 May Edition
We sincerely hope that everyone had a moving Earth Week and that you have been able to enjoy some of the spring sunshine! OSPI Science, Climate, Outdoor Learning, and Environment and Sustainability teams hosted the second annual Climate Education Summit in Spokane last month. We had over 100 educators learning together and making plans to ensure that climate is part of their classrooms.
Lots of great content in this issue! You could be a science teacher of the year, present at our state conference, get some amazing professional development, and learn more about the WCAS. Read on for more!
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The Washington Science Teachers Annual Conference is In-Person and Virtual for Increased Access!
Apply to present either in-person or virtually by May 31, 2024.
WSTA is inviting you to send in a proposal and is encouraging practicing educators to share what they are learning and doing in their classrooms and/or outdoor spaces. You don't have to come to Spokane to present! WSTA will have a virtual option for presenters and attendees so share your knowledge without the stress of travel. Just mark virtual option when you submit your proposal.
More information and registration for the conference can be found here.
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2024 OpenSciEd Summer Institute for Washington Teachers!
This year’s Summer Institute takes place July 30- Aug 1 2024 in Tumwater WA and will train people on Middle School Units 6.1, 7.1, 8.1; and High School Units B.1, C.1, and P.1! These 3-day courses are taught by Washington State science teachers who have used these materials with their own students and can offer valuable experience from their own implementation.
Classes are limited to just 24 people per unit. The $100 registration fee covers lunches and administrative costs. Participants will need to arrange travel, lodgings, additional meals, and purchase of clock hours.
To learn more and to register, please click here to go to the event website.
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Support the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science!
The Science Assessment Team is seeking educators with a broad range of experience to participate in two important summer events. The events are critical components of the Washington Comprehensive Assessment Program.
This is your invitation to APPLY for our two summer 2024 work groups for the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS):
Field Test Rangefinding – Olympia, WA
The work groups will review a representative sample of student responses from short answer items field-tested in spring 2024. Rubrics for the items and training papers for hand scoring will be revised and approved by the work groups.
Grade 5 – no workgroup for 2024
Grades 8 & 11 – July 15–16, 2024
Content Review with Data – Olympia, WA
Participants will review student performance data for every item field-tested in spring 2024 and make recommendations for the operational item bank based on criteria for acceptable items.
Grade 5 – September 16, 2024
Grade 8 – September 17, 2024
Grade 11 – September 18, 2024
If you would like to apply for either or both work groups, please complete the application survey by May 20, 2024.
How to apply:
The online application can be accessed at: WCAS Work Group Application - 2024. Even if you have previously applied or attended a work group, you must complete the new application. A preview of the application questions can be found at: Science Assessment Application Example.
- Breakfast and lunch will be provided
- Free STEM clock hours will be provided
- Personal travel reimbursement (mileage, dinner, parking, etc.) will be provided assuming all state guidelines and regulations are met
- Lodging will be provided for those living more than 50 miles from the event location
- Flights are available if needed
- A $200 per day stipend is provided to contracted teachers during summer months
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Be a Washington Science Educator of the Year!
WSTA Excellence in Science Teaching
WSTA is committed to rewarding excellence in science education in Washington state. As part of this effort, we annually recognize up to eight educators, selected from the categories of early childhood education, elementary school, middle school, high school, higher education, and informal science education. Awardees will receive local and state recognition, a one-year membership to WSTA, a trip to the annual WSTA Conference, an honorarium of $500 to be spent at their discretion as well as other benefits. Applications are now open to all Washington educators and are due June 30, 2024.
Be Awarded for Your Work in Green and Sustainable Science Teaching!
WSTA Green Chemistry and Sustainable Design Teaching Award
WSTA in partnership with the Washington Department of Ecology is committed to teaching in ways the support our environment in terms of green chemistry and sustainable design. Any Washington state K-12 teacher who employs green chemistry or sustainable lessons and units in their classroom is eligible to apply. Please be prepared to submit a lesson or unit as an example of your teaching. Winners will receive a $500 honorarium and free registration for the fall WSTA Conference. Applications are due July 31.
The National Science Education Leadership Association Summer Leadership Institute is Coming to Seatte!
Youth are demanding education that helps them prepare for the shifting climate we live in so that they are best prepared for building equitable, just, sustainable, and flourishing futures for themselves, their communities, and the world more generally. NSELA is codesigning this year’s Summer Leadership Institute with the Institute for Science and Math Education at the University of Washington Seattle and focusing it on science grounded climate change education (CCE) and sustainability learning. We invite all interested leaders to join us and learn, explore, and plan actions you can take in your own contexts to provide new learning opportunities for educators and youth.
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Applications are open now for High School STEM teachers to apply for the new Allen Institute Fellows Program! Teachers will collaborate with Allen Institute scientists to co-create, pilot, and publish a novel neuroscience lesson geared towards high school students that will be shared as part of our free and open educator resource library. This year-long fellowship has an in-person kick-off in Seattle on August 12-13, 2024 and includes 4 Zoom check-ins throughout the school year. Participants will receive a $1500 stipend, travel reimbursement, and up to 20 STEM clock hours upon completion of all program requirements. Application due June 3, 2024. https://alleninstitute.org/events/allen-institute-teacher-fellows/
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The Rickey Summer Science Institute (RSSI) for high school physics teachers, held annually at Marietta College in Marietta, OH, equips teachers with tools and training to help their students develop conceptual understanding of physics. The 2024 RSSI is being held July 8th through the 12th and will emphasize the use of real-time data acquisition to teach foundational concepts dealing with energy transformations. More information and an application can be found at https://www.marietta.edu/physics-rssi. Because the RSSI is endowment-funded all instruction, tools, continuing education units, meals, and housing are provided free-of-charge. An option for three graduate credits is available.
This course is available for teachers to move through at their own pace. It will introduce teachers to climate change and climate justice through data analysis, resource exploration, and planning for implementation. Visit pdEnroller for additional information.
Are you a teacher, TOSA or district science leader interested in thinking about how your OpenSciEd or Amplify Science Units could be more connected to your student’s experiences, communities, and region? IslandWood is bringing together teachers, curriculum developers, Educational Service Districts, and District Science Lead teams on August 14th and 15th to develop localizing guides for specific science units. Earn a $600 stipend plus STEM and Equity Clock Hours. Learn more and apply on IslandWood’s website.
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Join educators from across the nation for sessions on July 15th and 16th and then bring it home with IslandWood and Washington teachers on July 18th. Educators from all backgrounds and subjects are invited to attend and learn new tools, skills, and resources to teach climate change in science, social studies, ELA, environmental studies, geography, art, math, and more. Free STEM and Equity Clock Hours will be provided by OSPI. Scholarships are available! Learn more on IslandWood’s website.
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Harvard OpenBio Student Research Institute (Virtual)
In collaboration with the Harvard Undergraduate OpenBio Laboratory, we are thrilled to announce our inaugural Student Research Institute (SRI), a virtual research program where students are paired with principal investigators and researchers who are leading professionals in their respective fields, and we have identified your school amongst those that may have a large number of interested students! The SRI, which Harvard will be hosting, is a free program for students to virtually research with Harvard and other Ivy League faculty, publish their work in a Harvard research journal, and potentially earn an all expenses paid trip to Harvard for workshops with prestigious faculty. Our goal is to make the life sciences accessible to all who are interested, and this will be the first time that Harvard is opening up its resources to directly serve high school students for free! For more information on our organization and SRI, please visit our website and our SRI handbook. Applications are now open, and we would greatly appreciate it if you could forward this information to your students interested in the life sciences or to any science teachers you may know with students interested in the life sciences.
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