I teach Grade 2. My school houses a total of ten teachers and 105 students, grades PreK-6. Of those 105 students, 72% come from low socioeconomic (SES) households and 19% are identified as Special Education (SpEd). Since my school is a small school and school funding is based on student enrollment, they are unable to fund the following teacher/staff positions: a librarian, a PE teacher, an art/music teacher, a technology teacher, and a language teacher. Due to the lack of positions, teachers and staff must wear “multiple hats” in order to implement programs and ensure student success. Academically,our students scored, on average, well-below the state standard in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math on the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA).
In order to boost scores for next year, our goal is to vertically align their K-6 curriculum to Common Core ELA and math standards and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
My Project
All teachers at my school will be implementing the Project Lead The Way (PLTW) curriculum during School Year (SY) 2016-2017. Project Lead The Way is an educational organization that provides elementary, intermediate, high school curricula, and professional development opportunities. The curriculum provides a comprehensive approach to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. Through activity-, project-, and problem-based curriculum, PLTW gives students a chance to apply what they know, identify problems, find unique solutions, and lead their own learning. Participating teachers have expressed that the PLTW program fully engages every student by providing real, dynamic, and hands-on curriculum.
With your support, my students will have the opportunity to participate in the STEM PLTW Launch Program.
Your donation will go directly to student iPads that are necessary to utilize the PLTW Launch curriculum. My school is one of 42 schools statewide that has been selected as a Future Ready Learning School, which is a collaborative effort to transform teaching and learning using the power of technology to help drive continuous improvement. The PLTW curriculum will aid in this effort and our mission to incorporate STEM education to better prepare students for a future of college, career, and community readiness.
The elementary program, PLTW Launch, currently supports 24 modules focused on engineering, biomedical science, and computer science. All modules are aligned to elementary-level Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core Standards for Math & Language Arts. Technology is a key component to PLTW and it is necessary for the programs to be effective. Enabling each student to have his/her own school-issued device is essential, especially for those students who may not have computers or devices at home.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Morishige and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.