Welcome Back with Care, Connection, and Community

As Oregon’s students return to their classrooms, we’re here to make sure our students are recognized for their strength and resiliency and that they receive the personalized support and care that they need to succeed.

We know there were students, families and staff in communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. These include members of tribes here in Oregon and Indigenous, Black, Latinx, Asian, and Pacific Islander communities, LGBTQ+ students, and those experiencing a disability, navigating poverty and many living in Oregon’s rural communities.

That’s why our state is prioritizing care and connection, safety and localized COVID-19 planning. By ensuring that schools are safe and welcome we can help all students access their education and reach their potential.

The full article by ODE Director, Colt Gill, and additional resources can be found here.

2022 K-12 Science Standards

On June 16, 2022, the State Board of Education adopted the 2022 Oregon Science Standards, which represent K-12 learning expectations in science education for all students and are a foundational expectation of the Oregon Diploma.

While the specific language of the 2022 Oregon Science Standards remain essentially the same as the 2014 Oregon Science Standards (NGSS), there are three areas of updates to note:

• All K-5 Science Standards have clarification statements and assessment boundaries 
• Elevated opportunities for climate change education across the K-12 standards. A caret or up arrow (^) was added to those standards that have proximal connections to climate change 
• Flexibility for districts to develop middle school science standards sequences based on localized needs.

Additional updates and resources such as standards level guidance documents, learning progressions, and crosswalks can be found on the Science Standards page.

For additional information or questions, please contact Jamie Rumage, ODE Science Education Specialist.

Seeking Applications - 2022 Science Instructional Materials Criteria Committee

The Oregon Department of Education is accepting applications for the 2022 Science Instructional Materials Criteria Committee. District administrators and supervisors are highly encouraged to share the application with teachers, curriculum specialists, or other experienced professionals with expertise in science for grades K-12.

Individuals on this committee will be responsible for reviewing and revising the newest edition of the science instructional materials adoption criteria. Applicants must be able to attend all required sessions. The following is a summary of the schedule for this year’s criteria development:

• Saturday, October 22, 2022, 8:30am-12:30pm: Required kick-off event and training
• November 1-3, 2022, 4:00pm-5:30pm: Work sessions (applicants must be able to attend at least one session)
• Tuesday, November 8, 2022, 4:00pm-5:30pm: Required consensus discussion

Those selected to participate will be provided professional learning opportunities and professional development units (~10 PDUs). No travel is required for this year’s criteria development. 

Please use the Science Instructional Materials Criteria Committee Application to apply to be a member of this year’s criteria committee. Applications will be accepted through Friday, September 23.

For more information or questions, contact Aujalee Moore, Instructional Materials Coordinator: aujalee.moore@ode.oregon.gov

Upcoming Workshops, Webinars and Professional Learning Opportunities

• September 13 and September 14, 2022, the Board on Science Education in collaboration with the Board on Mathematical Sciences and Analytics, the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board, and the Committee on Applied and Theoretical Statistics will explore ways to bring visibility to the need for data science education within the K-12 education system. Click here to register.
• September 15, 2022, the Board on Science Education (NASEM) will be discussing the recent report Science and Engineering in Preschool Through Elementary Grades: The Brilliance of Children and the Strengths of Educators. The event will feature conversations to ensure the children have access to science and engineering in preschool through elementary grades. Click here to register.
• September 21, 2022, the Oregon Science Teacher Association will host a webcast to learn about grant-funded opportunities and collaborations with the MJ Murdock Trust, Partners in Science Program. Click here to learn more and register.
• September 29, 2022, the ODE Oregon Open Learning Team will host a statewide OER workshop and provide participants an opportunity to learn about open educational resources (OER) and the Oregon Open Learning Hub, Oregon’s K-12 repository for OER. Click here to register.
• October 14 and October 15, 2022, the Smithsonian Science Education Center is offering a free online professional learning opportunity entitled, Attracting All Learners to STEM Using Culturally Based Pedagogy. Click here to learn more and register.
• Ongoing, the STEM Teaching Tools Team at UW Seattle runs the Climate Teacher Education Collaborative, a network building resources and capacity to teach about community climate justice projects and civic response to the climate crisis in teacher education programs. Click here to learn more and watch recorded webinars.

OSTA 60TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE: A Time for Science

Save the date for the Oregon Science Teachers Association Annual Conference: Saturday, October 8th, 2022 at Ridgeview High School, Redmond, Oregon. For additional conference information and session proposals, please visit the OSTA conference webpage.  

Nominate an Outstanding 7-12 Educator

The PAEMST program is pleased to announce that nominations and applications for the 2022–2023 awards cycle are open.

The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) are the highest honors bestowed by the United States government specifically for K–12 science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and/or computer science teaching.

Anyone—principals, teachers, parents, students, or members of the general public—may nominate exceptional STEM teachers who are currently teaching grades 7-12 for the 2022–2023 award year. Teachers may also apply directly at www.paemst.org.

The nomination deadline is January 9, 202 and the application deadline is February 6, 2023. 

NASA TechRise Student Challenge

NASA is now accepting entries for the second NASA TechRise Student Challenge.

Open to students in sixth through 12th grade, the challenge invites teams to design, build, and launch science and technology experiments on high-altitude balloons. Entries are due on October 24, 2022, and NASA will announce the challenge winners in January 2023. Each winning team will receive $1,500 to build their experiment, and an assigned spot to test it on NASA-sponsored balloon flight.

To participate in the challenge, click this link and the learn more the watch the challenge explainer video here.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to Deb Bailey or Kama Almasi, STEM Education Specialists, or Jamie Rumage, Science Education Specialist, if you have any questions or concerns.

If you have other colleagues that are interested in receiving this newsletter, please direct them to this science newsletter registration page.