June 2022
View the Spanish translation of our newsletter here
From the Director's Desk
Dear community-

As I write this, we’ve just received the terrible news of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. It has been nearly ten years since Sandy Hook - and just ten days since Buffalo. After Sandy Hook, we said never again. Since that time, there have been 3,865 mass shootings in this country. I remember Columbine when I was in my Master’s program at Oregon State University, preparing to be a public school teacher. Then I began teaching, and - in addition to learning how to develop engaging lesson plans - I remember locking my students into our classroom, covering all the windows, and crouching in the corners with them for routine active shooter drills. I remember this when I send my children to school each day. I remember this as I think of you in your classrooms with your students and all of our community in our places of work and worship. At the grocery store. There are no words for this horror. And while this month and this newsletter are full of good news and causes worthy of celebration - Juneteenth, Pride, the end of the school year and graduations - I devote this entry to our pain and grief. May it translate to action.

Be well,

Sarah Whiteside, Director
Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub


Image credit: Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images
Are you an educator or administrator who has engaged with the Hub? Please help...
Please take a moment to complete this survey to share with the Oregon Department of Education to assess the impact of our work. Thank you!

Good news from the Fund Development area!
As many of you know, your Hub here in the Mid-Valley region was able to offer micro grants to fund 108 projects for a total of $257,493 in the 2020-2021 academic year. These investments reached some of our area’s underrepresented populations through collaborative efforts with schools, community organizations, and educators. This vibrant community proved that innovation around STEM and CTE education could thrive even amidst the most challenging of circumstances.

The momentum from the microgrant program is helping guide initiatives focused on the long-term sustainability of our programs. One such effort is the Ignite capacity-building matching grant opportunity through the Oregon Community Foundation. In early November of 2020, we convened a group of community leaders including industry, educators, and community-based organizations to help determine the strategic priorities for this effort in our region. One priority area identified by this workgroup was to focus investments on underrepresented youth such as first generation and rural students.

MVSCH just received notification from the Oregon Community Foundation that our matching grant program to raise close to a half-million dollars in support for career-connected learning along the PK-20 continuum has been approved. OCF will match up to $247,890 of in-kind resources and monetary gifts to:

  • Help grow our educational programs in K-12 schools
  • Assist with launching a mobile maker space program focused on reaching in and after school youth mostly in our rural areas
  • Create resources to implement region-wide work-based learning programs such as internships, student micro job shadows, and teacher externships in our communities. 

A big thank you to all the members of the Ignite workgroup and supporters who contributed significant time and talent to bring this opportunity to our region!

If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity or making a contribution that can be matched through the gift of your time, talent, or treasure, please reach out to me. We would be happy to engage you in this effort to help create bright futures for our youth for a prosperous regional economy focused on access and innovation.

--- Janice Hardy, Fund Development Manager
Classroom to Career:
Developments in Career Connected Learning
Work-based Learning Requirements & Reporting 

If you are a CTE teacher, you are probably familiar with work-based learning (WBL). For those new to WBL or who want a little more explanation about the state and federal requirements, read on to learn more.

All requirements are explained in the Perkins V Work-Based Learning Handbook. This handbook is a resource for anyone with a role or interest in supporting, teaching or designing Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways or other work-based learning experiences. The handbook is provided by the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission. Here we highlight the requirements and provide some updates. 

What is Work-based Learning (WBL)?
Work-based learning is structured learning in the workplace or simulated environment that provides opportunities for sustained interactions with industry or community professionals that foster in-depth, firsthand experience of the expectations and application of knowledge and skills required in a given career field.

Sustained interactions are defined as prolonged or extended learning experiences. This means it must take place over a series of weeks or months. The exact number of hours is intentionally undefined to accommodate differences in districts, schools, sectors, and companies. 

Types of firsthand experiences include clinical/internship/practicum, cooperative work experience, pre-apprenticeship, school-based enterprise, service learning, and workplace simulation. 

Oregon adopted work-based learning as the Program Quality Indicator for federal Perkins V accountability. These requirements were established to assess how effective each state is in achieving progress in career and technical education and to optimize the return
on investment of federal funds in career and technical education.

Program & Reporting Requirements
All work-based learning experiences tied to a CTE program of study must include all of the following criteria:
1) Align with CTE program of study curriculum and instruction
2) Include sustained interaction with industry, business, or community professionals
3) Be offered in-person, virtually, or in a simulated workplace setting
4) Lead to earning of credit and/or outcome verification

Each school and district determines the experiences that meet this definition and the ways to verify outcomes. Options for these experiences could include portfolios, skill assessments or other specific and measurable learning outcomes.

Student participants are called CTE Concentrators. In order for CTE Concentrators to meet the reporting threshold, they must have taken two or more credits in a single CTE program
of study. Of those two or more credits, at least one credit must be in intermediate or advanced level coursework. The WBL can happen over the course of the CTE Concentrator’s entire high school career, and they must have graduated high school with a diploma or modified diploma.

The reporting requirements for the work-based learning performance indicator came into effect FY2020. Reporting occurs annually during mid-May–June. Despite these targets being adjusted to take COVID-19 into consideration, Linn and Benton County’s performance level was 10.6% in FY2020 compared to the statewide target of five percent. The performance level targets for FY2022 are 20%. 

Updates & Information
The Perkins V Work-Based Learning Handbook is being updated with revisions anticipated by August 2022. Requirements will stay the same, while additional explanations will be added to increase understanding. ODE is doing other things to improve the usability of this information. For example, liability is an area of confusion for many. ODE is working with BOLI on educational webinars, as well as a summary of the information from the BOLI website that is easy to follow.

Where do teachers, administrators, parents and industry go to learn more?
  • Perkins V WBL Handbook
  • Work-Based Learning Rubric for designing equitable work-based learning experiences.
  • CTE Network is composed of secondary administrators, CTE regional coordinators, community college deans, and dual credit coordinators, along with other related school, college, and state staff.

A more detailed report with expanded definitions of firsthand experiences can be found here.

--- Danielle Jarkowsky, Business & Industry Outreach & Equity Specialist
MVSCH Media: A Step Ahead & Closing the Gap
Closing the Gap - Alaina Percival of Women Who Code 

June brings a new episode of Closing the Gap. This month, we have West Albany High School’s Tori Thorp, Oregon’s 2022 Student Journalist of the Year, with us one last time before she heads off to college! Tori interviews Marley Parker, a science communicator who does photojournalism on science expeditions while traveling to the far reaches of the planet.

You can listen to this episode on Monday, June 13th, on our website and Spotify.

While waiting for Marley’s episode to be released, check out May’s episode with Women Who Code’s CEO, Alaina Percival.
If you are a woman in STEM, or have a career in manufacturing or a skilled trade and would like to talk about your experience, contact Kacey Montgomery at montgok@linnbenton.edu.
A Step Ahead

This month we are taking a look at the Medical Assisting program at LBCC. Medical Assisting is a great place to start when considering a career in medicine. This program not only helps get your foot in the door but also fills requirements for moving on to other areas in the medical industry, like applying for nursing school for example. 

You can find this when it airs on Jun 22, 2022, on our website and YouTube channel.
Lending Library News & Updates
Making the MILL

The MVSCH and LBCC are working on creating a space on the LBCC Albany campus that we’re calling the MILL (Maker and Innovation Learning Lab). We envision the MILL to be a shared place for our communities in Linn and Benton county to explore possibilities, develop skills, solve problems, and create beauty; a space that fosters courage, kindness, and generosity. The MILL will be a resource for projects big and small, rapid prototyping (3D printing, laser cutting, etc), fiber arts, and all sorts of other equipment and support for collaboration, experiential learning and open, constructivist pedagogy. 

One of the primary reasons for launching this space is to be a place where underrepresented groups in STE(A)M and CTE are the leaders and experts. Please contact Forrest Johnson at johnsof@linnbenton.edu if you are interested in being an expert in the MILL, and stay tuned for updates!
Check out our Lending Library today!
Fill out the Educator Lending Library request form, and check out the rest of the MVSCH Lending Library Catalog. For more information, email Forrest Johnson.
STEM-CTE Hub News
Afterschool fun at the Boys & Girls Club of the Greater Santiam!
Our Program Coordinator, Chris Singer, recently visited the Boys & Girls Club of the Greater Santiam in Lebanon for some afterschool fun! Almost 100 K-5 students got to enjoy a rotation of activities which included Snap Circuits, Domino Track Chain Reactions, Keva Planks, Cardboard Building, and Cup Stacking.

Note: Remember, educators can check out Snap CircuitsDomino Track Chain ReactionsKeva PlanksCardboard Building from our Lending Library!
STEAM Professional Development at Philomath School District
Our Program Coordinator, Chris Singer, recently presented about incorporating STE(A)M into the classroom. The photo collage shows teachers from Philomath Elementary and Middle Schools engaged in the introductory activity: building a duck out of six LEGO bricks. Building a LEGO duck shows the power of hands on learning, thinking with parameters, as well as allow the builder to revisit the power of being a kid again. This simple activity is a quick and yet powerful way to engage the brain into thinking and learning through play.
Resources, Events, & Upcoming Opportunities
STEM/CTE Community Bulletin Board
What's happening in your school/business/organization? Send us your news items for the Community Bulletin Board in our monthly newsletter and we'll help you spread the word! We ask that submissions be regional, non-commercial, STEM/CTE germane, and be limited to one sentence and a link. Submissions are due by the third Monday of each month.
Educator Opportunities
Professional Development Opportunity from the Rural STEAM Leadership Network
K-8 Learning Facilitator Pathways (in-person) for educators from the Mid-Valley region (Linn-Benton counties):
  • Tuesday-Wednesday August 2nd-3rd 9am-3pm at Linn-Benton Community College
  • The Learning Facilitator Pathway for K-8 Rural Educators seeking to build skills and confidence to present and lead professional development in person for other adult
  • Note: This program does not address curriculum, standards, or teaching strategies for students.
  • Mileage, lodging, and lunch provided. PDU's and $750 project pay available.
  • Apply here.

For K-8 educators interested in the virtual PD sessions:
  • Project Pay/Stipend of $750 and PDU's available.
  • On Zoom Thursdays in August: 8/4, 8/11, 8/18, & 8/25 
  • 4:05pm - 6:00pm Pacific time
  • Apply here.

High School Science for All: the Patterns Approach (Summer workshops are open for registration)
The five-day summer courses on the High School Science for All curriculum: NGSS Physics, NGSS Chemistry, and NGSS Biology will occur during the first three weeks of August. The courses provide a great foundation for teachers interested in utilizing the open source curriculum and associated instruction strategies. The course model is a three-year pathway and curriculum is fully aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The curriculum utilizes a storyline patterns approach to problem-based learning, common instructional strategies, real-world phenomena and design challenges that engage students and support their learning.

Course Information:
Each course will be offered in two different ways and you can choose which option works best for you. The first option is a fully virtual 5-day course and the second option is a hybrid 5-day experience that offers key opportunities to experience the hands-on labs and engineering activities that are part of the curriculum. Both courses cover the first two units with a focus on the key pedagogical shifts needed to engage all students in solving real-world problems. Participants will learn how to engage all students in utilizing the science practices to understand and think critically about the world around them. The roles of inquiry, culturally responsive anchoring phenomena, and engineering projects are emphasized. Come with your colleagues to learn about the Next Generation Science Standards and how to implement them together as a team!

  • Hybrid - Physics for the Next Generation: August 1- 5, 2022 from 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM (Monday & Friday will be virtual. Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday will be in person at a high school in Beaverton)
  • Virtual - Physics for the Next Generation: August 1- 5, 2022 from 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
  • Hybrid - Chemistry for the Next Generation: August 15 - 19, 2022 from 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM (Monday & Friday will be virtual. Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday will be in person at a high school in Salem)
  • Virtual - Chemistry for the Next Generation: August 15 - 19, 2022 from 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
  • Hybrid - Biology for the Next Generation: August 8 - 12, 2022 from 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM (Monday & Friday will be virtual. Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday will be in person at a high school in Beaverton)
  • Virtual - Biology for the Next Generation: August 8 - 12, 2022 from 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
  • Course Fee: $475


You can find more information about the approach and access the curriculum by visiting https://www.pdxstem.org/hs-science
Events
500 Women Scientists Fundraiser - Sum Fun Tap Talk
Monday, June 13 (11 am - 8 pm) at Common Fields: 545 SW 3rd St, Corvallis

Help 500WS promote and advocate for women and members of marginalized and impacted communities. With each purchase of delicious food and drinks from Common Fields, money will be donated to 500 Women Scientists Ukraine & Poland as part of an all-day Dine-Out Fundraiser. More info: https://linktr.ee/500WSCorvallis.
Job Opportunities
The South Metro-Salem STEM Partnership (SMSP) Executive Director is a leadership position within Oregon Tech, the South Metro-Salem Community, and Oregon. The partnership is a collaboration of school districts, community colleges, universities, out-of-school programs and business and community partners that is focused on increasing student access and success in STEM fields. The position involves coordination and communication with partners at all levels of organizations, from school districts administration and teachers, community colleges and universities and their faculty and staff, community-based organizations, communities of color, business executives and professional staff, private foundations and donors, and other STEM Hubs around the state and nation. Learn more and apply here.
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