After a year’s hiatus due the State Fairs Covid-19 related cancellation STEM Day at the Minnesota State Fair successfully returned this year.

First day Fair attendance was hampered by many Minnesotans having concerns about the Fair acting as a risky event for pandemic transmission in large crowds given the lack of vaccine or masking requirements by the Fair governing body.   Opening day was additionally hampered by a rightly ominous weather forecast.  Attendance on opening day was 46% of the 2019 opening day.  2021 attendance for the run of the full 12 days was 61% of the 2019 record year.  STEM Day attendance mirrored the Fair, with our tracking of exhibit area visitors of 7700 before a rain storm forcing an abrupt close to the event around 2:30 p.m.

A survey of STEM Day exhibitors shows that participants were very pleased with the event.  78% of respondents indicated that their organizations goals for the day were well met or very well met.  87% of respondents indicated that their organization would apply to participate again next year.  Exhibitors were strongly positive about event management with 93% giving it their strongest rank in the survey.  Over 25% of exhibitors were first time participants keeping the event fresh for families who consistently attend the event.

A survey of visitors to STEM Day shows an almost even mix of those who plan ahead specifically to attend STEM Day as part of their Fair experience and those who discover the event once they are at the Fair.  The later are important in moving beyond those who search out STEM education opportunities for their children and instead expose and engage families who may not already identify as having an interest in STEM education. Those families may come away from the event with a new appreciation of their children’s interests.

A significant percentage of those who visited STEM Day did so based on State Fair promotion of events on site and in state newspapers.  We consider the Fair to be a strong partner and appreciate the relationship we have built over the past 12 years.  Governor Walz again proclaimed the day STEM Day at the Fair in Minnesota.

We’re grateful for all our partners in creating another successful celebration of all things STEM and highlighting to Minnesotans the opportunities for their children to explore their interests and curiosity.

With the Governor’s signature on this year’s K12 education budget June 29, coupled with the Minnesota Department of Education announcement of how it will use $125.4 million in federal American Rescue Plan funds highlight several strategies enhancing STEM education opportunities.

The 2021 session K12 budget bill, setting the education budget for the state for the 2022-2023 fiscal years, included the largest investment in the general education formula in 15 years.  Within that bill is a Walz Administration provision intended to increase the breadth of Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate STEM courses available to students and also participation by more diverse student populations.  The provision establishes a priority for those programs offering AP’s Computer Science Principles courses.  The changes require districts and charter schools to establish three year plans only once they receive grants, shifts from a per pupil amount to a flat $75,000 grant amount to support smaller schools being able to utilize the grants, and encourages the Commissioner to consider statewide geographic balance in the awarding of the grants.

June 30^th the Minnesota Department of Education released its plan for allocating $125.4 million in federal American Rescue Funds under its control.  This represents 9.5% of the ARP funds dedicated to education.  90% of the total education funds were directly distributed to schools and districts based on their Title 1 population.

Of the $128 million $66 million will be distributed to schools for evidence based strategies targeted at responding to learning loss. These funds will be distributed based on school’s population of historically underserved students, defined as students of color, American Indian students, low income students, students experiencing homelessness, and students receiving special education or English Language Learning services.

Importantly for STEM education advocates $4 million of ARP funds will be available as grants to schools to support expanding access to rigorous coursework defined as AP, IB, Career Technical Education, and Post-secondary Enrollment Options offerings.  Schools receiving these grants will be required to report the demographics of students participating in rigorous coursework in their building.

MDE will provide $26.4 million for after school and summer enrichment programs.  Half of that money will be distributed by Ignite Afterschool, the states after-school network.  Of those dollars, and the monies MDE is retaining for the same purposes 50% of funds must go to community organizations and 50% of funds must go to culturally specific community organizations.  After school and summer programs often include STEM opportunities and ignite has long prioritized supporting program quality in the STEM area.

The remaining ARP funds go to a variety of programs supporting students social-emotional learning, training for school staff on non-exclusionary discipline, anti-bias, and trauma informed practices, early learning, and department administration.

Now more than ever we find schools, industries, communities, and regions are doing important work to support their STEM pipelines. This collective work around equity, education, workforce participation, and economic development is important to ensure success for our futures. SciMathMN believes that to make the most impact, we have to work together.

With this in mind, SciMathMN has recently engaged in a strategic process to update its mission and vision. And, as we move forward on enacting this mission and vision, it is of critical  importance to engage with STEM education stakeholders throughout the state and from a variety of sectors.

Thus, we invite you to join us for an important conversation about how  SciMathMN can bring value and impact to this work by acting as an advocate, convener, resource, and partner for the efforts of STEM education stakeholders throughout Minnesota.

Register using the links below to help define the next chapter of our collective work and be a voice for your community and the state.

Tuesday, May 18th 1:00 pm  | Register Here 

Wednesday, May 19th 1:00 pm | Register Here 

Tuesday, May 25th 10:00 am  | Register Here

Thursday, May 27th 4:00 pm | Register Here

The Minnesota Department of Education has chosen to delay implementation of the new state academic standards in Science and Language Arts by one year until the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic years, respectively.  The Department cited a goal of providing schools flexibility as the state emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic.  MDE stated that their authority allowed in the rulemaking process allows for this delay.

The planned update to the state’s standardized tests, the MCA-IV will also be delayed a year.  The new Science test for grades five, eight, and high school will be administered for the first time in the spring of 2026.  The Reading MCA-IV for grades three through eight and high school will be delayed until spring of 2026.

 

The new state standards in the Arts and Phy Ed will move forward with implementation on their current timeline. There is however legislation currently being considered to delay the implementation of those standards as well.  The legislature must adjourn by May 17.

March 19 the Professional Educators Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) approved a resolution providing Tier 3 and 4 science teachers and their schools greater flexibility to support the implementation of the new state science standards in science.

The flexibility recognizes the 2019 state science standards shift the teaching of earth and space science from 8^th grade to 6^th grade, and physical science classes from high school to 8^th grade.  This poses challenges for some teachers and schools depending on the teacher’s exact licensure.  The PELSB resolution allows for out of field permission for teachers to teach in a science content area or grade outside the scope of their current licensure.  These out of field placements do not require the position posting normally required of schools and do not count towards a teacher’s lifetime maximum out of field placements.

Examples of the application of this flexibility provided by PELSB            include

A Tier 4 teacher who holds a 7 -12 Earth and Space Science license: The district and teacher would like the teacher to teach Earth & Space Science at the 6th grade level during the 2021-22 school year. A Tier 4 teacher who holds a 7 -12 Earth and Space Science license: The district and teacher would like the teacher to teach Physical Science at the 8th grade level during the 2021-22 school year. A Tier 3 or Tier 4 teacher who holds either a 9 – 12 Physics or 9 – 12 Chemistry license: The district and teacher would like the teacher to teach Physical Science at the 8th grade level during the 2021-22 school year. This resolution will remain in effect while the board develops new rules in response to changes driven by the new science standards. PELSB can be found online at https://mn.gov/pelsb/ and questions regarding this resolution can be submitted at pelsb@state.mn.us.

Looking to further engage the Minnesota STEM ecosystem SciMathMN will be hosting, with our partners in Project Lead the Way, a series of Twitter chats on key issues in the field today. All chats will be hosted at the hashtag #mnstemchat.

The series kicks off Thursday, February 18, 7:00 p.m., with a discussion of the place of STEM        in Career and Technical education.  February is national CTE Month. The pandemic has challenged hands-on STERM education across all academic areas but has also illustrated the importance of CTE opportunities for students and the need for those skills in our workforce.

The series picks up again Thursday, March 11, 7:00 p.m., with an important celebration of women in STEM.  How can we inspire and empower our next generation of Minnesota STEM leaders?  Bring your best ideas to #mnstemchats.

The series concludes April 2oth at 7:00 p.m. during Mathematics and Stats Month engaging on inclusive (K-12) Computer Science Education. The discussion will focus on 0cnnecting Math through CSED to our everyday lives, the essentials of computer science skills between the industry needs and the what students are learning in the classroom to prepare them for the high-tech demands, and other broader resources and connections.

As Minnesota teachers’ phase in the new academic standards in science some of the most significant changes are about what and at which grade level Minnesota teaches earth science.  To support those teachers looking to strengthen their practice and use more place-based approaches the Minnesota Science Teachers Association is offering the Earth Science Professional Development Program (ESTEP).  The program is open to currently licensed teachers as well as educational assistants who are working towards licensure.  The program is committed to reflecting the diversity of Minnesota educators including BIPOC staff and other underrepresented groups.

 

The 6^th grade program will be a one-week bootcamp style workshop focused on both earth science content and supporting the development of three-dimensional academic units.  After the one week intensive there will be the opportunity for ongoing support including regional cohorts.

The goal will be to offer at least one 6^th grade workshop summer 2021 and possibly as many as 11 over the next three years depending on funding.

For those high school teachers looking to add graduate level course opportunities starting in the summer of 2022, followed by online course work over the school year and concluding with another two-week session summer 2023.

More information is available at the MnSTA website.