OSIT & STEM Advisory Council Announce Recommended STEM Programs

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CARSON CITY, NV- October 19, 2017 

The Governor’s Office of Science, Innovation and Technology (OSIT) and the Nevada STEM Advisory Council (Council) today announced sixteen STEM programs have been approved for inclusion on the Council’s list of recommended STEM programs. Each program’s application was thoroughly evaluated by a group of trained, Nevada-based reviewers according to a Nevada-specific rubric. 

“Educators across the State have a mission to provide the best education possible to their students. This list will help teachers, principals, and school districts select the best STEM resources available to meet the needs of their students,” said Kelly Barber, Co-Chair of the Nevada STEM Advisory Council and STEM Coordinator for the Washoe County School District. 

“STEM provides students with real-world skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and teamwork that are necessary to become capable employees and thoughtful citizens. We hope this list will serve to increase quality and quantity of STEM education children receive in Nevada,” said Mark Newburn, Co-chair of the Nevada STEM Advisory Council and Vice President of the Nevada State Board of Education. 

In its State Strategic Plan for STEM, the Nevada STEM Advisory Council established priorities and goals to ensure that all of Nevada's students have the opportunity to gain a high-quality STEM education. The Strategic Plan recommends that Nevada identify and fund evidence-based, high-quality formal and informal STEM practices and programs. In order to determine which STEM programs meet this evidence-based, high-quality standard, OSIT and the STEM Advisory Council partnered with Change the Equation and WestEd to develop review criteria and vet STEM programs for inclusion on a list of recommended programs for funding. Programs that met the eligibility criteria for the national STEMworks database were eligible for consideration to be included on Nevada’s list. 

The following are the programs that have been approved for inclusion on the STEM Advisory Council’s list of approved STEM programs: 

Camp Invention 

DRI Science Alive 

Engineering Adventures 

Engineering Everywhere 

Engineering is Elementary 

Field Trips to The Discovery 

FIRST Robotics 

Full Option Science System (FOSS) 

Kinderlab Robotics 

LAB-AIDS (SEPUP) 

Making Sense of SCIENCE 

Project Lead the Way 

ST Math 

STEM Equity Pipeline 

STEM in Action 

Ten80 Student Racing Challenge 

“I am very impressed with the programs that made the Council’s list. This list of recommended STEM pro-grams will be a great resource for both the State and for our schools to guide funding decisions toward pro-grams that have demonstrated rigor in content, evaluation, replicability, and sustainability,” said Brian Mitchell, Director of OSIT. “I want to thank the evaluators from across Nevada for lending their time and expertise to review the applications.” 

Inclusion on STEM Advisory Council’s list does not guarantee funding. In Nevada, schools and school districts make curricular, professional development, and other funding decisions. However, school districts in Nevada may apply for future STEM education funding from the Nevada Department of Education or from OSIT’s K-5 STEM Grant to fund STEM programs on the Nevada STEM Advisory Council's list. Additionally, the Nevada Legislature, local school districts, and private philanthropy in Nevada may also use the Nevada STEM Adviso-ry Council's list to guide their own STEM education investments. The list is meant as a resource to school leadership; the list is not exhaustive of all good STEM programs and use of the list is not mandatory. 

OSIT will post information about state-level funding opportunities on its website, www.osit.nv.gov. STEM programs may choose to reach out to school districts to gauge interest in partnering on a grant application. Additionally, OSIT will include a brief synopsis of each program on the STEM Advisory Council’s recommend-ed list, along with links to more information, on its website. 

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About the STEM Advisory Council: The mission of the Nevada STEM Advisory Council is to increase student interest and achievement in the fields of science, engineering, technology, and mathematics, leading stu-dents to rewarding careers in the New Nevada economy. The STEM Advisory Council is charged with identify-ing and awarding recognition to students and schools throughout Nevada that excel in STEM. 

About OSIT- The mission of OSIT is to coordinate, support, and align efforts by K-12 and higher education, workforce development and employers to improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and STEM workforce development so that Nevada’s workforce can meet the demands of its growing economy. 

 

Contact– Brian Mitchell 775-687-0987 or blmitchell@gov.nv.gov