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Mathematics and Science Partnerships
Many thanks to every applicant who submitted a proposal for the 2012-2015 Mathematics and Science Partnership grant. We recognize the hard work it takes to put together a MSP proposal and it reflects your dedication and commitment to teachers and students in the state of Washington.
We received 16 highly competitive submissions that were scored by reviewers using the RFP
rubric. OSPI was awarded $1.7 million* which allowed us to fund six state MSP grants. Two math, two science and two STEM projects were funded which included two school districts, two institutions of higher education, one ESD and one non-profit educational institution.
The following projects were funded for the 2012-2015 Mathematics-Science Partnership grant.
2012-2015 MSP Awards
Seattle Public Schools – Partnership for Science and Engineering Practices (Science)
Mathematics Education Collaborative (MEC) – Enacting the Common Core State Standards: Preparing the Next Generation of Mathematics Leaders (Math)
Washington State University – Enhancing Understanding of Scientific Concepts and Practices with the Science Writing Heuristic, Concept Mapping, & Instructional Design (Science)
University Place SD – Common Core Math Connections (Math)
Western Washington University – School-wide Elementary Improvement in Science and Math Instruction through Collaboration - SEISMIC (STEM)
ESD 112 – Increasing STEM Achievement Through Multi-Level Learning Inquiry Teams – STEM-LIT (STEM)
Seattle Public Schools – Partnership for Science and Engineering Practices (Science)
Seattle Public Schools will partner with Renton School District, University of Washington College of Engineering, and the Institute for Systems Biology. The project will focus on professional development to deliver science modules that address teachers’ knowledge of science and engineering content and pedagogy with tools to support planning of and reflection on science and engineering instruction. Teachers will create three sets of adaptations to common instructional materials/science kits focusing on different science domains each year. Teachers will also collect student work samples and have opportunities for metacognitive reflection of their own learning and planning for instruction. This is supported at the schools through collaboration structures such as early release or late start as well as principals attending the content-based workshops. This work will be guided by content experts in the field and development of materials will be aligned with important Framework Practices and the Washington State K–12 Science Learning Standards/NGSS. K-8 teachers will benefit from the professional development and all developed materials will be disseminated for state-wide use.
Mathematics Education Collaborative (MEC) – Enacting the Common Core State Standards: Preparing the Next Generation of Mathematics Leaders (Math)
Mathematics Education Collaborative (MEC) will partner with ESD 113, ESD 114, ESD 121, ESD 101, ESD 105, ESD 112, ESD 123 and ESD 189, Western Washington University, NW Indian College, Spokane Falls Community College and Clark College. The proposal targets a collaboration between these partners to develop the next generation of 30-40 mathematics teacher leaders who will work with their schools, districts and regions to support implementation of the Common Core State Standards and the Standards for Mathematical Practice during and after grant funding. Each participating ESD will recruit 4-5 teachers from schools in the region to participate as Leadership Apprentice Partners (LAPs). The Regional Math Coordinators, LAPs and 5th-8th grade math teachers from partnering schools will participate in professional development that focuses on deepening content knowledge within Ratio and Proportional Reasoning, Rational Numbers and Equations and Expressions. They will incorporate “studio days” within the schools as an observation/reflection protocol to give teachers an opportunity to focus on Standards for Mathematical Practice in real-time, thereby increasing the level/quality of implementation and to recognize and enhance cognitive demand of tasks and lessons and integrate that knowledge into teaching practice. Administrators from LAP teachers’ schools and key district personnel will participate in classroom-based “studio site” days and support LAP teachers as they work to align their classroom practice with the CCSS.
Washington State University – Enhancing Understanding of Scientific Concepts and Practices with the Science Writing Heuristic, Concept Mapping, & Instructional Design (Science)
Washington State University will partner with Pomeroy and Clarkston School Districts, and ESD 123. The project focuses on providing professional development activities for 36 K-8 teachers through intensive summer institutes and academic year follow-up sessions focusing on big ideas in science (core disciplinary content ̶ Physical, Earth and Space and Life science ̶ and cross-cutting themes), scientific practices, and pedagogy. Teachers will learn how to immerse students in argument-based science inquiry to motivate rich understanding of scientific concepts and practices. All three years will integrate the principles of systems and application within activities that develop teachers’ understanding of and instructional design around the core disciplinary ideas and integration of the Science Writing Heuristic, concept mapping and authentic science as well as alignment to Washington State K–12 Science Learning Standards and NGSS. Summer institutes will be led by content specialists from Washington State University and ESD 123.
University Place SD – Common Core Math Connections (Math)
University Place SD will partner with Fife School District, and Seattle Pacific University. The project focuses on improving teacher content knowledge of central math concepts (place value, additive/multiplicative reasoning underlying number, operations, and algebraic thinking) for 120 K-5 teachers. The professional development will help teacher’s ability to question and analyze student thinking and use PLCs that are already in existence (as a result of a previous MPS project) as opportunities to collaborate and reflect on classroom practices. The project team will align, revise, and create new resources in support of teaching to the focus areas for the CCSSM and make these available throughout Washington State. The project will use teachers who participated in the previous grant as teacher leaders for this project. Administrators will be involved in the reform efforts as direct school/classroom support and are invited to participate in the summer institutes and learning teams/PLCs.
Western Washington University – School-wide Elementary Improvement in Science and Math Instruction through Collaboration - SEISMIC (STEM)
Western Washington University will partner with Concrete, Bellingham and Sedro Woolley school districts. The project will focus on working with a whole school concept to bring school-wide systemic change in improving math and science instruction. The professional development will target rigorous content within math and science, and the authentic integration of math and science based on the CCSSM and Washington State K–12 Science Learning Standards and NGSS Framework. Professional development will also help teachers design formative assessments aligned to the math and science content. Professional Learning Communities will meet monthly to share action plans, provide peer feedback and a provide collaboration among teachers. Saturday workshops will be attended by both teachers and principals to analyze student work and student understanding. Principals will be invited to participate in Principal leadership workshops provided by another MSP funded grant (TWSSP). Seventy-five K-5 teachers will participate in the 3 year project.
ESD 112 – Increasing STEM Achievement Through Multi-Level Learning Inquiry Teams – STEM-LIT (STEM)
ESD 112 will partner with Evergreen School District, Vancouver School District, SEH America, Clark College and Washington State University. The project will focus on professional development for 30-40 6th- 8th grade teachers focusing on deepening content knowledge in math and science through the development and implementation of standards-based STEM Design CHALLENGES (lesson plans of design challenges with formative and summative assessments involving real world problems). The CHALLENGES will be aligned with the math CCSS and the newly emerging Next Generation Science Standards. Summer professional development will focus on developing content knowledge in ratio and proportion and practicing the implementation of the design challenges with students who are participating in the summer workshop. Throughout the year teachers will be a part of a school-based multi-disciplinary teacher Learning Inquiry Team. They will meet monthly to assess student progress, implement a lesson learning cycle for the quarterly Design CHALLENGES, analyze data collected from observations, and plan for changes to instructional strategies. During the third year, focus will be on developing teacher leaders to support the sustainability and continuation of the grant. The project teams will video tape the Design Challenges to capture student conversations to help teachers learn to respond to the ideas and thinking presented by the students.
*to be reallocated each year based on funding from the federal MSP program
Questions? Please contact
Get more information about current and past mathematics and science partnerships.
Webinar Recordings
Math Science Partnership - November 1, 2012 (WMV)
Math and Science Partnership RFP Technical Assistance Webinar - October 25, 2012 (WMV)
Purpose
The Math Science Partnership grant aims to support collaboration of school districts and institutions of higher learning for improving mathematics and science instruction and learning. All applicants are encouraged to submit grant applications that reflect projects designed to improve the content knowledge and instruction of mathematics and/or science teachers in order to increase the academic achievement of their students. These improvement efforts are designed, implemented, and evaluated by strong partnerships between high-need districts/schools, college and university faculty and other qualifying districts and partners.
Please pass this information on to school district administrators, department heads, educational organizations and community partners who have a vested interest in increasing student success in math and science.
Requirements
- Focus on increasing content knowledge and instruction of math and/or
science teachers
- Partnership with institution of higher education (IHE)
- At least one high–needs LEA
- Evidence of strong commitment from administrators and
district to support the grant project and continuation of
project beyond funding.
- MATH: The priorities of Washington’s MSP for math is to
ensure the MSP programs “provide opportunities for mathematics
teachers to engage with both the CCSSM content and the CCSSM
practices in a focused and integrated way” (Sztajn, Marrongelle,
& Smith, 2012) which should include the implementation and
development of rich tasks focused on the application of content
knowledge, development of formative assessments, and
collaboration with and learning from teachers and
administrators.
- SCIENCE: The priorities of Washington’s MSP for science are
projects that reflect a systemic approach toward alignment of 2009 WA
K–12 Science Learning Standards and The Framework for K–12
Science Education implementation efforts, including an ongoing
collaboration of ideas, resources and lessons learned.
To further understand the grant requirements, please read
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