Upcoming Curriculum Revisions 

During this academic year the PLTW Curriculum and Instruction Team will be making updates to the Introduction to Engineering Design (IED) and Principles of the Biomedical Sciences (PBS) courses.

We have received constructive feedback from our network regarding both courses and will also reach out to students to gather their views. These strategic improvements will enhance each of these popular foundation courses in a meaningful way.

We will also be evaluating and improving the VEX Robotics/ROBOTC and Vernier/Logger Pro materials in our courses based on the feedback from our network. As in the past, enhancements to all PLTW courses will continue to be based on responses from our network.

If you have comments or questions for the Curriculum and Instruction Team on any PLTW course, contact Sam Cox.

Assessment Update: Resources & Dates

• 2011-12 Part A and Part C Concept Maps for all courses
• PLTW IEP Accommodation Form
• PLTW Online Technical Specifications
• PLTW EoC Assessment Rules and Guidelines
• PLTW Item Review Form (available for Part C only in CIM, IED, DE, BE and PBS)

Availability of PLTW Marketing Materials

With student recruitment for the 2012-13 school year soon to be underway (if not already), we would like to update you on the availability of PLTW marketing materials.

The following items are available on the Marketing Materials page in the Program Support section of the PLTW website:

• Bi-fold pamphlets for each program (Gateway to Technology, Pathway To Engineering and Biomedical Sciences) may be ordered online or downloaded.
• Customizable Curriculum Templates to highlight the courses offered at a school may be downloaded.
• Recruitment posters, brochures and the Welcome to the Innovation Zone video are available in downloadable zip files.
• The PLTW Overview document is up-to-date and may be downloaded.

Improper Use of Protected PLTW Materials

The PLTW STEM Agreement and Program Requirements between a school district or institution and PLTW expressly states that no PLTW curricular or assessment materials may be posted on an unsecured Internet page or Extranet site.

Why does PLTW need to be vigilant about enforcement of this policy?

PLTW is a public charity that is committed to improving the quality and success of STEM education for our students and has made a significant investment in curricular and assessment materials (which would include items such as the curriculum, teacher training materials, assessments, answer keys and all other such materials) in order to achieve this mission. These materials are developed in accordance with rigorous standards.

If PLTW curricular and assessment materials are not appropriately protected, this would:

• Compromise the integrity of these materials.
• Increase costs.
• Impair the viability of the PLTW STEM Education Program and PLTW's charitable mission.

If a teacher or school has posted these PLTW materials on the Internet so that they are accessible to the public, they must be removed immediately.

Thank you for your attention and understanding. If you would like to discuss alternatives for providing students with access to materials or, have any questions or concerns about this policy, please contact School Support at (877) 335-7589.

PLTW Engagement Team Announcement

We are proud to announce the addition of Arvetta Jideonwo as Vice President and Director of Grant Development. She will help develop meaningful and sustaining philanthropic relationships for PLTW. Arvetta has a distinguished history of working with high-performing teams and organizations to develop relationships and secure grants to support and advance organizational growth.

In recent years, she secured more than $12 million dollars in grant funding while presenting and publishing on the topic of grant development at the national level.

Before joining PLTW, Arevtta served as Director of Grant Development and Procurement for Ivy Tech Community College, the nation's largest community college system. She is a credentialed grant professional and a national board member for the National Grant Professionals Professional Certification Institute, the credentialing arm of the Grant Professional Association.

Arvetta has an M.S. degree from Indiana University and a B.S. degree from Indiana State University.

Reminders: Counselor Conferences, Extranet Updates, Software Orders and Program Registration 

Counselor Conferences 

A PLTW Counselor Conference is a professional development opportunity designed to inform school counselors, post-secondary advisors, principals, teachers and school administrators about PLTW's STEM Education program and provide information to help encourage students to enroll in PLTW courses.

Schools that have implemented a PLTW program are required to send at least one advisor/counselor to a Counselor Conference every year. We highly recommend that schools send all of their advisors/counselors to at least one conference.

Visit the Counselor Conference page for dates and locations. Registration is handled by the host institution.

Additional dates and locations will be added as they become available. For more information, contact the host institution or Laura Greenaway.

PLTW Extranet Updates
Your assistance in maintaining accurate school and district information in the PLTW Extranet is important and greatly appreciated.

Delegates

• Check your district's and schools' information in the PLTW Extranet.
• Make any necessary school deactivation requests, teacher removal requests and contact information updates for the district and all registered schools.

Teachers

• Update your email address and phone number (if necessary).
• Indicate the courses you will be instructing during the 2011-12 academic year.

If you have any questions or need assistance, contact the School Support Team.

Software Orders If you haven't ordered the software needed for your PLTW courses, we recommend you do so as soon as possible. 

• Schools offering Pathway To Engineering courses should contact their Authorized Autodesk Reseller to order the required Autodesk software for the 2011-12 school year. More information on the required software for the courses you're offering is available in the Additional Resources section of the PLTW Purchasing Manual page. 
• Schools offering POE, CIM, AE and/or the AR unit of GTT with the VEX Robotics platform should place their order for the ROBOTC software licenses as soon as possible by using the form on the ROBOTC tab of either the ENGR Vendor Workbook or GTT Vendor Workbook on the PLTW Purchasing Manual Web page. ROBOTC orders should not be placed on any purchase orders. Download and installation instructions will be emailed to the designated contact(s). Please allow three weeks to complete this process.

New School and Program Registration 

New school and program registration for the 2012-13 school year opened on Thursday, September 8.

District Delegates

• District Delegates now may login to the Delegate Console of the PLTW Extranet to add new schools or new curricular programs (Pathway To Engineering, Biomedical Sciences, or Gateway To Technology) to their districts.
• The deadline for adding new schools and programs from within the PLTW Extranet is June 30, 2012.
• However, it is recommended that new schools and programs are added by March 15, 2012 when Core Training registration opens so that teachers may reserve seats at the training sessions of their choice.

Schools

• If you do not know your District Delegate, use the PLTW School Locator to obtain your delegate's contact information.
• If you know of districts or schools that wish to implement a PLTW program for the 2012-13 school year:
• Refer them to the online registration process for new school districts and the Getting Started page for resources and information.
• Provide the contact information for their Regional Director who can answer questions and coordinate support through the State Leadership Team.

A New School Press Release Template is available for schools implementing a new PLTW program. By completing this template with school information, schools have a ready-made tool to promote their programs to local media outlets.