For the third year in a row, the STEM Pathways program at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts set an enrollment record.
The hybrid online learning and teacher professional development program is serving 3,863 students across the state through its Computer Science Plus, Advanced Biology Plus and Advanced Statistics Plus cohorts as well as by providing curriculum for aditional educators during the 2023-24 academic year. The program set a record last year with 3,315 students enrolled throughout the three cohorts.
The Computer Science Plus program is serving 3,124 students and 62 teachers across the state. There were 2,912 computer science students statewide enrolled during the 2022-23 academic year.
The Advanced Biology Plus program is serving 323 students and 24 teachers through the Plus program as well as an additional 312 students and 31 educators who use the program’s curriculum in their classroom.
The Advanced Statistics Plus initiative is in the second year of its pilot program. It is providing curriculum and support for six instructors and approximately 100 students.
“I am so proud of the ASMSA STEM Pathways teachers, both those providing the support and those supported,” said Lori Kagebein, director of STEM Pathways. “Teachers new to our program are working hard to master the new content, our returning teachers are stepping up to act as mentors and the Pathways instructors are adding more content and supplements to the materials while cultivating relationships in their role as ‘buddy teachers.’”
The STEM Pathways program began in 2015 with the creation of the Coding Arkansas’ Future initiative. That program offered high schools across the state the opportunity to expand their computer science curriculum while receiving guidance and professional development from ASMSA staff members. While ASMSA instructors taught some computer science courses for schools through digital learning, the main emphasis was preparing educators to gain licensure in computer science through the Computer Science Plus program.
That includes offering summer boot camps to introduce teachers to computer science. Those teachers receive guidance throughout the school year from ASMSA, including continuing professional development through weekly video meetings and a follow-up camp at the conclusion of the academic year. The goal is to prepare those educators to earn their license to teach computer science while also becoming the primary computer science teacher at their school.
The program expanded in recent years to offer a middle school coding block and the Advanced Biology Plus program. In the Advanced Biology Plus program, instructors around the state receive professional development from ASMSA’s life science specialists in the instruction of AP Biology. ASMSA’s biology teachers guide camps prior to the beginning of the school year. They then help educators prepare their curriculum for the year and provide unique lab learning activities that the individual schools may not be able to offer otherwise.
ASMSA Director Corey Alderdice noted the STEM Pathways initiative is an important component of the school's legislated mission.
"ASMSA serves as a statewide center of academic equity and opportunity that ignites the full potential of students and educators," Alderdice said. "Since 1999, ASMSA has seen our outreach programs evolve along with new technologies that meet the needs of teachers across Arkansas. As we look ahead to the new online course choice program that is part of the Arkansas LEARNS Act, we believe there will be continued opportunities for ASMSA to exhibit leadership in ensuring students have access to advanced STEM experiences."
STEM Pathways is made possible in part by an annual grant from the Arkansas Department of Education. Schools and educators interested in participating in STEM Pathways can begin enrolling for the 2024-25 academic year by contacting Kagebein at kagebeinl@asmsa.org. Additional details are available online at https://asmsa.me/digitallearning.