- Year 2016
- NSF Noyce Award # 1540690
- First Name Beth
- Last Name Costner
- Discipline Mathematics
- Co-PI(s)
Kelly Costner, Winthrop University, costnerk@winthrop.edu
Trent Kull, Winthrop University, kullt@winthrop.edu
Cassandra Bell, Winthrop University, bellc@winthrop.edu
John McGill, York Technical College, jmcgill@yorktech.edu - Presenters
Trent Kull, Winthrop University, kullt@winthrop.edu
John McGill, York Technical College, jmcgill@yorktech.edu
Need
In order to meet the graduation and retention expectations seen in higher education today while maintaining a field-based, content-rich preparation program, Winthrop University with direct support from the WISE program is exploring ways to identify and support high achieving STEM majors through the STEM certification program. The evolution of undergraduate and graduate certification options has allowed the content and education faculty to explore avenues for development of teachers and content specialists. Currently, the program and university are implementing a new blended model that will allow students to engage in the classroom from the freshman through graduate years.
Goals
WISE Incentives
:
** Winthrop University offers two options for individuals with undergraduate degrees to pursue initial certification in mathematics or science at the graduate level.
** The WISE program will offer four cohorts of support for students pursuing either option for certification in mathematics and science.
** Provide summer internships for freshman and sophomore mathematics and science majors that expose them to research and education in their content area
** Provide scholarship or stipends to undergraduates or graduate students enrolled in Winthrop’s mathematics or science education programs during their last two years
** Provide scholars with extra support: additional mentoring from WISE personnel during field experiences and first year of teaching; financially support state memberships in mathematics or science professional teacher organization and attendance at conferences
** Scholars give back to program by attending future internships and participating in recruitment activities
Goals
:
** Recruit qualified and diverse WISE Interns and Scholars.
** Retain STEM educators in high need schools in partner districts.
** Implement summer internship to highlight potential research and education related professions.
** Implement multiple options for STEM teacher certification.
** Maintain high expectations for mentor identification and selection.
** Design/implement advanced mentor training for STEM educators.
** Ensure WISE Scholars are effective classroom teachers.
** Improve student academic achievement.
Approach
The longitudinal data collected through a Track One Phase Two award will allow for further examination of models for teacher certification, mentoring of STEM teachers, and recruitment/retention efforts among STEM majors. This examination of teacher preparation along with the significant need for qualified STEM teachers in the state (discussed in ‘Broader Impacts’) work together to support the merit of the WISE program. With the addition of a new track for teacher certification to be explored during the grant period, the WISE program will continue impact the larger discussion and exploration of STEM teacher development.
The longitudinal evaluation plan targets the perspectives and experiences of prospective, pre-service, and in-service mathematics and science teachers through surveys, interviews, and focus groups that are based on protocols and systematic timeframe. The timeframe for many of the activities follows: Incoming Scholars Focus Group (Fall); Graduating Scholars Focus Group (Fall and Spring), Graduate/Teacher Survey (Spring), Summer Research Focus Groups (Summer, prospective students), and Transfer Student Interviews (As Applicable). Focus groups and interviews are coded and predominate themes are determined using James Spradley’s domain and taxonomic analysis frameworks. Surveys are administered in SurveyMonkey, downloaded, and analyzed in SPSS using descriptive analytic methods (frequencies, means, crosstab analysis). Open-ended items are coded. In addition, observation results and mentor assessments of the scholars/teachers are gained over time to identify changes beginning in the student teaching period. SPSS is used to identify trends in indicator scores, overall scores, and areas of strengths and improvement for individual students/teachers. Appropriate statistical analyses are used such as correlations and t-tests. School administrators are interviewed to gain information about math and science instruction, needs, recruitment, and retention (Winter). These interviews are coded using James Spradley’s domain and/or taxonomic analysis frameworks as well. Finally, a database with demographic information, participation in summer research experience, type of program (undergraduate MAT, MAT5), program entry date, planned and actual program exit date, school placement, observational rubric scores, mentor observation scores/feedback is maintained and analyzed.
Outcomes
The new program plans to fund a minimum of 32 new STEM teachers. The projected number of scholars is approximately 6 completers each year. We are currently averaging 10.25 STEM completers each year, but this is an increase over the average we saw before WISE funding began with our Phase 1 grant. We established the goal of 15 completers each year as what we believe is a reasonable and attainable given that our current rate of certification saw an average per year increase of 6 STEM graduates over the previous four year period. Winthrop serves a significant population of students who have high financial need. As we are beginning to be able to produce impact data, the program leadership team and the Winthrop Foundation have been reaching out to local donors to establish endowments and relationships that will extend WISE funding beyond the sought Phase 2 grant period. We have now established a relationship with a local foundation associated with a regional corporation, and have received a small amount of seed funds with the potential to grow this relationship further. The Winthrop Foundation has also identified both large and small individual donors among our alumni and friends that could further support the program beyond federal funding.
In addition to the scholarship program we will continue our summer internship program for early STEM majors. We will be working with 48 individual students across years one to four through this program. Current data from our past efforts indicate that at least 92% of the interns in our Phase I grant completed or will soon complete STEM degrees. Of the 64 individual students funded through the internship program in Phase One, approximately 33% pursued STEM teaching careers or are on paths to pursue teaching as a career. As some of these students are still undergraduates at this point, this percentage will likely grow slightly as these final students near graduation. This is illustrated by the fact that as the leadership team was working on these responses we were contacted by an intern from three years ago (a rising senior for 2015-2016) who would now like to pursue our MAT program. Although the program has collected efficacy data and tracked interns in the past, we will be reaching out to Phase 1 interns over the next academic year to determine the impressions that they have now of the past experience. Specifically, we will look at whether some of the gains (seen in Phase 1 data) in desire to be engaged in schools (even if teaching is not an immediate career goal) have been maintained.
Broader Impacts
Graduated Scholars and past Interns are making an impact on the WU campus and beyond. Currently 33 scholars teach or will begin teaching in the Southeast and another 2 are poised to graduate with certification by spring 2017. Many of our Scholars are recognized for excellence, with two graduates selected for the highly competitive national Knowles Scholar program, and one Scholar among the first three teacher candidates selected to participate in an international teaching experience in China. Of the 39 Scholars supported by the program, 11 participated in the WISE Internship. Of the 92 individual students impacted by WISE, 43 have conducted additional STEM research beyond the WISE program. However, our most notable statistic may be the percentage of WISE interns who have maintained a STEM degree. Of the 64 interns, 92% completed a STEM degree or are still working toward a STEM degree at Winthrop or another institution. Winthrop is also an environment that encourages broad participation and embraces diversity. High impact programs such as WISE help to sustain interest and provide explorations that expand understanding of STEM beyond the classroom and lab, while supporting students who are traditionally underrepresented in STEM disciplines.
WISE will provide multiple program options for more STEM majors to graduate with certification while engaging in high quality teacher preparation to support broader impacts. South Carolina continues to need qualified STEM teachers at the secondary level. Data from the 2015 SC Teacher Demand Survey (http://cerra.org/media/documents/2016/1/2015_Supply_Demand_Report.pdf) continues to show that only Special Education has more unfilled positions at the high school level. There is a clear need for more STEM education students in SC and Winthrop has traditionally provided an innovative and data-driven teacher education program to address this need. Four years prior to the start of the WISE program, Winthrop averaged 6.25 STEM education completers. As a result of WISE, this average is currently 10.25. With one exception, all STEM education graduates secured immediate job placement in STEM classrooms with area districts asking for more.
