2013-14 Lyford High School T-STEM Academy

Advisory Board Handbook

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Table of Contents

Welcome _____________________________________________________________________________________________3

What is a T-STEM Academy? _____________________________________________________________________________4

Projected Workforce Demands ____________________________________________________________________________5

Lyford’s Career and Technical Education Program _____________________________________________________________7

Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources _______________________________________________________________8

Arts, Audio/Video Technology, and Communication _______________________________________________________9

Business Management and Administration _____________________________________________________________10

Information Technology ____________________________________________________________________________11 Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security ___________________________________________________________12

Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics ______________________________________________________________13

Job Shadowing and Internships ___________________________________________________________________________14

T-STEM Advisory Board Summary_________________________________________________________________________15

As of October 30, 2013

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Welcome

Hello!

We would like to cordially welcome you to the first of Lyford CISD’s T-STEM Advisory Board Meetings for the 2013-2014 academic school years. We are honored to have you in attendance today and are excited to provide a platform for you to share your views and concerns regarding your local T-STEM academy. We here at Lyford recognize that we have a responsibility not only to our students but to the local community that we serve and the stakeholders who are a part of it. The purpose of this handbook is to provide you with a brief overview of how Lyford CISD is attempting to meet the challenges offered by the 21 st century workforce as well as to provide you with an understanding of what an advisory board does and how you can help contribute to it. We hope that you will find this information both interesting and useful and that it will inspire you participate in whatever way you can toward making Lyford CISD an exemplary T-STEM institution.

Becoming a part of a T-STEM Advisory Board brings with it a number of responsibilities. First, it is imperative that committee members understand what T-STEM is and how the school implements it on its campus. Furthermore, members of the advisory board need to be actively involved, whether that includes attending scheduled board meetings, working with the school to provide job shadowing or internship opportunities, attending special events, participating in fundraising or awareness activities, or simply working to provide field trip opportunities or in-school presentations to students. Finally, there may also arise matters of policy and fiduciary responsibility that board members need to deal with. The purpose of all of this is to work together so that we may provide the best education and opportunities to the students of our community.

This handbook will serve to provide the information necessary, including the end goals of the program and the T-STEM principles involved, so that you may make an informed decision as to whether or not you and your organization would like to partner with Lyford in this endeavor. If you do decide to work with us please know that you will be taking a big step in providing better opportunities for our students as well as the citizens of Willacy County.

Sincerely,

______________Mr. Eduardo Infante, Superintendent, Lyford CISDOctober 30, 2013

As of October 30, 2013

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What is a T-STEM Academy?

So, what exactly is a T-STEM Academy?

T-STEM stands for Texas Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (T-STEM). A T-STEM Academy is a public secondary school that incorporates rigorous and in-depth academic standards within its curriculum-especially in regard to scientific and mathematically oriented subject areas. T-STEM Academies work to increase the number of graduating students who will continue on to pursue employment in STEM-related career fields. Through the partnership of public schools and private industry T-STEM Academies seek to become a wellspring of technically competent and confident learners who are ready to successfully engage the workforce demands of the 21st century.

Throughout the state of Texas the Texas Education Agency (TEA) in partnership with Educate Texas support seven T-STEM centers tasked with working alongside and supporting local T-STEM Academies in achieving their academic goals. These centers not only provide training and professional support, but also develop innovative and challenging curricula in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Furthermore, they also assist in developing partnership opportunities between various entities.

STATE T-STEM CENTERS

As of October 30, 2013

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Projected Workforce Demands

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce in their report “STEM: Good Jobs Now and for the Future” ,http://www.esa.doc.gov/Reports/stem-good-jobs-now-and-future, the projected rate of growth for STEM career fields during the overall period from fiscal year 2008 to 2018 will be 17% as opposed to non-STEM related fields with estimated growth rate of 9.8%. This disparity can is outlined in the graphic below:

Furthermore, according to the same report:

“Over the past 10 years, growth in STEM jobs was three times as fast as growth in non-STEM jobs. STEM workers are also less likely to experience joblessness than their non-STEM counterparts. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics workers play a key role in the sustained growth and stability of the U.S. economy, and are a critical component to helping the U.S. win the future.”

Aside from this, those workers employed in a STEM-related career field also tend to weather cyclical economic patterns better than their non-STEM co-workers. The following chart, drawn from the same government report compares the levels of unemployment experienced by both STEM and non-STEM workers in the United States over the period of fiscal years 1994-2010:

As of October 30, 2013

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As is clearly visible from the plotted data, STEM workers have been able to maintain, on average, higher levels of employment than their counterparts even in economically distressed times. Couple this with the fact that, on average, STEM occupations tend to have higher income levels than non-STEM areas, as seen in the following table from the same report, and the benefits of STEM become obvious.

Clearly, the importance of STEM in education for both the individual and the nation cannot be overestimated.

As of October 30, 2013

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Lyford’s Career and Technical Education Program

One of the ways in which Lyford High School is working to support the T-STEM initiative is through integrating math and science throughout its curricula and by offering students the opportunity to take part in innovative coursework such as Engineering Mathematics and Project Lead the Way’s Introduction to Engineering Design and Principles of Engineering. The Robotics Club and its involvement in STEM-related activities such as the Seaperch ROV (Remote Underwater Vehicle) competition further complement our efforts to ensure that students are provided opportunities to engage with cutting edge technology.

Through the Career and Technical Education program here at Lyford students are also exposed to STEM-related curricula. The importance of this can be seen when one understands that all entering freshmen are placed in a CTE pathway upon entering high school, thus every student is a CTE student! Whether it be using high tech automotive analysis computer in the automotive program, calculating and aggregating data in business administration or applying the tools of forensic investigation in law and public safety, CTE provides numerous opportunities to highlight STEM principles and apply them to real-life situations in a hands-on environment.

Currently, Lyford High School offers six CTE pathways in which a student may participate. In the following pages each pathway is presented through a flowchart. It is important to note that the charts list all possible courses that may be offered in that pathway under the authority of the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The courses, and thus the actual path of classes, offered by Lyford are listed below each chart. However, by presenting the full range of options available to the district one is able to get a better view as to possibilities that are open to us.

As of October 30, 2013

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Pathway Sequence Offered By Lyford High School

Tier 1: Principles of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Tier 2: Equine Science/Livestock/Small Animal Management or Agricultural Mechanics & Metal

TechnologiesTier 3: Agricultural Power Systems or Range Ecology & Management or Horticulture ScienceTier 4: Practicum in Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources

Instructors

Armando Correa – Armando.Correa@lyfordcisd.netJesse Guerra – Jesse.Guerra@lyfordcisd.net

Certifications

NCCER Welding Certification Level 1

As of October 30, 2013

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Pathway Sequence Offered By Lyford High School

Tier 1: Principles of Arts, Audio/Video Technology & Communications Tier 2: Audio/Video Production or Graphic DesignTier 3: Advanced Audio/Video Production Tier 4: Practicum in Audio/Video Production

Instructor

John A. Carranco – John.Carranco@lyfordcisd.net

Certifications

Apple Final Cut Pro X Certification Adobe Premier Pro CS5 Certification

As of October 30, 2013

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Pathway Sequence Offered By Lyford High School

Tier 1: Principles of Business, Marketing & Finance Tier 2: Touch System Data EntryTier 3: Business Information Management ITier 4: Business Information Management IITier 5: Practicum in Business Management

Instructor

Martha Hinojosa – Martha.Hinojosa@lyfordcisd.net

Certifications

Microsoft Office Suite Specialist in: Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Access Database

As of October 30, 2013

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Pathway Sequence Offered By Lyford High School

Tier 1: Principles of Information TechnologyTier 2: Computer Maintenance or Computer ProgrammingTier 3: Telecommunications & NetworkingTier 4: Computer Technician

Instructor

Gilbert Gonzalez – Gilbert.Gonzalez@lyfordcisd.net

Certifications

Certification in Telecommunications TechnologiesCertification in Network Cabling – Copper-Based SystemsCertification in Network Cabling – Fiber-Based Systems

As of October 30, 2013

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Pathway Sequence Offered By Lyford High School

Tier 1: Principles of Law, Public Safety, Corrections & SecurityTier 2: Law Enforcement ITier 3: Court Systems & Practices or Forensic ScienceTier 4: Practicum in Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Safety or Law Enforcement II

Instructor

Melissa Rendon – Melissa.Rendon@lyfordcisd.net

Certifications

911 Dispatcher (Telecommunicator)

As of October 30, 2013

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Pathway Sequence Offered By Lyford High School

Tier 1: Principles of Transportation, Distribution & LogisticsTier 2: Energy, Power & Transportation SystemsTier 3: Automotive TechnologyTier 4: Advanced Automotive TechnologyTier 5: Practicum in Transportation, Distribution & Logistics

Instructor

Luis Vasquez – Luis.Vasquez@lyfordcisd.net

Certifications

Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) - BrakesAutomotive Service Excellence (ASE) – EnginesOSHA 511 10-Hour Safety for General Industry

As of October 30, 2013

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Job Shadowing and Internships

One of the ways in which Lyford CISD would like to work with members of the local business community is by providing job shadowing and internship opportunities for our students. Ideally, these activities would be arranged for the Spring semester, possibly around May. However, it is important to distinguish between the two. What are the differences between job shadowing and internships?

Job Shadowing

Job shadowing provides students an opportunity to “tag along” and observe a worker(s) at a particular business as they go about their daily routine. Essentially, it allows students the chance to observe what a day in the life of a particular industry is all about. Job shadowing is usually non-intrusive, although in reality, the individual who is being shadowed often takes the opportunity to explain what he/she is doing so that the student observer has a better idea of why something is being done. Job shadowing is usually a one time, one day event.

Internships

Internships are more involved and require greater commitment on the part of both the student and the host organization. However, one of the benefits of a student internship is its flexibility. Internships can require the daily participation of the student, or, if it’s easier for the organization, may be as infrequent as one day a week. Furthermore, the length of a student internship does not need to span the length of an entire semester. Internship opportunities can be tailored to meet the requirements and restrictions of both parties so that they can be as long or as short as is needed. The main purpose of an internship is to give the student a sense of what working in that particular industry is like and to provide that experience within a structured and systematic environment.

T-STEM Advisory Board Summary As of October 30, 2013

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In order for the T-STEM Advisory Board to be successful it is imperative that its members fully understand what is expected of them. The link between industry, local business and the school district is of paramount importance. The fundamental purpose in creating an advisory board is to provide an open forum whereby stakeholders from outside the district may voice their opinions and concerns regarding how to best focus our efforts in STEM education.

STEM Advisory Boards are usually tasked with three primary responsibilities:

1. Shape the mission and strategic direction of the STEM focusa. Shape and clarify the mission and vision of the STEM programb. Engage in strategic decisions affecting the STEM program

2. Monitor and improve the performance of the STEM Boarda. Monitor performance and require accountabilityb. Improve board performance

3. Ensure leadership and resources are available when needed to support the programa. Provide expertise and counsel and guidance as neededb. Be an ambassador for the STEM Program

Together, we as a district and as a board can work to ensure that our students are provided the very best STEM education possible and that it successfully addresses the needs of local industry.

As of October 30, 2013