STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics

This document offers an overview of the role of STEM in current educational improvement efforts. It offers a brief history of STEM initiatives and publications and attempts to capture important trends and dispel confusion over the goals and approaches of STEM initiatives.

This second edition of Screening for Mathematics Difficulties in K-3 Students which was originally published in 2007 updates the document with new research in the assessment field in developing valid and reliable screening measures for early mathematics difficulties.

This brief distills the research on science learning to inform a common vision of science instruction and describes the extent to which science education reflects this vision.

This resource identifies professional development needs specific to mathematics. It includes a series of guiding questions that help SEAs evaluate their existing programs and identify professional development activities that meet their needs.

This professional development module, consisting of a PowerPoint presentation and a presenter's manual, discusses application of progress monitoring in mathematics at both the elementary and secondary grade levels.

This summary of nine studies provides information about evidence-based practices for Tier 2 interventions and how to use RTI in mathematics.

This brief guide provides assistance in exploring the large collection of professional development materials and resources available from the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). This document supports improvements in professional development in mathematics for implementation of School Improvement Grants (SIG) requirements.

This guide for teachers is a companion piece to the meta-analysis from the Center on Instruction, Mathematics Instruction for Students with Learning Disabilities or Difficulty Learning Mathematics: A Synthesis of the Intervention Research.

This meta-analysis synthesizes experimental and quasi-experimental research on instruction that enhances the mathematics performance of students in grades 1-12 with learning disabilities.

This report describes M-CBM (Mathematics Curriculum-Based Measurement) including a brief history, basic procedures, implications for practice, and further resources. It also reviews the research that supports the use of M-CBM.

This synopsis highlights key findings from a synthesis of research on interventions for struggling math students.

In the fall 2011 edition of American Educator, Hung-si Wu describes the potential of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Mathematics.

This brief describes the comparison between the Common Core State Standards and the National Mathematics Advisory Panel's (NMAP) recommendations found in Foundation for Success.

Appendix A of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) document helps states think about how the high school CCSS might be organized into four Model Course Pathways in Mathematics that provide college and career readiness.

These narrative documents describe the progression of a topic across a number of grade levels, informed both by research on children's cognitive development and by the logical structure of mathematics.

This report is an update of the work of the government and the private sector in K-12 science and technology education in the past five years since the original document was published.

This resource provides a rationale for the development of schools that prepare students for life-long learning that is life-wide and life-deep, using the racial, cultural, ethnic, and linguistic capital that students bring from their homes and communities to teach the knowledge, attitudes, and skills they need to be effective citizens in the United States and the world.

The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) prepared this September 2010 report to provide a two-pronged strategy for improving K-12 STEM education: prepare and inspire the next generation of students.

This report explores ways to foster the development of the next generation of leading STEM professionals, entrepreneurs, and inventors.

Based on the National Research Council study "Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits", this book makes valuable research accessible to those frontline science educators working in informal settings outside school in museums, libraries, nature centers, after-school programs, amateur science clubs, and even during conversations at the dinner table.

This report from the NRC published in 2011 outlines criteria for identifying successful STEM schools and programs for the purpose of informing schools, districts, state and national policy makers about decisions made to improve K-12 STEM education.

This document, based on the research on teaching and learning science, provides the first step towards creating new standards in K-12 science education.

Developed by the IRIS center in association with the Tennessee State Personnel Development Grant, this professional development module describes a 3-Tier RTI framework as applied to mathematics.

This resource provides a synopsis of the presentations and discussions by a group of scholars in early childhood development and education: Catherine Snow, Rochel Gelman, Sharon Kagan, Dough Clements, and others.

This resource provides a broad overview of research on learners and learning and on teachers and teaching.

This resource provides a synthesis on the science of learning from a cognitive science perspective and principles for instructional designs and environments.

This resource is a classroom-focused companion to the National Research Council's Taking Science to School report and serves to directly connect research-based knowledge of teaching and learning science with ways of supporting teacher practice in Grades K-8.

This report examines the potential of non-school settings (walking in the park, watching a sunrise, visiting a science center, zoo, or aquarium as after-school activities or through a local organization's program) for science learning and provides the research base for applying sound educational principals to a variety of informal science education settings.

This resource is an update to the previous round of National Research Council publications that redefine what it means to be proficient in science.

The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk (MCPER) at The University of Texas at Austin is dedicated to generating and disseminating empirically validated knowledge and practices to influence educators, researchers, policymakers, families, and other stakeholders who are striving to reduce academic, behavioral, and social risk in all learners, particularly those with disabilities.

This practice guide presents five recommendations for educators to improve students' understanding of fractions through strategies to help younger children understand fraction concepts and older students understand the meaning of fractions.

This study on math assessment accommodations found that simplifying the language on standardized math test items made it easier for ELLs to grasp math concepts.

This report presents results of the 2009 NAEP in mathematics at grades 4 and 8.

This research brief from The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement at Learning Point Associates focuses on curricular content and instructional materials and learning processes and the recommendations for PK-12 education.

This guide provides eight recommendations designed to help teachers, principals, and administrators use Response to Intervention for the early detection, prevention, and support of students struggling with mathematics.

This article addresses RTI implementation in mathematics.

This document summarizes the proceedings of a CCSSO conference in which leaders in the fields of research and evaluation of teacher professional development discussed how to use findings from research to develop quality, effective PD for teachers.

This report describes in-depth practices at six schools that are making targeted efforts to improve math education for students with disabilities and other struggling learners.

This report describes the mathematics performance of 4th grade students with disabilities across schools categorized by need-to-resource capacity and compares their performance by school with that of general ed students across New York 2003-2005.

On March 13, 2008, the National Mathematics Advisory Panel presented its Final Report to the President of the United States and the Secretary of Education.

This practice guide from the National Center for Education Research, IES, is designed to formulate specific and coherent evidence-based recommendations that educators can use to encourage girls in the fields of math and science.

This PowerPoint presentation from the National Center for Student Progress Monitoring 2006 Summer Institute discusses issues related to successfully implementing CBM at the school or district level, including administrative leadership and support for staff.

This presentation describes one example of a multi-tiered intervention model for math K-2.

This PowerPoint, presented at the November 13-14, 2006, Math Summit: Providing Evidence-Based Practices and Implications of NCTM Focal Points, provides a review of meta-analysis findings on effective instructional practices for elementary and middle school students in the delivery of mathematics instruction.

This PowerPoint, presented at the November 13-14, 2006, Math Summit: Providing Evidence-Based Practices and Implications of NCTM Focal Points, provides an overview of progress monitoring systems that can be used to track student growth in elementary mathematics.

This PowerPoint, presented at the November 13-14, 2006, Math Summit: Providing Evidence-Based Practices and Implications of NCTM Focal Points, describes the critical content that teachers need to know and convey to their students to ensure successful math outcomes.

This PowerPoint, presented at the November 13-14, 2006, Math Summit: Providing Evidence-Based Practices and Implications of NCTM Focal Points, reviews key principles for conducting screening and progress monitoring in mathematics with key examples of measures provided.

This PowerPoint, presented at the November 13-14, 2006, Math Summit: Providing Evidence-Based Practices and Implications of NCTM Focal Points, describes assessments that can be used to determine students who are struggling with pre-algebra and algebra and monitor their progress towards acquiring knowledge in these areas.

This PowerPoint, presented at the November 13-14, 2006, Math Summit: Providing Evidence-Based Practices and Implications of NCTM Focal Points, provides a review of the the new NCTM focal points and the process of constructing the focal points.

This PowerPoint, presented at the November 13-14, 2006, Math Summit: Providing Evidence-Based Practices and Implications of NCTM Focal Points, provides a review of the advances made in screening kindergarten and first grade students for mathematics difficulty.

During the past decade, debates have continued between mathematicians and math educators. This document represents an attempt to identify at least three fundamental positions upon which mathematicians and math educators may be able to agree.

This AAAS document complements the National Science Education Standards (NSES) in forming a comprehensive statement of what science students should know and be able to do.

This resource offers a strong research foundation for particular instructional methods along with a rich description of application of the research in real classroom settings.

This document is intended as a guide for states "in making decisions about assessment to meet NCLB requirements and in planning more broadly for assessment as a tool for supporting student learning."

This document makes explicit the essential topics and key concepts whose understanding are a part of everyday American life.

The National Science Education Standards is one of the foundational documents in science education, defining what science students should know and be able to do to become educated citizens.

This October 3, 2012, School Turnaround Learning Community (STLC) webinar examines data from one state's end-of-year assessment data in the area of fractions to learn how these data can be used to pinpoint areas for future proactive class-wide (Tier 1) intervention, how data distractors can be used to inform Tier 2 interventions for students who struggle to keep up with the class in mathematics, how one state is assisting elementary math specialists in transitioning to and implementation of the Common Core with a focus on research-based practices and policy-driven practices, and what resources improve mathematics teaching and learning.

The Center on Instruction hosted a webinar September 10, 2012, focused on its recently released document, "Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM): Catalyzing Change Amid the Confusion", which offers an overview of the role of STEM in current educational improvement efforts.

Russell Gersten and Brad Findell of the Center on Instruction presented "Implementing the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics" at a February 21, 2012, webinar co-sponsored with the Northwest Regional Comprehensive Center and the Alaska Comprehensive Center.

The Center on Instruction hosted a webinar on February 7, 2012, on Responsiveness-To-Intervention in Mathematics: Distinctions among Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Prevention, featuring Dr. Lynn Fuchs, who discussed a framework for conceptualizing RTI and outlined meaningful distinctions among primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention in mathematics.

The Center on Instruction hosted a webinar on January 10, 2012, on RTI in Mathematics at the Secondary Level, featuring Dr. Takako Nomi from the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research and Dr. John Woodward of the School of Education at the University of Puget Sound.

The Center on Instruction's STEM staff recently met with the Nevada STEM Stakeholders Committee at two statewide meetings led by the Nevada Department of Education and the Southwest Regional Comprehensive Center.

The Center on Instruction hosted a webinar on October 19, 2011, to discuss the recent position statement from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) on response to intervention (RTI).

The Center on Instruction held a webinar September 21, 2011, entitled “Exploring the New National Research Council's Framework for K-12 Science Education, presented by COI-Science Director Craig Strang, along with Vanessa Lujan, and Lynn Barakos of the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California at Berkeley.

The Center on Instruction hosted a webinar on June 29, 2011, featuring Fred Dillon, who provided on overview of the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics in Grades 9-12, with a focus on the mathematical practices and five "strands".

The Center on Instruction hosted a webinar on February 9, 2011, featuring Dr. Francis (Skip) Fennell who provided an overview of the Common Core State Standards and the intended impact on the field of mathematics.

The Center on Instruction hosted a WebEx on April 30, 2009, to discuss recent developments in mathematics progress monitoring.

This conference, held December 10-11, 2008 in Long Beach, California, focused on the National Math Panel Final Report and ways RCCs can help states respond to its recommendations in the key areas of teacher content knowledge and RTI/algebra reading interventions.

This webinar explored the Doing What Works website (http://dww.ed.gov/) which is designed for use in professional development at the district and school level.

The Center on Instruction hosted a meeting in St. Louis, MO May 7-8, 2008, for RCC staff and state personnel to increase their understanding of, and ability to, support high quality science instruction.

The Center on Instruction hosted a WebEx on April 2, 2008, presented by Brad Witzel and Russell Gersten, focused on the knowledge and skills students need to succeed in algebra.

The Center on Instruction hosted a WebEx on February 19, 2008, focused on the realities and benefits of using an RTI system for mathematics.

The Center on Instruction held a WebEx on December 3, 2007, for RCC staff. Math experts Dr. Deborah Loewenberg Ball and Dr. Hung-Hsi Wu discussed the issue of the use of mathematics specialists in elementary school mathematics program.

The Center on Instruction hosted a WebEx on November 6, 2007, for Regional Comprehensive Center staff, to discuss two recently released math resources.

The Center on Instruction held a WebEx on September 14, 2007, for Regional Comprehensive Center staff to highlight the recently released synopsis of the 2002 publication A Synthesis of Empirical Research on Teaching Mathematics to Low-Achieving Students.

The Center on Instruction, in conjunction with the New York Regional Comprehensive Center, hosted a Math Institute November 13-14, 2006, to introduce recently developed materials and to discuss how these PowerPoint presentations and tools can be used in work with states.