Resources and Downloads for College and Career Readiness

Principal Jeffrey McClellan (above) leads MC² STEM High School, where campuses are embedded in STEM-related businesses such as the Great Lakes Science Center (right) to help emphasize the connection between school and the working world.

Credit: Zachary Fink

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School Overview

Below are documents provided by MC² STEM High School about the school and some of its programs and strategies.

• MC² STEM Overview - Overview of the school that includes information about its design, academic programs, graduation requirements, and college preparatory curriculum.
• MC² STEM Design Principles - The seven core design principles that are the basis of MC² STEM's design and operation.
• Overview of Instruction at MC² STEM - Overview of transdisciplinary PBL instruction. All capstone projects map to state standards, are organized around a specific theme, and are developed collaboratively by MC² STEM staff and often with industry partners.
• Overview of Partnerships at MC² STEM - Overview of the school's partnership with the General Electric Company. The demand for college and career readiness requires educators and business leaders to work together. GE provides instructional support through mentoring and job shadowing programs.
• Overview of Assessment at MC² STEM - Overview of the school's mastery-based assessment system. Students in grades nine and ten are required to achieve 90 percent or higher on benchmark skills in order to receive credit.
• CMSD Report Card - 2010-2011 school year report card for Cleveland Metropolitan School District.
• MC² STEM High School Report Card - 2010-2011 school year report card for MC² STEM.

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Sample Projects at MC² STEM High School

Below are sample project documents provided by MC² STEM. All projects have four phases of the design process. These phases include:

• Determining Big Ideas -- Teachers brainstorm topics and essential questions to identify subject matter goals.
• Operationalizing Big Ideas -- Teachers map learning goals to state standards, identify mastery learning goals, and develop project rubrics.
• Assessment Development -- Students show evidence of mastery, description of assessment and performance.
• Choreography of Learning -- Teachers identify resources required for the project and create a schedule.

• Blank Capstone Project Design Document Template - Blank template used to design and plan capstone projects at MC² STEM.
• MC² STEM Project Diagram - Diagram of the four phases of the design process for capstone projects used at MC² STEM.
• Communications Project Design Document - Detailed planning document for the Communications capstone project; includes thorough description of the four phases of the design process, the project schedule over a ten-week period, and curriculum planning for the big ideas including math, engineering, and social studies.
• Communications Project Summary - Simplified summary of the Communication project; includes lists of learning goals, formative assessments, and requirements for the final product.
• Communications Project Rubric - Rubric used for the Communications project; includes mastery learning goals and descriptions of how students are assessed for different levels of mastery.
• Bridges Project Design Document - Detailed planning document for the Communications capstone project; includes thorough description of the four phases of the design process, the project schedule over a ten-week period, and curriculum planning for the big ideas including art, math, English, science, and social studies.
• Rockets and Robots Project Design Document - Detailed planning document for the Communications capstone project; includes thorough description of the four phases of the design process, the project schedule over a ten-week period, and curriculum planning for the big ideas including English, math, social studies, science, and engineering.
• Sample Fab Lab Projects - Document showing several projects that were done in the MC² STEM Fab Lab. Fab Lab is an abbreviation for Fabrication Laboratory, which has fabrication and electronic tools with open source software. The lab includes a laser cutter that makes 2D and 3D structures.

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Additional Resources from MC² STEM

• MC² STEM Parent Handbook - Parent handbook that includes general information on the school, project-based learning, differentiation, mastery, student goals checklist, and core operating principles.
  
  Below are excerpts from the handbook:
  • Project-Based Learning - Summary of project-based learning at MC² STEM.
  • Differentiation - Summary of differentiated instruction at MC² STEM that adjusts for pace, interest, learning style, process, and content.
  • Mastery and Grading - Summary of assessment at MC² STEM including mastery and the grading scale, earning credit, and report card information.
  • Student Goals Checklist - Checklist for what students need to accomplish each year at MC² STEM.
  • Teacher, Parent and Student Commitments - Summary of teachers', parents', and students' commitments to MC² STEM. This includes the mission and vision of the school, student achievement, progress and partnership, and student expectations.
  • Core Operating Principles - Operating principles at MC² STEM, include owning one's potential, making a difference, recognizing problems, and accepting responsibility.

• MC² STEM School Proposal - School proposal submitted by the Cleveland Metropolitan School District to The Partnership for Continued Learning STEM Subcommittee in January 2008.
• Overview on Internships - Summary of the internship program, benefits for high school students, and corporate benefits and responsibilities.
• Sophomore Project - Detailed summary of the STEM sophomore project with MC² STEM students and GE Lighting employees.
• Example of Sophomore Schedule - Example of a one-week health and wellness calendar for grade ten.
• Grade Card Template - Blank template used for grading students on mastery assignments.
• Cleveland STEM video - Overview video about the Cleveland STEM network.

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Useful Websites on College and Career Readiness

• Cleveland Metropolitan School District - Homepage for Cleveland Metropolitan School District
• Ohio STEM Learning Network - Network that assists in starting up STEM schools and programs in Ohio
• MC² STEM High School - School's website
• GE Appliances & Lighting -- GE Appliances & Lighting website; the Cleveland Metropolitan School District brokered a unique partnership with GE Lighting to support real-world learning experiences for Cleveland students; MC² STEM High School has a campus embedded in the GE Lighting campus.
• Buck Institute for Education - Nonprofit dedicated to improving 21st-century teaching and learning through effective project-based learning
• The Initiating New Science Partnerships in Rural Education (INSPIRE) - Mississippi State University and three rural school districts focus on technology, inquiry-based learning for grades 7-12
• Supporting STEM Education in Secondary Science Contexts - Journal on STEM Education from the Teaching Academy at Purdue University

(For more innovative ideas for teaching STEM, check out our math and science blog series.)

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