With a particular focus on computational thinking and the intersection between coding and math, STEM2 Hub collaborates to build strong teachers, engaging programs, and interested students. STEM2 Hub develops resources that weave together in-school and after-school learning through competitions, camps, and afterschool programs with a goal of nurturing a deeper understanding of in-school STEM learning and promoting STEM career exploration. Through collaborating to offer STEM learning opportunities in a variety of contexts, STEM2 Hub strives to equip students from all backgrounds with experiences to build resiliency and workforce readiness so that all students have access to the skills and knowledge needed to building tomorrow’s workforce and strong and thriving communities.
Putnam County School District
Putnam County School District serves a high proportion of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds (94.7%) and students attending these schools tend to report lower Math and Science proficiency rates compared to statewide Florida rates (Florida Department of Education, 2022). Previously, more than half of Putnam County Schools ranked in the bottom 3% of schools in Florida (Richardson, 2023). However, the current Superintendent of Putnam County Schools, Dr. Richard Surrency, has worked diligently to improve students’ academic success and in consequence, Putnam ’s high school graduation rates have increased from 55% in 2015 to 93% in 2021 (Richardson, 2023). This dramatic improvement can be largely attributed to the implementation of STEM education (Richardson, 2023). In 2017, STEM2 Hub partnered with Putnam County School District to help them gain a better understanding of the STEM learning landscape among students. Based on findings from a student STEM outcomes assessment among 6 th graders, Putnam County redesigned their STEM curriculum, increased exposure to STEM for all students , and strengthened the “culture of collaboration” among educators (Richardson, 2023). Now, Pre-K students are regularly exposed to STEM learning activities like building with Legos, K-5 th grade students engage in one STEM class per week focused on STEM topics like coding, 6 th grade students participate in a daily STEM course and have STEM integrated into their other classes, and 7 th -12 th students choose STEM elective courses to participate in such as Aerospace and Drone Technologies, Robotics, Cybersecurity, Computer Science, and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning many of which lead to industry certifications (Richardson, 2023).
Data Collection
The current data collection efforts were used to monitor outcomes from the Putnam County STEM initiative and provide insight into effective strategies that schools and districts can use to systematically increase equitable access to STEM. In December 2022 through February 2023, Northeast Florida Regional STEM2 Hub collected data from Putnam County School students and educators using PEAR’s Common Instrument Suite – Student Survey (CIS-S) and Common Instrument Suite – Educator Survey (CIS-E). Data was collected from 1,317 students in fourth through twelfth grades across 11 Putnam County Schools, as well as 44 educators across 8 Putnam County Schools. The CIS-S is a 56-item youth self-report measure of six STEM attitudes (STEM activities, career interest and knowledge, engagement, enjoyment, and identity) and four social-emotional skills (critical thinking, perseverance, relationships with peers, and relationships with adults (Allen et al., 2020; Noam et al., 2020; Sneider & Noam, 2019). Reliabilities for these scales were high, ranging from 0.80 to 0.93 (Allen et al., 2019). Items are rated on a 4-point Likert scale from “Strongly Disagree” to “Strongly Agree.” The CIS-S was administered mid-school year in a Retrospective Pretest-Posttest (RPP) format. In this format, students rate each item from two frames of reference: before starting their STEM course (retro-pre) and the day of their survey (retro-post). Two versions of the survey were administered to students. Older students in sixth grade and above took the full CIS-S which consisted of all 10 scales. Younger students in fourth through fifth grades took a shortened version of the CIS-S which consisted of six scales: the four social-emotional skills and two STEM attitudes (STEM engagement and identity).
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