TECHie Camp: Girl Power! Camp for Grade 3-5 August 8-19

TECHie Camp: Girl Power!
Monday, August 8th – Friday, August 19th
9:00 am to 5:00 pm
TECH CORPS Ohio Computer Lab (Columbus)
Tuition: $550 (includes all supplies needed and daily lunch and two snacks) (Partial and full scholarships are available to qualifying students)

Through this experience we seek to elevate girls’ confidence with STEM-related concepts and skills in a safe and supportive environment; expose them to tech-savvy women; and increase their awareness of STEM-related educational and career pathways.  Up to 20 girls living in Franklin County will be accepted into the TECHie Camp Girl Power program based on a combination of the following: student essay, letter of recommendation, and residency.

Applications can be downloaded from TECH CORPS website:  http://techcorps.org/techie-camp/girl-power Application Deadline:  Friday, July 15, 2011

From ODE: “OAA Spring 2011 Results are Available”

Electronic files that contain score results for the Spring 2011 Grades 3-8 Ohio Achievement Assessments (OAA) were made available June 15 on the Ohio Online Assessment Reporting System (OOARS) website. District test coordinators (DTCs) have been given login and password information to access the data. Hard copy score reports will be distributed by June 30. Late batch and breach form downloadable data will be available on July 6. Please note the EMIS deadline is July 15. Questions about accessing the OAA online data may be directed to the Ohio Help Desk at (888) 944-5001 or OHHelpDesk@air.org. ODE’s Office of Assessment does not have district login information; it must be obtained from the American Institutes for Research.

A variety of additional electronic reports, rosters and functions (content standard rosters, frequency distributions, longitudinal test records, re-rostering and PDF report generation) will be available June 30 as interactive data on OOARS. District item analysis will be available on July 1 on the Success website. The state item analysis and the released spring 2011 OAA test questions also will be available on July 1.

[UPDATE 7/17/11: You can find clearer links to the various sources of OAA data at this OCESS Blog entry.]

From ODE: New National Science Education Standards vs. Ohio’s Revised Content Standards

ODE has received questions about whether the Ohio’s revised content standards and model curriculum for science will change because of the development of national science content standards. Both of these documents were completed using national and international research and currently available national documents.

ODE has been involved in the review of the science national standards framework development effort, which is underway at the National Academy of Sciences. An initial framework draft was provided for public review in July 2010. Based upon feedback from this period, it is our understanding that the framework now includes significant changes, but the basic components remain the same. At this time, members of the National Academy of Sciences are reviewing the revised framework document. This additional round of feedback will be addressed and incorporated into the final framework document, which is scheduled for publication early this summer.

Once the framework is published, work will begin this summer to develop national science standards aligned to the framework document. It is anticipated that it will take at least one year before standards are in place. During this time, there will be periods for public review. ODE will continue to closely follow the developments and will provide ongoing communications regarding the alignment between Ohio’s revised science standards and model curriculum with the efforts occurring at the national level.

From ODE: Update on Revised Science Standards and Model Curriculum

The Ohio Revised Science Education Standards and Model Curriculum document for high school has been through the editing process for publication and is posted here on the ODE website. The PreK-8 final document is currently being edited for publication and will be posted soon. The revised science education standards and model curriculum contain valuable information to help in planning for next year. In addition to the podcast that introduces the model curriculum and how it is to be used, there is a seventh grade example to help teachers become familiar with how to use the new document to develop rich classroom experiences in science.

It is important to understand that the strategies, resources and classroom examples in the Visions into Practice section of the model curriculum are not mandatory. These are all idea starters for teachers to begin creating their own lessons and projects. They show different ways to use real data and real investigations to teach the content. The Expectations for Learning section provides information on how deep a child’s knowledge and thinking skills should be after content is taught. The model curriculum is a dynamic document that will continue to be revised and updated with classroom examples and strategies.

The science consultants of ODE and the Science Education Council of Ohio (SECO) are partnering to provide support for teachers as they begin transitioning to the revised science standards and model curriculum. This fall, regional meetings will be held throughout the state to provide further support. Please visit SECO’s website this summer for more information as it becomes available.

All National Academies Press PDF Books Available for Free Download

As of June 2, 2011, all PDF versions of books published by the National Academies Press (NAP) will be downloadable free of charge to anyone. This includes our current catalog of more than 4,000 books plus future reports published by NAP.

Free access to our online content supports the mission of NAP–publisher for the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council–to improve government decision making and public policy, increase public education and understanding, and promote the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge in matters involving science, engineering, technology, and health. In 1994, we began offering free content online. Before today’s announcement, all PDFs were free to download in developing countries, and 65 percent of them were available for free to any user.

Like no other organization, the National Academies can enlist the nation’s foremost scientists, engineers, health professionals, and other experts to address the scientific and technical aspects of society’s most pressing problems through the authoritative and independent reports published by NAP. We invite you to sign up for MyNAP –a new way for us to deliver free downloads of this content to loyal subscribers like you, to offer you customized communications, and to reward you with exclusive offers and discounts on our printed books.