Indicators of STEM success
Hacienda La Puente Unified School District has been recognized in several areas for its success in bringing STEM opportunities to students . Los Altos High School students were the winners of the U . S . Rep . Ed Royce ( R-Fullerton ) 2016 Congressional App Challenge . Students Andrew Rojas , Santiago Torres and Eric Liu created Drop Saver ( find it on YouTube ), a mobile application created to help smartphone users manage their water usage . Public Works , a non-profit evaluation organization that serves as the statewide and local evaluator for the California Department of Education ’ s California Mathematics and Science Partnership Program recently found 70 percent of HLPUSD teachers felt confident in integrating curriculum across STEM disciplines and 98 percent felt confident integrating technology into their students ’ learning experiences . “ Teachers and principals have been very positive about the CaMSP training ,” said Mikala Rahn , president and co-founder of Public Works and lead evaluator for CaMSP at HLPUSD . “ Principals are very enthusiastic about their teachers participating in the projects , and teachers have said that the CaMSP professional development has increased their enthusiasm for teaching math .” In September 2015 in its report “ The STEM Teacher Drought : Cracks and Disparities in California ’ s Math and Teacher Pipeline ,” the Education Trust- West recognized HLPUSD as a “ Bright Spot ” district for its technologyfocused professional development and support . To encourage student interest in STEM before high school , the district developed a pilot STEM course at all middle schools , guiding students through computer-based units utilizing classroom laptop carts . To prepare teachers for this shift , all teachers engaged in three days of professional development around this new technology .
The district also formed professional learning communities that provided paid afterschool time for teachers to plan and learn together . Classroom teachers were supported throughout the year by teachers on special assignment , who focus on science and technology to build educator capacity and help them feel comfortable with the new tools . Building teacher capacity for STEM learning in the early grades has included school leaders working with elementary teachers to make learning more interdisciplinary and to make more thoughtful connections between STEM and literacy in particular . For example , second grade teachers at one site read the fairy tale “ Rapunzel ” and then challenged students to build the tallest tower using various materials . Doing so provided an opportunity for classes to discuss the engineering practices included in the Next Generation Science Standards , an area few teachers at that grade level had previously taught .
Core State Standards and California Visual Arts Standards .
LACMA arts educators guided participants through various galleries filled with visual masterworks , learning by doing both visual thinking strategies and hands-on educational experiences with the visual arts in a LACMA studio . Educators were engaged in creating connections between the California Visual Arts Standards and the Common Core State Standards using model lessons and lesson-building activities .
To support the arts and STEAM opportunities for students , HLPUSD added two visual and performing arts ( VAPA ) teachers on special assignment to the TOSA team . These VAPA TOSAs help other teachers incorporate arts concepts into more effective instruction of other subject areas of English language arts , science and math .
The district commitment to STEAM can be found in the annual District Art Show . Student work featured often incorporates math concepts and art created using technology for students to express themselves . The District Open House Expo features a joint arts and STEM showcase for the parents and community .
The Instructional Services Division ’ s vision for all students evolved from STEM to STEAM in the Seven District Goals for Instruction in 2016-17 . This vision for the future called for integration of science , technology , engineering , arts and math in math / science instruction to prepare students for college and career success in STEAM fields .
Students STEAM ahead
In 2013-14 , Hacienda La Puente USD was one of the first four districts to join the California College Guidance Initiative . CCGI supports sixth-twelfth grade students and their families to plan , prepare and learn how to fund a college education .
Through technology-based college planning tools and a data infrastructure that supports sharing of academic data between K-12 districts and higher education partners , CCGI helps students to learn about requirements for college admission and planning for a successful college experience .
Through the CCGI partnership , HL-
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