Teachers simply need to log in to: www.pltw.org/moodle. They will then need to select Biomedical Sciences or Engineering, followed by the course they intend to train in this summer. It may ask them if they wish to enroll, in which case they should select, “yes”.

The course Pre-Assessments are designed to prepare teachers for successful participation in the Project Lead the Way Core Training Institutes. Teachers must complete a Pre-Assessment for each course they would like to attend. They will not be able to register for Core Training until they have scored a 75% or better on the pre-assessment. If teachers do not score a 75% or better on the pre-assessment, they should review the concepts related to the questions they missed, then re-take the pre-assessment. Each Pre-Assessment contains questions directly related to the course subject matter, as well as general computer and mathematics skills.

Core Training Registration will be open: Thursday, March 15, 2012

Teachers may take the pre-assessment prior to the registration date, since their score will be recorded and saved. When teachers have completed the pre-assessment with a score of 75% they will be able to register for training, on the teacher console, Professional Development. http://extranet.pltw.org/teachers/

The University of Iowa

Sunday, June 17 – Friday, June 29, 2012

Principles of Engineering

Biotechnical Engineering

Civil Engineering & Architecture

Iowa State University

Sunday, July 8 – Friday, July 20, 2012

Gateway to Technology

Introduction to Engineering Design

Digital Electronics

PLTW commends this year’s 2010-11 PLTW Model Schools:

• California Academy of Math and Science, Carson, Calif.
• Pike Central High School, Petersburg, Ind.
• Lewis Central High School, Council Bluffs, Iowa
• Carroll County Career and Technology Center, Westminster, Md.
• Bel Air High School, Bel Air, Md.
• Shakopee Junior High School, Shakopee, Minn.
• Blue Springs Freshman Center, Blue Springs, Mo.
• Brooklyn Technical High School, Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Cazenovia High School, Cazenovia, N.Y.
• Central Middle School, Edmond, Okla.
• Tamassee-Salem Middle/High School, Salem, S.C.
• Wando High School, Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
• Foy H. Moody High School Innovation Academy, Corpus Christi, Texas
• Two Rivers High School, Ogden, Utah
• Chilhowie Middle School, Chilhowie, Va.
• Escuela Vieau, Milwaukee, Wis.

“We are excited to recognize these schools for their exemplary work with students on a daily basis,” said PLTW President and CEO Vince Bertram. “Teachers in these classes are inspiring students and unlocking their potential for success and achievement. This work does not happen in isolation. The community, business, and industry partnerships that make this work possible should be commended as well.”

PLTW serves a total of 4,200 schools across the country in all 50 states, including the District of Columbia. The 16 schools selected to represent PLTW’s Model Schools serve as outstanding examples of how schools can implement PLTW’s rigorous STEM education program to meet the unique needs of their own community.

Selected schools range in size from large to small, middle to high school. They have high percentages of their overall student population engaged in PLTW courses. There are partnerships in place with business and industry and post-secondary institutions that actively support the curriculum and give students added real-world experience and mentors. Many of the Model Schools have developed a robust student recruitment strategy, and professional development includes teachers and counselors not only attending PLTW summer training programs, but in many cases, taking an active role in leading them. Finally, these schools provide their students with the opportunity to work with local community members and businesses to solve meaningful problems.

Please join us in congratulating the 2010-11 PLTW Model Schools. To visit a PLTW school or to arrange for an interview, please contact Jennifer Cahill at 812-483-5124or jcahill@pltw.org.

In the past ISGC determined the professional development opportunities that teachers could apply for but this year we are allowing teachers to identify the professional development that best serves their needs as well as links with the ISGC mission. The change will allow partners to tailor their professional development based on their needs and interests.

One of the reasons for the change is the 50th Anniversary of NASA Education that will be celebrated in a big way at NSTA’s National Conference in San Francisco, CA March . NASA will have sessions going each day, a large presence in the exhibit hall, and other special events to commemorate 50 years of NASA Education. To learn more about the NSTA National Conference go to www.nsta.org and follow the Conferences & Institutes links to the 2011 National Conference: San Francisco.

To get the application packet for the program go to ISGC’s web page
Click on The ISGC Partner Schools program Application or just click here!

Please consider applying. If you have any questions please contact Jay Staker at jstaker@iastate.edu

State Assessment Reports for the 2010-11 school year are now available down to the classroom/teacher level. The state reports you received previously have data reported at the national, state and school level.

To request non-identifiable 2010-11 End of Course (EoC) Assessment data down to the teacher level, email Krista Poch (kpoch AT pltw DOT org).

Assessment Resources
The following resources for teachers are posted to the PLTW Extranet:

• 2011-12 Part A and Part C Concept Maps for all courses
• PLTW IEP Accommodation Form
• PLTW Online Technical Specifications
• PLTW EoC Assessment Rules and Guidelines
• PLTW Item Review Form (available for Part C only in CIM, IED, DE, BE and PBS)

We encourage teachers to review these documents and contact the Assessment Team (assessment AT pltw DOT org) with any questions.

Assessment Dates
>> October 17, 2011
Teachers will receive an email that contains their new 2011-12 login credentials for the PLTW Assessment System.

>> November 1, 2011
Teachers will gain access to the PLTW Assessment System. If schools are administering EoC assessments in the fall/winter testing cycle and have not taken advantage of the new Bulk Upload process, they will need to manually roster their students at this time.

>> November 7, 2011
Fall/winter testing cycle opens.

>> March 16, 2012
Fall/winter testing cycle closes.

• District Delegates now may login to the Delegate Console of the PLTW Extranet to add new schools or new curricular programs (Pathway To Engineering, Biomedical Sciences, or Gateway To Technology) to their districts.
• The deadline for adding new schools and programs from within the PLTW Extranet is June 30, 2012.
• However, it is recommended that new schools and programs are added by March 15, 2012 when Core Training registration opens so that teachers may reserve seats at the training sessions of their choice.

Schools

• If you do not know your District Delegate, use the PLTW School Locator to obtain your delegate’s contact information.
• If you know of districts or schools that wish to implement a PLTW program for the 2012-13 school year:
• Refer them to the online registration process for new school districts and the Getting Started page for resources and information.
• Provide the contact information for their Regional Director who can answer questions and coordinate support through the State Leadership Team.

A New School Press Release Template is available for schools implementing a new PLTW program. By completing this template with school information, schools have a ready-made tool to promote their programs to local media outlets.

• To provide instructional support and professional development opportunities to PLTW network teachers who are transitioning into the VEX Robotics platform, an instructional video series is available on the Virtual Academy.

Updated Overviews for AE and EDD Courses

• To assist trained AE and EDD teachers with the newly released AE and EDD curricula, the PLTW Curriculum Team created updated overviews for these courses, which will be located on the Virtual Academy in the respective course section.

2011-12 School Year Curriculum

• If you haven’t already, you can obtain the 2011-12 School Year Curriculum through the Virtual Academy.

A STEM Project for Middle School Students

Teach your students about the planning and design process by entering them in the School of the Future Design Competition. Sponsored by the Council of Educational Facility Planners International, the contest challenges middle school student teams to design their schools to conserve resources, be environmentally responsive, enhance learning, and involve the surrounding community. Register your students by Sep. 12, 2011. More info >

eCYBERMISSION: Accept the Challenge

eCYBERMISSION is a web-based STEM competition for students in grades six through nine. Teams will propose a solution to a real problem in their communities and compete for regional and national awards. The early registration deadline is Sep. 30, 2011 and all teams must be signed up by Dec. 16, 2011. More info >

America’s Home Energy Education Challenge

This initiative aims to educate America’s youth about the benefits of energy efficiency, motivate middle school students to play a more active role in how their families use energy and help families across the country reduce their energy bills. The registration deadline is Oct. 7, 2011. More info >

National Engineers Week Future City Competition

For the 2011-2012 National Engineers Week Future City Competition, sixth, seventh and eighth graders across the country will team with engineer-volunteer mentors to create their visions of the city of tomorrow. Future City combines problem-based learning with computer simulation to address real-world issues and national and state academic content standards. The registration deadline is Oct. 31, 2011. More info >

Project Lead the Way provides a valuable education to students, regardless of whether they are pursuing STEM majors or not. It also helps those students get a better idea of opportunities out there for them and, according to survey results, gives them a clearer sense of the majors and careers they may want to pursue.

Check it out here!

The winning classroom will receive a VEX Protobot Robot Kit.