Oregon Department of Education Well-Rounded Courses Access Update

The Well-Rounded Courses Access Update is the Oregon Department of Education’s (ODE) primary communication tool for topics related to the Well Rounded Access Program (WRAP).  In October 2020, Oregon received a five-year, $9.8 million grant to expand access to well-rounded education courses.  More information about this program can be found on ODE’s Expanding Access to Well-Rounded Education webpage. 

Upcoming Work

ODE has recently completed the planning year for the WRAP, focusing on:

• Setting a clear vision, identifying annual goals, and solidifying the plan for the first year of this grant;
• Beginning work on a Needs Assessment for Oregon;
• Building a robust team through hiring key positions for this grant;
• Building relationships and engaging with community and education partners, with a focus on STEM, STEAM, CTE, Higher Education, and the Arts. 

In the coming weeks, the WRAP team will share key findings from the Needs Assessment and discuss an initial version of the project plan with engagement partners. 

Regional STEM Hubs Oregon has 13 Regional STEM Hubs that build connections in a geographic region so that learners can connect to STEM experiences early and often, igniting students’ passions and interest in these fields.  For more information about the work being done by your local STEM Hub, scroll to the bottom of this STEM Oregon webpage for individual links to each Regional STEM Hub’s webpage.

 

New Grant Opportunity!  Are you an Oregon secondary teacher who has experience working with students who are emergent bilingual? The Oregon Open Learning team invites you to apply individually or as a part of a team to participate in a new grant opportunity for the 2021-22 school year focused on developing open educational resources (OER) to support students who are emergent bilingual. Grant award: $5000. More information and the grant application can be found on ODE’s OER Grant & Professional Learning Opportunities webpage.

 

Mathways 2021-23 Grant Update

The 2021 Legislative Session included $2.0 million in support for mathematics in the upcoming biennium.  The new funds will be used to support implementation of the 2+1 Math Pathways model by:

1. Creating statewide professional learning opportunities related to research-based equitable teaching practices in high school mathematics;
2. Supporting the regional design, development, and implementation of high school math courses that align to the Math Pathways model;
3. Creating a communication plan that will help schools and communities understand the benefits of the Math Pathways model for all students; and
4. Developing a coalition of secondary, postsecondary, and community math partners to guide and advance a vision of math education that better serves all students.

Course development and professional learning opportunities are anticipated to begin in early 2022. Stay tuned for more information about this exciting opportunity! Contact Mark Freed, Mathematics Education Specialist, with any questions or for more information.

Additional Resources/Articles

• Centering Latinx Studies in Arts and Humanities Curriculum and Pedagogy (AEP Article, September 2021)
• You for Youth STEAM resource bank (US Department of Education)
• Using STEAM to Support Remote Learners (Innovation Collaborative Article, May 2021)

 

For questions or comments, please email ODE.WRCoursesGrant.ode.state.or.us.  To subscribe to this or other State Government newsletters, please visit the GovDelivery website.  You can access this topic directly here. 

ODE’s Equity Stance: Education equity is the equitable implementation of policy, practices, procedures, and legislation that translates into resource allocation, education rigor, and opportunities for historically and currently marginalized youth, students, and families including civil rights protected classes. This means the restructuring and dismantling of systems and institutions that create the dichotomy of beneficiaries and the oppressed and marginalized. To find out more about ODE’s work in education equity, please visit ODE's Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion website.