Oregon Administrative Rules › Chapter 581 - OREGON DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION › Division 17 - STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS › Section 581-017-0335 - Definitions and Establishment of STEM Lab Schools

Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 7, July 1, 2024
(1) The following definitions apply to
			 581-017-0335 TO 581-017-0347:
(a)
			 "Achievement Gap" means the gap in achievement (state test scores in science
			 and mathematics as well as postsecondary degree attainment in STEM) that often
			 exists between students who are economically disadvantaged, students learning
			 English as a second language, African American, Hispanic or Native American
			 compared to their peers.
(b)
			 "Authentic Problem-Based Learning" means using real world questions, problems,
			 and tasks - often drawn from local community issues and industries - as the
			 focus to drive the learning experiences, deepen understanding, and developing
			 rich contextual connections across a variety of STEM and non-STEM
			 disciplines.
(c) "Career and
			 Technical Education (CTE)" is a comprehensive educational program for students
			 based on industry needs. CTE includes coursework in areas such as health care,
			 engineering, and computer science.
(d) "Community Engagement" means a broad
			 collaboration and participation between multiple sectors of the community for
			 the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources to identify local
			 needs and contribute to larger conversations on visioning planning which may
			 include, but not limited to parent groups and advocacy groups, industry and
			 STEM agencies, economic and workforce groups, student input, and
			 educators.
(e) "Effective STEM
			 Instruction" means the use of evidence-based practices that support
			 interconnected, relevant STEM instruction as stated in definition number
			 fourteen.
(f) "Effective STEM
			 Leadership" means identifying schools, school districts, postsecondary
			 institutions, business & industry, student-focused nonprofits and community
			 leadership to support implementing and improving STEM teaching and learning in
			 addition to creating a culture that fosters STEM learning with evidence-based
			 resources. Effective STEM leadership develops an understanding of what
			 effective and interconnected STEM education looks like in the classroom and
			 supports the development of learning environments that empower educators to
			 implement innovative STEM education approaches.
(g) "Effective STEM Learning Environments"
			 means supporting student interaction with STEM education during formal and
			 informal settings in ways that promote deeper understanding of real-world
			 concepts. Such learning environments must engage all students in solving
			 complex problems, using highly interactive learning opportunities that create
			 new opportunities for STEM learning across the core curriculum.
(h) "Oregon Equity Lens" means the equity
			 lens as defined in OAr 581-017-0010.
(i) "Postsecondary Institution" means:
(A) A community college operated under ORS
			 Chapter 341.
(B) The following
			 public universities within the Higher Education Coordinating Council:
(i) University of Oregon.
(ii) Oregon State University.
(iii) Portland State University.
(iv) Oregon Institute of
			 Technology.
(v) Western Oregon
			 University.
(vi) Southern Oregon
			 University.
(vii) Eastern Oregon
			 University.
(viii) Oregon Health
			 and Science University.
(C) An Oregon-based, generally accredited,
			 not-for-profit institution of higher education.
(j) "Regional STEM Hub" means a commitment of
			 a group of key stakeholders from different sectors such as, but not limited to
			 school districts, informal education providers, postsecondary institutions,
			 business & industry, student-focused nonprofits, students, families,
			 community members and policy makers to advance state and local educational
			 goals related to science, technology, engineering, mathematics and career &
			 technical education (CTE).
(k)
			 "School" means a public middle school, high school, community college, or
			 postsecondary institution offering a comprehensive instructional program. A
			 school may include a discreet comprehensive instructional program within a
			 larger school or college.
(l)
			 "Statewide STEM Network" means a supportive collaboration between and across
			 Regional STEM Hubs to share knowledge, expertise, insights, and leadership to
			 assist other communities in their efforts to create similar STEM
			 partnerships.
(m) "STEAM Education"
			 means the incorporation of strategies to enhance science, technology,
			 engineering and mathematics (STEM) education by integrating art and design, and
			 promoting creative possibilities.
(n) "STEM Education" means an approach to
			 teaching and lifelong learning that emphasizes the natural interconnectedness
			 of the four separate STEM disciplines which mirrors the practices and rich
			 contexts of STEM practitioners. Developing and deepening content knowledge and
			 skills in science and mathematics is the foundation of STEM teaching and
			 learning. The natural connections among science, mathematics and STEM are made
			 explicit through collaboration between educators resulting in authentic and
			 appropriate context built into instruction, curriculum, and assessment. The
			 common element of problem solving is emphasized across all STEM disciplines
			 allowing students to discover, explore, and apply critical thinking skills as
			 they learn.
(o) "STEM Lab School"
			 means to establish a school that has a student-centered school culture of
			 inquiry with meaningful and authentic learning environments that integrate STEM
			 and/or STEAM education aligned with state, national and industry standards.
			 This cutting-edge learning center will deepen connections between other
			 educational institutions, business, industry, out-of-school educators, and the
			 local community to create and promote STEM career pathways for students. An
			 intentional focus of a lab school is to support the professional learning of
			 current and future educators, the implementation of innovative education
			 models, and educational research in a manner that increases knowledge and
			 capacity of systems and institutions beyond the school itself.
(p) "STEM Practitioners" refers to
			 individuals engaged in STEM-related professions such as but not limited to,
			 natural resources management, high-tech manufacturing and product development,
			 information technology, industrial design, health sciences, software,
			 scientific research, engineering, data analytics, etc.
(q) "Student-Focused Nonprofits" means an
			 organization that meets all of the following requirements:
(A) Is established as a nonprofit
			 organization under the laws of Oregon;
(B) Qualifies as an exempt organization under
			 section 501(c)(3) of the
			 Internal Revenue Code as defined in ORS
			 314.011; and
(C) Is focused on providing services to
			 students or educators whose goal or mission is focused on improving student
			 outcomes in STEM education.
(r) "Underserved Students" are students whom
			 systems have placed at risk because of their race, ethnicity, English language
			 proficiency, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, differently
			 abled, or geographic location.
(s)
			 "Underrepresented Students" in STEM are from demographic groups whose
			 representation in STEM fields and industries does not mirror regional and
			 national focus populations specifically, women, African American, Native
			 American, Hispanic and Pacific Islander students which systems have provided
			 insufficient or inadequate balance of opportunity.