Request for Proposal (RFP)

Adaptive Math Learning Pilot Projects Grant

2015-2017

REVISED

GRANT APPLICATION DUE DATE: MONDAY, MAY 2, 2016

5:00 PM PT

Oregon Department of Education

Office of Teaching and Learning

255 Capitol Street NE

Salem, OR 97310-0203

It is the policy of the State Board of Education and a priority of the Oregon Department of Education that there will be no discrimination or harassment on the grounds of race, color, sex, marital status, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age or disability in any educational programs, activities, or employment. Persons having questions about equal opportunity and nondiscrimination should contact the Oregon Department of Education, 255 Capitol Street NE, Salem, OR 97310; Telephone (503) 947-5600; Fax (503) 378-5156.

Background and Legislative Intent

In 2011, the Oregon Department of Education disseminated the Oregon STEM Education Initiative to catalyze the formation of regional STEM Education Partnerships by defining STEM education and goals related to preparation for college, careers, and citizenship needed for improvement in STEM education.

STEM Education is an approach to teaching and lifelong learning that emphasizes the natural interconnectedness of the four separate STEM disciplines. These connections are made explicit through collaboration between educators resulting in real and appropriate context built into instruction, curriculum, and assessment. The common element of problem solving is emphasized across all STEM disciplines allowing students to discover, explore, and apply critical thinking skills as they learn.

Oregon Department of Education, 2011

In 2013, the Oregon Education Investment Board proposed strategic investments to support Oregons attainment of the 40/40/20 goal. The Oregon STEM Investment Council and the Oregon Education Investment Board recommended expanding activities related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Supported activities would lead to increased student interest, preparation, and attainment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics for success in related degrees and careers.

In 2015, HB 3072 directed the Department of Education to distribute monies that expand and sustain regional networks that support STEM education. Specifically, four STEM innovation grants were identified to expand the implementation of effective programs related to STEM and propose innovative approaches or programs that provide professional development to transform instruction within the STEM disciplines.

The four STEM innovation grant programs focus on:

1. Providing regional teacher professional development in applied mathematics in grades 7 through 10.

2. Identifying and piloting computer based adaptive learning environments for students in kindergarten through 8th grade.

3. Providing professional development to promote digital literacy grades 7 to 12.

4. Partnering with existing out-of-school time STEM programs to expand student opportunities grades 4 to 8.

In order to transform STEM education in Oregon, there will need to be a change in the complexity of the STEM content as well as in the knowledge and skill teachers bring to instructional practice and the ways in which students are engaged in the learning experience. All STEM Innovation grants are designed to address the definition, outcomes, and complexity of the STEM Education Initiative.

Equity Lens

All STEM Innovation Grant recipients will be expected to incorporate and adopt the principles of the Oregon Equity Lens, the perspective through which the Oregon Department of Education considers the creation of strategic opportunities for students of color. The Equity Lens provides twelve core beliefs that fuel opportunities to bolster success for diverse student populations across the state. The beliefs most pertinent to the work of this set of grants are highlighted below:

We believe that everyone has the ability to learn and that we have an ethical responsibility and a moral responsibility to ensure an education system that provides optimal learning environments that lead students to be prepared for their individual futures.

We believe that the students who have previously been described as at risk, underperforming, under-represented, or minority actually represent Oregons best opportunity to improve overall educational outcomes. We have many counties in rural and urban communities that already have populations of color that make up the majority. Our ability to meet the needs of this increasingly diverse population is a critical strategy for us to successfully reach our 40/40/20 goals.

We believe that resource allocation demonstrates our priorities and our values and that we demonstrate our priorities and our commitment to rural communities, communities of color, English language learners, and out of school youth in the ways we allocate resources and make educational investments.

We believe that communities, parents, teachers, and community-based organizations have unique and important solutions to improving outcomes for our students and educational systems. Our work will only be successful if we are able to truly partner with the community, engage with respect, authentically listen -- and have the courage to share decision making, control, and resources.

And, we believe in the importance of supporting great teaching. Research is clear that teachers are among the most powerful influences in (student) learning. An equitable education system requires providing teachers with the tools and support to meet the needs of each student.

General Information

A. Purpose of the Adaptive Math Learning Pilot Project

The Oregon STEM Council in collaboration with the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) intends to conduct a series of pilot tests of math adaptive learning technologies in Oregon classrooms grades K to 8. An adaptive learning technology is software or a Web-based application that can personalize education for a student, adapt based on student interaction, and provide feedback to teachers and families about student progress.

This project was funded by the Oregon Legislature as part of the STEM Innovation Grants. The total project budget is approximately $1.1 million for the 2015-2017 biennium. The funds will be awarded to schools to pilot math adaptive learning technologies identified and approved through this RFP process. Findings related to the outcomes of the project will be provided to the Oregon STEM Council, Oregon Legislature, and Oregon State Board of Education at the conclusion of the project.

The purpose of this project is to identify and evaluate interactive, computer-based programs to support blended learning environments. For the purposes of this grant, blended learning[footnoteRef:1] is defined as a range of possible instructional models that combine internet and/or digital media content with established classroom instruction that requires the physical co-presence of teachers and students[footnoteRef:2]. [1: Stalker, H., & Horn, M. B. (2012). Classifying K12 blended learning. Mountain View, CA: InnosightInstitute, Inc. http://www.christenseninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Classifying-K-12-blended-learning.pdf ] [2: Friesen, Norm (2012). Report: Defining Blended Learning. http://learningspaces.org/papers/Defining_Blended_Learning_NF.pdf ]

That is, the intent of blended learning is not for digital media content to replace established classroom-based instruction. Rather, blended learning occurs when digital media is used to supplement and enhance classroom-based instruction. This could potentially occur through providing individualized independent practice, or by providing detailed reports that inform educators what content a given student has mastered so they may adjust their instruction accordingly and devise/implement appropriate strategies and interventions to support the learner. District staff are encourage to investigate promising practices[footnoteRef:3] in blended learning to better understand how it may be used to meet their students needs[footnoteRef:4]. [3: Murphy, R., Snow, E., Mislevy, J., Gallagher, L., Krumm, A., & Wei, X. (2014). Blended learning report. Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. http://www.edweek.org/media/msdf-blended-learning-report-may-2014.pdf ] [4: Watson, J. (2008). Blended Learning: The Convergence of Online and Face-to-Face Education. Promising Practices in Online Learning. North American Council for Online Learning. Chicago. http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED509636.pdf ]

Supplemental digital math learning programs include media that allows for math content and instruction to occur with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace of their learning. Adaptive math learning programs include an additional element where the program itself is collecting formative information about an individual student learning and uses these data to adjust the program to meet student needs and provide feedback to teachers and parents about the childs progress through the content.

In January 2016, ODE requested information from vendors on math adaptive learning technologies that could to be used in a pilot testing program during the 2016-2017 academic year. Technologies used for this project were required to meet the following requirements to be considered as a possible program to be included in the adaptive math pilot program:

Provide opportunities for personalized student learning in mathematics.

Organizes content into coherent sequences for students aligned with Common Core State Standards in mathematics for any combination of grades