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Coming Soon...
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These topics will be among those included in upcoming issues of the Action Bulletin:
· Curriculum Updates
· School District Agreements
· BMS Participation Fees
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Action Bulletin Archive
| Past issues of the Action Bulletin are available on the PLTW Web site.
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Welcome to the second issue in the relaunch of the Action Bulletin.
As a reminder, our intent is that every two weeks you will receive the Action Bulletin for Schools, which aims to compile various updates and information into fewer emails. Every issue of the Action Bulletin for Schools will also be posted to the PLTW Web site.
While we aim for all issues to cover topics that are of actionable importance for schools, this one is especially full of major information. Please take the time to review carefully. As always, please send any comments or suggestions to Action Bulletin Editor Trevor Sparks. |
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New PLTW CEO Announced
| | Last week, the PLTW Board of Directors named Vince Bertram as its chief executive officer. He is currently the superintendent of the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC), Indiana's third largest school district serving nearly 23,000 students
Prior to the EVSC, Vince served as an assistant superintendent, principal and teacher. He earned doctorate, specialist, master and bachelor degrees from Ball State University, and a master's degree in education policy and management from Harvard University. He also holds a certificate in strategy and innovation from the MIT Sloan School of Management and is an alumnus of the Chicago Management Institute at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business.
We all welcome Vince and look forward to working with him as part of the PLTW team.
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Five-Year Transition to New Equipment Platform
| | In December, PLTW announced a new relationship with VEX® Robotics to become the robotics equipment platform for the PLTW Program. This transition will happen over a five-year period.
The VEX® platform offers many benefits to schools and students:
- A high-quality, durable platform with broad functionality for students to create even more innovative solutions to problems.
- VEX® Robotics, based in Texas, has a robust fulfillment and customer service operation to deliver equipment to schools promptly.
- Kits include most, and in some cases all, of the same components needed to participate in competitions, thereby lowering the cost of participating in these great opportunities.
A Five-Year Transition for Current Schools
Given that most schools have already invested in fischertechnik (FT) equipment, PLTW has developed a five-year plan for current schools to provide time for planning at the school level to make this transition. Please see below a high-level overview of the five-year timeline, and also be sure to review the detailed version in the fact sheet. During that five-year period, importantly, we remind everyone that the current, FT-based course materials represent the finest thinking of the PLTW curriculum team and will continue to support high-quality PLTW programs.
Timeline
To ensure a smooth transition, PLTW will introduce the VEX® platform in two phases. Schools can transition to the VEX® platform at their own pace throughout a multi-year process, with a consistent focus on the students' educational experiences. Below is a summary. It is also extremely important that you review the detailed fact sheet.
Phase 1: The Next Three Academic Years (Now through 2013-14)
- Curriculum: A single version of the curriculum will be available showcasing the use of both the VEX® and FT equipment platforms. Regardless of equipment platform, annual curriculum releases will cover the same course concepts and student learning objectives.
- Training: Each course will have a single version of Core Training designed to focus on course concepts and pedagogy while preparing teachers to use either equipment platform. Online training will be available as current schools transition to the VEX® platform. Online supplemental resources will also be available for schools continuing to use the FT platform.
- Assessment: The same end of course assessments will apply regardless of equipment platform.
- Ordering and Fulfillment: These procedures will be the same for the VEX® and FT platforms.
New schools and existing schools that are implementing GTT, POE, DE or CIM for the first time are required to purchase the VEX® platform. Existing schools continuing with those courses may transition to the VEX® platform or remain with FT.
Phase 2: 2014-15 and 2015-16 Academic Years
- Curriculum: Schools can use the VEX® platform and teach the then current annual curriculum release or continue to use the FT platform and teach the 2013-14 curriculum release. Note: PLTW will only update the annual curriculum releases for courses based on the VEX® platform.
- Training: Each course will have a single version of Core Training based on the current annual curriculum release. The VEX®/ROBOTC® platform will be the only platform utilized during training. Online supplemental resources will also be available for schools continuing to use the FT platform.
- Assessment: If significant differences exist between annual curriculum releases, separate end of course assessments will be available.
- Ordering and Fulfillment: FT kits will no longer be available for purchase through PLTW.
Again, it is extremely important that schools read the full fact sheet for complete details. Programming Software
PLTW is also collaborating with Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Academy, which delivers high-quality, education-friendly software and curricular solutions. The ROBOTC® software provides students with an industry standard development environment that has been optimized for education. The Robotics Academy also delivers an exceptional range of support resources based on educational and industry research and best practices. The ROBOTC® software will be the programming software for all VEX® kits. Please see the detailed fact sheet for full details.
Order, Exchange and Upgrade Info - Ordering: Given that we are still in the process of ensuring all schools are aware of this transition, every order received for FT is not fulfilled until we've contacted the school to be sure it is aware of the transition. We will continue with this practice at least through September 2011.
- Exchange: If you have unopened, unused POE, GTT or DE FT kits and would like to return them for account credit to be used towards equivalent VEX® kits, please call 877-335-PLTW (7589) or email ProductSales@pltw.org.
- Upgrade: For PLTW Schools that have already purchased VEX® Classroom Lab Kits (CLK), PLTW and VEX® have developed upgrade kits for both GTT and POE. These upgrade kits will provide you with all of the necessary parts to transform each of your VEX® Classroom Lab Kits (with either PIC or Cortex) into a GTT VEX® Kit or POE VEX® Kit. Please see the Purchasing Manual for full details.
In Closing
Please take some time to understand the key points in this email and also to review the VEX® Robotics Equipment and ROBOTC® Software Transition Fact Sheet. There is a lot of important information and we will be happy to talk with schools in one-on-one calls to answer any questions. Please call us at 877-335-PLTW (7589) or email SchoolRelations@pltw.org with questions or to schedule a call. |
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End of Course Assessments:
Updates & Reminders
| | The PLTW End of Course spring testing cycle opened on April 15 and will remain open through June 30. As this cycle is underway, we'd like to alert you to the following:
- Updates: HBS and MI now have a Part A assessment accessible through the Online Assessment System. Part A Content Maps are available on the PLTW Extranet, in the Materials section. The Content Maps tie curriculum topics to the test material.
- Reminders:
> All students must be rostered in the Assessment System prior to test day.
> Post-growth Assessments need to be administered if you delivered the Pre-assessment. A Growth Assessment Survey and email reminder was sent on April 14 to those schools that participated in the Fall/Winter Pre-growth Assessments. Please be sure to review the email and complete the survey.
Special Survey for PTE and GTT Teachers
All PTE and GTT teachers were recently sent the Virginia Tech Teacher Self-Efficacy research survey via email. We believe that this research is beneficial to the PLTW program as we have limited information as to how demographic, pre-service and in-service factors may enhance or inhibit the self-efficacy of PLTW teachers. We are optimistic the results of this study will assist us in providing practicing PLTW teachers with a stronger support system. We would be greatly appreciative if you would take about 15 minutes of your time to complete this confidential survey. Take survey. |
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New York Bid Process Update
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Unlike in years past, a bidding process for PLTW items, based on local New York processes, has not yet been completed at this time; and whether it is going to happen and in what timetable remains uncertain.
As such, please plan that the Purchasing Manual will remain marked, by item, as it currently is, which doesn't not include any items that have gone for competitive bid, and make your purchasing plans accordingly. The Sole Source notices remain the same and we can provide the related documentation upon request as in the past.
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Your To-Do List: Reminders for Schools
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Submit Your Purchase Orders
To ensure timely delivery for fall PLTW classes, visit the Purchasing Manual to order your equipment, supplies and software. Contact Product Sales if you have questions or need assistance.
Register New Schools and Programs
District Delegates: If you have schools in your district that are implementing a PLTW program for the first time in the 2011-12 school year, you need to add them to the PLTW Extranet. Also, if you have existing schools that will be adding a new program, you will need to update these schools with their new program in the Extranet. Contact School Relations if you have any questions or need assistance.
Make Sure Your District Agreement is Signed
- In order for your teachers to receive access to Summer 2011 Core Training registration, your PLTW Agreement must be signed by your district.
- If your district was granted provisional status in order to register teachers for Core Training, you must submit your agreement by May 1 for your teachers to keep their seats for training.
- For all other districts, the deadline is June 30. However, seats are limited so don't delay.
- Contact School Relations if you have questions or need assistance.
Register Your Teachers
District Delegates must add teachers to the PLTW Extranet in order for them to take the necessary Pre-assessments and register for Core Training.
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