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Applications are now CLOSED for the 2024-2025 academic year!

The Linking Science, Math & Literacy for ALL Learners program partners with teachers of 6th-8th grade Life Sciences, English Language Arts, Mathematics and Special Education for this exciting professional development opportunity funded by the National Institutes of Health Science Education Partnership Award (NIH-SEPA).  

This unique program offers a two-year long professional development that aims to: 

  • Develop 6th-to 8th-grade-level STEM multimodal text sets that address NGSS, CCSS-ELA.RST and CCSS-Math Standards, with embedded math and research-generated data. 
  • Provide instructional support to teachers using STEM multimodal text sets, with special attention to the needs of diverse learners. 

What is Involved: 

The two-year professional development program involves: 

  • Virtual professional development – including: an orientation session, a weeklong summer workshop, and Saturday workdays during the academic year.  
    • Orientation Date: June 29, 2024
    • Weeklong Summer Workshop: July 15-19, 2024
    • Saturday Workdays: TBD
  • Development of a STEM multimodal text set that integrates science, literacy and mathematics standards. 
  • Implementation of your STEM multimodal text set with your students beginning in the Fall and ending in the Spring. 
  • Opportunities to collaborate and network with teachers and researchers to develop and implement your own STEM multimodal text set. 

Participation in a Research Study: 

As a part of this program, you will be invited to participate in a research study. The purpose of the study is to evaluate 

  • Your use of the STEM multimodal text sets in your classroom(s), 
  • How the professional development program impacts your teaching practices, and 
  • Change in students’ achievement of science-ELA-mathematics practices. 

To participate in this study you must be a middle school Science, English Language Arts, Mathematics OR Special Education teacher. 

For more information about the research participation, contact Dr. Delinda van Garderen, vangarderend@missouri.edu 

Teacher Benefits & Commitments:  

As a participant in the Linking Science, Mathematics & Literacy for ALL Learners program, you will receive support to enhance your teaching practice and learning by your students. This support includes:   

  • Professional development with evidence-based practices. 
  • Multimodal text sets and resources for use in your instruction. 
  • Continued access to those materials and resources following completion of participation. 
  • Financial support related to participation, including compensation of up to $2000 annually.  

COMPENSATION – $2000, annually, divided into three installments, one each semester, related to attendance and full participation. Here’s the planned payment schedule for the first year:  

  •  SUMMER payment: Virtual attendance at orientation day scheduled June 29, 2024, and 5 days of PD workshop, July 15-19, 2024, plus completion of the first survey and interview (during the orientation or PD workshop). 
  •  FALL payment:  Virtual attendance at 3 half-day Saturday work sessions to be scheduled, plus administration of student pre/post scenario-based assessments of science and literacy practices, and submission of these via Google Docs or another online platform. 
  •  SPRING payment: Virtual attendance at 3 half-day Saturday work sessions to be scheduled plus completion of administration of student pre/post scenario-based assessments of science and literacy practices; survey and interviews; submission of ALL lesson plans, materials and resources developed and used for instruction in connection to multimodal STEM texts sets and linked inquiry materials via Google Docs or another online platform; instructional logs; and de-identified student demographic information.  

For more information or questions about the professional development program, contact Sarah Hill (Program Manager): hillsar@missouri.edu