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Making a Difference with the I.O.W.A STEM Teacher Award
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Chelsie Slaba is one of six teachers to receive the 2017 I.O.W.A STEM Teacher Award.
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For the past three years, the Governor's Advisory STEM Council has partnered with Kemin Industries to honor six STEM teachers who are inspiring students in Iowa. Award recipients receive $3,000, of which $1,500 goes towards their classroom.
Chelsie Slaba, a science teacher at Dike-New Hartford High School, was an I.O.W.A STEM Teacher Award recipient in 2017. She recently had the opportunity to take some of her students to Kemin to demonstrate real-life applications of the lessons taught in the classroom.
"I would really encourage future STEM Teacher Award recipients to take a group of students to Kemin. We can't always teach our students what the real world looks like from the classroom. We need to expose them to it and help bring things full circle," said Slaba. "Our visit to Kemin helped spark genuine interest and conversation about their future."
Slaba used the award to purchase lab tables with white board tops. The lab tables offer more interactive space that will allow for ease in collaboration and group work.
"During our tour of Kemin, we had the chance to see their work space. They really emphasize collaboration and use write-on surfaces throughout their building. I am excited to use the STEM Teacher Award to create this interactive space in my classroom to match the view of Kemin's space where science is done through collaboration," said Slaba.
The 2018 I.O.W.A. STEM Teacher Award recipients will be announced February 14, 2018. To see a complete list of the 2017 I.O.W.A. STEM Teacher Award recipients, visit https://iowastem.gov/teacheraward/2017.
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January 8, 2018 - 2 p.m.
South Central Regional STEM Advisory Board Meeting
January 18, 2018 - 2 p.m.
Southeast Regional STEM Advisory Board Virtual Meeting
January 22, 2018 - All Day
STEM Scale-Up Program Application for Educators Opens
More information
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Results from the
2016-2017 Iowa STEM Evaluation Report
continues to show that students who participate in a STEM Scale-Up Program score better in National Percentile Rank on mathematics, science, and reading assessments. Scale-Up Program participants scored an average of +3 points higher in National Percentile Rank in Mathematics and Reading and +4 points higher in Science.
Elementary Scale-Up Program participants score +4 higher in National Percentile Rank in Mathematics and Reading and +5 higher in Science compared to all students statewide.
In addition, a higher percentage of STEM Scale-Up Program students report they are very interested in mathematics and other STEM-subject areas compared to all students statewide. The percent of students in 3rd through 12th grade who said they were 'very interested' in mathematics was 35% of STEM Scale-Up Program participants compared to 29% of all students statewide.
Annual monitoring of publicly available data also indicates slight increases in the proportion of Iowa's students who are proficient in mathematics on standardized tests that most students in Iowa take annually. On the Iowa Assessments, 79% of students in 4th grade, 76% of students in 8th grades and 84% of students in 11th grade were assessed to be proficient in mathematics in 2014-2016 time period. This was a 2% increase across all three grades compared to the 2011-2013 time period.
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Expanding STEM in Iowa through Corporate Partnership and Investment
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The Governor's STEM Advisory Council is focused on increasing student interest and awareness in STEM and helping advance economic development in Iowa. This mission is made possible through the leadership of the STEM Council Co-Chairs Governor Kim Reynolds and Accumold President and CEO Roger Hargens, STEM Council members, Iowa's six regional STEM managers and their advisory boards, the Iowa Legislature upon which STEM garners bipartisan support, and the critical support of the STEM Council's Corporate Partners.
Additionally, the STEM Council was awarded more than $52,000 from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) from their Resource Enhancement And Protection (REAP) grant competition. These funds will help place 22 STEM teacher externs in DNR field projects. These opportunities help improve educational experiences as STEM teachers bring real-world application to their classroom curriculum and prepare students for possible future careers. The STEM Council is half way through the fiscal year and has outstanding support from more than 30 STEM Council's Corporate Partners that have invested more than $300,000 in various programs, events, and activities.
It is through these partnerships and investments that the STEM Council is able to impact nearly 100,000 students throughout Iowa each year.
We would like to thank our Corporate Partners for their investment in the STEM Council. We are grateful for the support and belief in our mission to continue advancing important fields that will impact Iowa's economy and future workforce.
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A Look Back at 2017 STEM Council Programs
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As 2017 comes to a close, we reflect on another successful year in furthering STEM opportunities in Iowa. Here's a look back at the STEM Council programs implemented in 2017 and beyond.
Iowa STEM Teacher Externships
Each summer, STEM educators have the opportunit
y
to b
ring classroom curriculum to life through STEM Teacher Externships. This program takes place over s
ix weeks and offers a paid, summer experience that can be brought back to the classroom through real-world applications.
There have been 421 Teacher Externships and 134 workplace partners from 2009 to 2017.
Each year, nearly 2,000 educators take part in the STEM Scale-Up Program to help deliver stimulating units in computer science, agriculture, engineering design, critical thinking, and more. An estimated 514,228 preK-12 Iowans have participated in Scale-Up since 2012.
For the 2018-19 academic year, the STEM Council has approved ten high-quality programs for the STEM Scale-Up Program menu.
Applications are open January 22, 2018 through March 5, 2018.
Iowa STEM BEST®
Local schools and businesses are brought
together to collaborate th
rough the Iowa STEM BEST® program. Awardees have the opportunity to engage a
nd work alongside local businesses to craft curriculum and projects that help prepare students for
STEM careers.
Nineteen new partners were awarded in November 2017, bringing the total to 37 STEM BEST® partnerships that have been awarded since 2014.
I.O.W.A. STEM Teacher Award
The STEM Council and Kemin Industries
join together to h
onor six teachers each year for their outstanding contributions in STEM education in Iowa. Each teacher receives a $3,000 award, with $1,500 of that for classroom use. The fourth year of awards will be publicly announced on February 14, 2018 at STEM Day at the Capitol.
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