Assess Your Level

This self-assessment will help you determine your school/district’s current placement on the STEM Immersion Guide and will help refine your decision to stay at this level or move up to a more comprehensive level.

Your results will be e-mailed to you. If you are taking this assessment as an individual, it is recommended that you compare and review your results with other’s at your school. The lowest common level of all staff members will determine your school immersion level. Once you have established your current level, you are ready to begin the selection of your Design Team and create your Strategic Plan for greater integration.

Individual Self-Assessment of STEM Implementation/Readiness

Progress:

Do your leaders believe in preparing students for both academically and socially for their future careers?

yes

Do your leaders embrace the mindset of leading by example, setting high expectations for all students, and taking responsibility for sparking a passion for learning?

yes

Do your leaders communicate a shared vision and purpose for the process of STEM implementation?

yes

How do your students experience STEM Programs at your school?

Our activities occur after school, on weekends or during breaks in the school year.

Our activities occur during the regular school day but are supplements to the regular school curriculum

STEM activities make up a part of our regular curriculum

STEM activities drive and determine our curriculum.

We do not currently have any STEM Programs.

How involved is your school population in STEM?

Participation is voluntary

Participation is mandatory but not part of the school's regular curriculum.

Student participate in ongoing project-based investigations of teacher directed problems

Students constantly collaborate to solve authentic problems, propose solutions, and contribute ideas to the larger community.

We do not currently have any STEM Programs.

How supportive is your school/district leadership in implementing STEM activities?

Our leaders support the creation of extra-curricular STEM programs.

Our leaders support teachers in the creation and implementation of STEM activities that are supplements to the regular curriculum.

Our leaders provide opportunities for teachers to plan STEM activities in grade level or interdisciplinary teams.

Our leaders expect that all school staff plan and implement STEM related experience that are the main curriculum

Our leaders are not supportive of additional extra-curricular STEM programs.

What are your leaders expectations for the instructional practices you use in implementing STEM activities?

Our leaders do not get involved in determining instructional practices used in our extra curricular activities.

Our leaders are interested in the instructional practices used to deliver STEM related activities.

Our leaders push for shifting instructional practices from direct instruction to more interactive engagement.

Our leaders expect teachers to act as facilitators who guide student learning through inquiry.

How do teachers incorporate STEM related activities?

Teacher sponsor our extra-curricular STEM clubs, activities or programs.

Teachers plan STEM related activities that occur during the school day which supplement the regular curriculum.

Teachers plan STEM related activities that are integrated into existing curriculum.

Teachers plan curriculum which is driven by STEM related activities.

How do teachers collaborate in planning for STEM related activities?

Teacher sponsors work together and/or with outside experts to plan their activities.

Teachers occasionally collaborate on supplemental STEM related activities

Teachers frequently collaborate in grade-level or interdisciplinary teams.

Teachers work as part of the school team in planning integrated STEM unit through out the year.

How do teachers deliver STEM instruction?

Teachers routinely use directed instruction to deliver extra-curriculum STEM activities.

Teachers have begun using alternative methods of instruction.

Teachers are shifting from the role of facilitator to student inquiry.

Teachers routinely act as facilitators of student inquiry.

How relevant are the topics addressed in your STEM related activities?

Our topics are relevant to state and/or national standards.

Our topics are relevant to state and/or national standards but also include some local issues.

Our topics are relevant to state and/or national standards and frequently address local issues.

Our topics are routinely based on local issues.

Our topics are not relevant to state and/or national standards.

What level of collaboration can be found in your STEM related activities.

Students work individually.

Students work individually with occasional opportunities to collaborate.

Most student work is done in collaboration.

Students always work in collaborative teams.

Who determines the topics/content of your STEM related activities?

The content for our activities comes from an external source (e.g. robotics competitions, national programs, etc.)

Our activities are guided by teacher directed questions and/or problems.

Students have some input in determining the questions and/or problems.

Our activities are designed around student generated questions and/or problems.

In what ways do you evaluate the effectiveness of your STEM related activities?

Our evaluation focuses on informal feedback on the program.

Our evalaution process includes formal feedback on the program.

Our evaluation process includes both qualitative and quantitative of program success.

Our evaluation process includes multiple measures of qualitative and quantitative data.

What type of data do you collect to evaluate your STEM related activities?

We only include informal measurements of self-efficacy, attitudes, interests and/or motivation to pursue additional STEM related activities.

In addition to the items list above, our evaluation includes data on students assessments.

In addition to the items listed above, our evaluation data includes classroom observations, attendance data and input from teachers, administrators, parents and the community.

How do you use evaluation data?

Our evaluations are used to justify funding for our program.

Our evaluations are used as a summative assessment of the programs effectiveness.

Our evaluations are used to assess the program and inform decisions about future programs.

Our evaluations are used in an ongoing basis for both formative and summative program assessment.

How are your STEM related activities funded?

Our extra-curricular activities are funded by externals grants.

Our supplementary activities are funded by grants and/or student fees.

At least part of our funding comes from the regular school operating budget.

Our activities are entirely funded by the regular school operating budget.

How are funds applied to your STEM related activities?

Our budget addresses costs related to personnel, facilities, equipment or supplies.

Our budget addresses costs related to personnel, facilities, equipment and supplies.

In addition to the items listed above, our budget addresses costs related to professional development, travel or program marketing.

In addition to the items listed above, our budget addresses costs related to professional development, travel and program marketing.

In terms of sustaining your STEM related activities, how do you plan to continue funding your programs?

We continue to seek out new sources of external funding.

We are investigating ways to fund programs out of the school's current operating budget.

We are seeking ways to increase the percentage of our funding which comes from the school's current operating budget.

We plan to fully embed the costs into our school's current operating budget.

In terms of sustaining your STEM related activities, how far out is your program planned?

We are still in the start up phase of our program.

We have at least a two year plan for our program.

We have a three to five year plan for the program.

We have a five or more year plan for our program.

In terms of sustaining your STEM related activities, what type of plans do you have for increasing your capacity?

We want to move our activities from voluntary extra curricular setting to being part of the school day.

We plan to shift from activities which supplement the curriculum to becoming part of the regular curriculum.

We plan to shift to a curriculum that is designed around STEM related activities.

We plan to expand the scope of STEM activities beyond STEM content areas (e.g. literacy, social studies, art, etc.)

*What organization/school do you represent?

*What is your email address?

Download the STEM Immersion Guide (.pdf)

Guide Self-Assessment Worksheet Download .pdf