initiatives: Texas Education Agency

5. THSP -T-STEM Academies Learn more by visiting the T-STEM webpage, which includes Academy and Center profiles and a video overview. (thsp.org/initiatives/t_stem)

6. Why Change High Schools? “The American High School is Obsolete” Bill Gates to National Governor’s Association February 2005

7. Why change high schools? Graduation Rates: Class of 2008 Source: Texas Education Agency

8. Disparities in Performance TAKS Exit Level Passing Rates - 2008 Source: Texas Education Agency

9. College-readiness Percent of Texas students meeting standards for higher education readiness 2008 Source: Texas Education Agency

10. THSP Mission All Texas high school students will have the opportunity to achieve their highest educational potential and promote state competitiveness in the 21st Century. Vision All Texas high school students will graduate: College Ready. Career Ready. Life Ready.

11. THSP Program Areas Creating new models and support structures Early College High Schools New Schools and Charter Schools Redesigned High schools School District Engagement Educational Leadership Texas Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (T-STEM) Academies, Centers and Network

12. T-STEM Initiative • T-STEM Academies • T-STEM Centers • Network Learning Community • Leadership

13. T-STEM Academies 46 Academies • 23 Charter Academies • 23 ISD Academies • Configurations • Grades 9-12 (17) • Grades 6-12 (29) • Including (5) T-STEM ECHS • 4 New Tech High • schools • Focus Areas • Economically disadvantaged students • First generation college students • English-Language Learners

14. T-STEM Academies North Irving Academy Harmony Science-Fort Worth Waxahachie ISD – Waxahachie Global Dallas ISD - Conrad HS Harmony Science –Dallas Richardson ISD – Berkner HS Peak Academy-Williams Prep Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD - METSA Harmony Science – Grand Prairie Texarkana ISD – Texarkana T-STEM Academy Abilene ISD – Abilene T-STEM New Tech High Panhandle New Deal ISD Harmony Science-Lubbock West Burnham Wood –Da Vinci – El Paso Harmony Science El Paso El Paso ISD/El Paso CC Ysleta ISD – Parkland Academy Central Waco ISD – AJ Moore Texas BioSci - Temple College Manor ISD Rapoport - Waco Harmony Science - Waco Harmony Science – Austin Austin ISD – Eastside Green Tech High South Harmony Science –San Antonio North East ISD – Lee HS/Nimitz MS Corpus Christi ISD – Innovative Academy IDEA Academy – San Benito IDEA Academy -Mission La Sara ISD Valley View ISD School of Excellence – San Antonio Harmony Science – Laredo Harmony Science – Brownsville Pharr San-Juan Alamo/South Texas College IDEA Academy – San Juan Freer ISD – Freer T-STEM Academy East Aldine ISD – Carver HS YES Prep SE Harmony School of Excellence KIPP Houston Harmony Science- Beaumont Harmony Science – Houston Longview ISD – Longview Global Fruitvale ISD Galveston ISD – Ball HS Harmony School of Science Energized for Excellence – HISD Energized for Excellence- E-STEM West Early Innovators 2006 Academies 2007 Academies 2008 Academies 2009 Academies T-STEM Centers

15. Why T-STEM? • Economic Development & Competitiveness • Of the 20 fastest-growing occupations projected through 2010, 15 of them require substantial mathematics or science preparation. • Student Achievement and School Performance • On the TIMSS, U.S. 8th graders were out performed by 7 of the 13 other countries in mathematics and 5 of the 13 other countries in science. • Most common reasons Texas campuses were Academically Unacceptable • Failure to meet the TAKS math and science standards • Most common reason campuses failed to meet AYP involves failure to meet math performance standards. Energy Aerospace & Defense Biotech & Life Sciences Information & Computer Tech Advanced Tech & Manufacturing Petroleum Refining & Chemical Products

16. Texas’ Six Target Industry Clusters • Advanced Technologies and Manufacturing • Nanotechnologies and materials • Micro-electro-mechanical systems • Semiconductor manufacturing • Automotive manufacturing • Aerospace and Defense • Biotechnology and Life Sciences • Information and Computer Technology • Communications Equipment • Computing Equipment • Information Technology • Energy • Oil and gas production • Power generation and transmission • Renewable / Sustainable energy sources • Petroleum Refining and Chemical Products

17. What is STEM Education? Teaching and learning strategies challenge students to innovate and invent Model real world contexts for learning and work Integrate math, science, and technology with other subject areas The design process drives student engagement

18. Attributes of a STEM Student • Problem-solvers • Innovators • Self-reliant • Logical thinkers • Technologically literate • Sense of identity

19. STEM Academy Design and CFT-THSP Technical Support

20. Academy Mission The mission of the T-STEM Academies is to provide a rigorous, well-rounded, education with outstanding science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instruction to graduate students who are prepared to pursue postsecondary level coursework and careers in STEM and to act as demonstration sites to inform best practice in STEM teaching and learning.

21. Academy Program Goals The program goals for the T-STEM Academies –Start-up Grant Cycle 5 are to: • Align high school, postsecondary education, and economic development activities across the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and the broader high school curriculum. • Establish T-STEM Academies in areas of high need across the state that will produce Texas high school graduates from diverse backgrounds with the preparation to pursue careers in fields related to science, technology engineering, and mathematics. • Establish a statewide best-practices, network for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education to promote broad dissemination and adoption of promising practices from the initiative and to improve mathematics and science performance for students across Texas.

22. Academy Goals The T-STEM Academies are committed to meeting the following three goals through the design and implementation of a T-STEM Academy Blueprint. • Goal 1: T-STEM Academies will develop the capacity of schools to design, implement, sustain and/or replicate successful school development models. • Goal 2: T-STEM Academies will transform instructional practice to model real world contexts for learning to improve student achievement for all students. • Goal 3: T-STEM Academies will serve as demonstration sites to inform STEM teaching and learning statewide.

23. THSP Technical Assistance Academy Design Blueprint Design Tools: • Details school development progress across eight primary areas. (Blueprint) • Provides indicators for continuous progress. (Continuum) • Common tool enable schools to benchmark their work against others for shared learning. (Progress Report) T-STEM Innovation Coach Framework and Innovation Coaches • Details Monthly visits to Academies, needs assessment; site visit reports • Coaching on leadership, school development, and data-driven decision making face-to-face, by phone, by email • T-STEM coachesnetwork resources to further the success of the Academies

24. THSP Technical Assistance • T-STEM Professional Development • Target conferences focused on high impact strategies in Math, Science and STEM education • T-STEM Innovation Networking • Online and face-to-face convenings, professional development opportunities, resources, showcase exemplars of practice, etc.

25. 7 T-STEM Centers North • North Texas STEM • Texas A&M • Dallas ISD • ESC Region 10 Panhandle • Texas Tech T-STEM • Texas Tech • Lubbock ISD • ESC Regions 14 -18 East East Texas STEM • UT Tyler • TX A&M Texarkana • ESC Regions 5-8 & 6 • ISDs in NE Texas • Southeast Regional STEM • UT Medical Branch • Rice • Texas State • NASA • ESC Regions 3-5 • Houston Museum of Natural Sci • 9 ISDs (including Houston, • Galveston, Cypress • Fairbanks)   West • El Paso T-STEM • UT El Paso • 12 El Paso area school districts • Region 19    Central • Transformation 2013 • Region 13 in Austin (partnering w/) • ESC Region 20 in San Antonio • UT Austin College of Engineering • San Antonio ISD • Taylor ISD • Dana Center at UT Austin • Providing support to centers and academies, as well as other schools across Texas   South El Centro del Futuro • Region One (partnering w/) • UT Pan Am • 13 school districts, and the • UT Dana Center Centers

26. T-STEM Academy Blueprint Part II – Appendix 1 p.33 • The T-STEM Academy program requirements have been benchmarked against national best practices in school development. These benchmarks are used as inputs into the design and development stages of the school. • The Academy uses blueprint as a guidepost to develop an implementation plan for building a school infrastructure that reflects high and consistent learning expectations and performance standards for all students as measured by internal and external measurement tools. • The design blueprint implementation plan reflects a consensus among staff and key stakeholders on how the Academy helps diverse learners build the requisite skills and strategies to become highly functioning STEM-literate graduates. • The Academy is clear about the specific skills that must be addressed that are essential to STEM literacy skills, i.e., the types of skills necessary to meet demands of advanced high school coursework, higher education, the world of work, and lifelong learning.

27. T-STEM Academy Blueprint What is the basis of the school design? • The academy design is solid school development • Blueprint Benchmarks: • Mission-Driven Leadership • School Culture and Design • Student Outreach/Recruitment, Selection/Retention • Teacher-Leader Selection, Development/Retention • Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment • Strategic Alliances • Academy Advancement and Sustainability

29. RFA Overview(secure the application)

30. Eligibility Criteria – District Requirements Part II p. 5 of 25 A Texas school district or open enrollment charter is eligible to apply for the T-STEM Academies – Start-up Cycle 5 Grant if the school district or open enrollment charter school: • Targets and enrolls a majority (at least 50%) of students who are at risk of dropping out of school (at risk, economically disadvantaged, English language –learners, and/or first generation college-goers). • Special consideration and priority given to districts/charter schools that serve a population of greater than 40% economically disadvantaged students (calculated as an average over each of the three preceding school years – 2006-07, 2007-08, and 2008-09). Eligible school districts or open enrollment charter schools must submit a separate application for each planned academy.

31. Eligibility Criteria – Campus Requirements School District or open-enrollment charter school must also demonstrate a commitment to design a program that meets all T-STEM requirements. An Academy must • Be an autonomous school that is either: • A stand-alone campus with a unique CDC number or • A small learning community with in a larger school (where the T-STEM Academy is physically separated from the larger school and the T-STEM students are a separate cohort with their own teachers (s), leaders, scheduled and curriculum); • Serve Grades 6-12 or Grades 9-12 with an active relationship with the feeder middle school(s) • For 9-12 models – Academies must serve grade 9 in year 1 • For 6-12 models – Academies must serve a middle grade and grade 9 in year 1; • Be small, serving approximately 100 students per grade; • Be open enrollment, hosting lotteries for admission;

32. Additional Eligibility Criteria • Follow all requirements and indicators outlined in T-STEM Academies Start-up Grant Cycle 5 RFA and in the T-STEM Academy Design Blueprint (RFA Part 2: Program Guidelines – Appendix 1). • Demonstrate how all requirements defined in the RFA for opening a T-STEM Academy will be met no later than the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year. • A district or open enrollment charter applying for this grant must be financially viable as determined through fiscal review by the Division of Financial Audits at TEA. • An open enrollment charter school applying for this grant must submit current proof of nonprofit status with the application. (part II, page 6 • An open enrollment charter school applying for this grant must have the proper approved amendment request to the open enrollment charter from the commissioner. (part II: p 7 of 45)

33. Additional Eligibility Criteria • An open enrollment charter campus shall become ineligible for grant funding (or if a campus has applied for and received funding for this grant, will have its grant funding placed on hold) if the commissioner notifies the campus’ charter holder of the commissioner’s intent to: • revoke or non-renew such charter under TEC Chapter 12, or • close the campus under TEC Chapter 39, for any of the reasons set forth in either statutory provision. • A consortium of eligible school districts may not submit an application for a T-STEM Academy as a shared services arrangement. The application must be submitted by one eligible school district or open enrollment charter school on behalf of a campus within that district. A T-STEM academy may enroll students from neighboring districts, as long as the district enrolling those students receives Average Daily Attendance (ADA) funding for those students.

34. Additional Eligibility Criteria Applicants that are currently or have previously received grants through the Texas High School Project (THSP) for any of the following programs must be in compliance with all grant requirements and must be in good standing with an existing grant as well as demonstrate capacity to support this grant: Early College High School; High School Redesign and Restructuring; Redesigned High School; T-STEM Academy. A campus that fails to meet one or more of the T-STEM Academy eligibility requirements by the end of Phase I: Planning Phase will not receive funding for Phase II: Implementation Phase under this grant program. The grant will be terminated. No exceptions will be made to this policy. Part II – page 6 of 45

35. Application Due Date • Six complete applications must be received at TEA on or before 5:00 p.m. Central Time on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 , according to the application submission procedures in Part 1 of the RFA. • TEA will not accept nor consider for funding any late competitive applications for any reason. • TEA accepts no responsibility for delays in mail, shipping, and courier service.(Part 1 – pp 7-8, RFA)

36. Other Important Dates

37. More Important Dates

38. Program Purpose The purpose of the T-STEM Academies – Startup, Cycle 5 grant is to increase student achievement by: • engaging and exposing students to innovative science and math instruction, and • creating demonstration sites to inform math and science teaching and learning statewide. To that end, every academy will: • provide a rigorous, well-rounded education; • establish a personalized culture with the expectation that all students will achieve postsecondary success; and • provide teacher and leadership development.

39. Program Goals • Align high school, postsecondary education, and economic development activities across the areas of STEM and the broader high school curriculum; • Establish T-STEM academies in areas of high need across the state that will produce Texas high school graduates from diverse backgrounds with the preparation to pursue careers in STEM related fields; and • Establish a statewide best practices network for STEM education to promote broad dissemination and adoption of promising practices from the initiative and to improve math and science performance for students across Texas.

40. Program Description • A school district or open enrollment charter school receiving grant funds will plan during the 2009-2010 school year and will open a T-STEM academy no later than August of 2010. • Funding will be dispersed in two phases: Planning and Implementation. • All academies will use the Design Blueprint to guide planning and implementation.

41. Statutory Requirement • Rider 53, Texas High School Completion and Success Initiative, requires that funds be expended on programs that support the improvement of high school graduation rates and post-secondary readiness. • See Part II, p 15 of 45 • See Schedule #6F)

42. TEA Program Requirement #1Part II page 15 • The T-STEM Academy must be small, serving approximately 100 students per grade. • Must present a plan to eventually serve either grades 6-12 or 9-12. • If serving grades 6-12, must plan to open with a middle level grade and grade 9. The plan should include adding at least two grade levels per year. • If serving grades 9-12, must plan to open with grade 9 and add at least one grade level per year. Must develop a plan to work actively with the feeder middle school(s). • Align curriculum to insure students who are low income, from underrepresented student groups, at risk, and/or first time college-goers have opportunity to attend and succeed.

43. Program Requirement #2 • The T-STEM Academy must be open enrollment, hosting lotteries for admission. • Must target students who are low income, from underrepresented student groups, at-risk, and/or first generation college-goers. • Must result in a student population of greater than 40% economically disadvantaged students. • Must outline a plan for recruiting, selecting, supporting, and retaining high need and underrepresented students. • May not select students based on ability, grades, test scores, or teacher recommendations.

44. Program Requirement #3 • The T-STEM Academy must be an autonomous school that is either • A stand alone campus with a unique CDC number or • A small learning community on an existing campus where the Academy is physically separated from the larger school and the T-STEM students are a separate cohort with their own teacher(s), leader, schedule, and curriculum.

45. Program Requirement #4 • The T-STEM Academy must use the T-STEM Academy Design Blueprint as a planning and evaluation tool. If the T-STEM Academy is not making adequate progress towards the full implementation of all of the Design Blueprint Indicators as determined by TEA, the academy may not receive implementation or continuation funds.

46. Program Requirement #5 • T-STEM Academies must offer a rigorous, well-rounded course of study for all students, including: • Incorporation of the College Readiness Standards in the core curriculum • Alignment of all curriculum, instruction and assessment to state standards, supporting the success of all students to take and pass four years of high school math and four years of high school science • Tight technology infrastructure plan for technology use across the disciplines • Opportunity for each student to acquire a minimum of 12 – 30 hours of college credit through dual credit, AP, or IB courses • Participation in curricular academic activities centered on applied science, technology, engineering and math, such as UIL competitions (robotics, math) or science and technology fairs.

47. Program Requirement #6 • A T-STEM Academy must reflect today’s postsecondary learning and work environment by: • Incorporating project and work-based, contextual learning with a global perspective into the curriculum • Integrating technology into all aspects of the school culture, including the school curriculum, co-curriculum and daily operation • Creating and using applied and team learning • Providing opportunities for alignment with the state’s economic development clusters and for students to seriously consider careers in STEM fields (such as teacher externships, student internships, apprenticeships, co-ops, service learning, or capstone projects with a presentation and a defense).

48. Program Requirement #7 • A T-STEM Academy must provide teacher, school leadership, and school development by: • Providing new teachers with support and guidance through teacher mentoring and induction programs • Implementing a math and science teacher coaching-based professional development model • Bringing together math and science high school teachers, higher education faculty, and private businesses • Requiring weekly common planning time for STEM content teachers and providing training to ensure common planning time is well utilized • Serving as a math and science demonstration site as proof points for improved practices • Disseminating T-STEM outreach to middle schools and the greater district or CMO • Requiring external networking opportunities for teachers • Requiring school leadership participation in the T-STEM Academy Coaching model • Creating a distributive decision-making structure that is clear and understood by the following stakeholders: students, teachers, academy design team, parent-community, business, community partners and institutions of higher education partners. (Part II: p.17 of 45)

49. Program Requirement #8 • Applicants must incorporate into their grant application a description of all activities to be conducted with funds from this grant program and the program requirements listed in this RFA. Submission of the application will indicate the superintendent’s approval of the T-STEM Academy design and an agreement to provide technical assistance, evaluation data, and flexibility to the participating campus.

50. Program Requirement #9 • The LEA must identify how other resources (federal, state, local, and private) available to the school will be utilized to coordinate services to support and sustain the T-STEM Academy. Applicants must provide documentation that the district will provide a 10% or greater match of the total grant award.