Texas STEM Education Toolkit: Implementation Tools

Purpose of the Tool:

This instructional planning guide provides educators with best practices for developing STEM curricular units, lessons, and activities. This guide is designed to help facilitate the curriculum development process. The structure embedded within this guide promotes the development of student knowledge and skills through engagement in an inquiry-based integrated unit that culminates with an engineering design challenge. The provided templates are meant to be used as an example and can be adapted to meet the needs and abilities of students.

STEM Instructional Planning Guide (PDF)

Purpose of the Tool:

When science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines combine to form STEM, a common approach is to promote STEM as an integrated concept that removes boundaries between disciplines and focuses on the connections between fields. The term integration is an overarching term that has a variety of meanings and may be associated with terms such as multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, cross-disciplinary, or transdisciplinary. Although these approaches have their own unique format and framework, an overarching commonality is the idea that disciplinary concepts and skills are linked. This tool provides an overview, definitions, and examples of integration types and strategies.

Integration Strategies (PDF)

Purpose of the Tool:

Use this eye of integration graphic organizer to assist in planning integrated STEM learning experiences. Complete the diagram by identifying the TEKS-aligned content and STEM fluency skills that are connected to the STEM lesson, unit, or project.

Integration Planning Graphic Organizer (PDF) (PDF)

Purpose of the Tool:

The process of transitioning to integrated STEM teaching and learning at the organizational, school, and/or classroom level involves a well-thought-out plan that is implemented over an extended period of time. Whether students are being introduced to STEM in pre-kindergarten or at the high school level, the skills involved in STEM thinking and learning are developed over time through deliberate instructional choices. This tool provides an overview of how educators can scaffold STEM teaching and learning experiences through a progression from the beginning stages of STEM learning to more complex implementation.

STEM Teaching and Learning Progression (PDF) (PDF)

Purpose of this Collection of STEM One-Pagers:

The STEM one-pagers support an understanding of key concepts in STEM education. These resources can be used to communicate STEM concepts in the science Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) to students, educators, and the community. 

Engineering Design Process (PDF)

Engineering Design Components and Evaluation Process (PDF)

Recurring Themes and Concepts (PDF)

Claims, Evidence, and Reasoning (CER) (PDF)

Purpose of the Tool:

When creating and designing integrated STEM curricular activities, reflection is a crucial step in the design process, as it provides a means of improving the design for future iterations. Reflective practice is also an important aspect of educator development and can assist in driving future instructional decisions, as well as improving teaching practice. This tool provides guidance for teacher reflection after the implementation of STEM activities either as an individual educator or in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)/teams. The provided questions and reflection template can be used to initiate self-reflection and/or reflective conversations among collaborators regarding planning processes, instruction during STEM activities, assessments including performance based, and the resulting student learning outcomes.

STEM Curricular Planning and Implementation Reflection for Teachers (PDF)

Purposes of the Tool:

This qualitative tool provides guidance for quick feedback to an instructor during an observation when STEM activities are being implemented in the classroom. “Look-fors” are aligned with the Instructional Planning Guide located on the TEA STEM Webpage. This tool is an informal formative assessment that can be used for individualized coaching and feedback, as well as STEM program documentation and assessment of program goals/outcomes as it relates to STEM teaching and learning.

STEM Walkthrough Tool (PDF)

Purpose of the Tool:

The STEM Fidelity of Implementation Rubric is for use by individuals who are responsible for monitoring school-level implementation of STEM. This analytic rubric is aligned with the high-quality indicators identified on the PK-20 STEM Framework. The performance levels differentiate between the stages of a STEM program. After completing the rubric, districts will complete the scorecard and identify areas of strength and opportunities for STEM program growth. This tool can be used to gather baseline data for a district/campus, evaluate the effectiveness of local STEM programming, and used yearly to reevaluate progress toward targeted goals.

STEM Fidelity of Implementation Tool (PDF)

Purpose of the Tool:

The process of transitioning to integrated STEM teaching and learning at the organizational, school, and/or classroom level involves a well-thought-out plan that is implemented over an extended period of time. Whether students are being introduced to STEM in pre-kindergarten or at the high school level, the skills involved in STEM thinking and learning are developed over time through deliberate instructional choices. This tool provides an overview of how educators can scaffold STEM teaching and learning experiences through a progression from the beginning stages of STEM learning to more complex implementation.

STEM Teaching and Learning Progression (PDF)

Purpose of the Tool:

Content area fluency is an important aspect of integrated STEM Education. In addition, integrated STEM education also includes a fluency in the skills associated with career readiness and workforce development. This tool provides an overview of the skills associated with integrated STEM education, a rubric that provides a framework of skills for each level of development, and examples of what those skills might look like in a classroom.

STEM Fluency Rubric

Purpose of the Tool:

These sample statements can be used to create customized surveys at the local level to assess teachers’ interest in STEM. Copy and paste statements into the survey tool of your choice. The statements below have been grouped for your convenience. The statements below are designed to be used with a Likert Scale like the one below.

Teacher Survey (PDF)

Purpose of the Tool:

TThese sample statements can be used to create customized surveys at the local level to assess students’ interest in STEM. Copy and paste statements into the survey tool of your choice. The statements below have been grouped for your convenience. The statements below are designed to be used with a Likert Scale like the one below.

Student Survey (PDF)

Purpose of the Tool:

These sample statements can be used to create customized surveys at the local level to assess families’ interest in STEM. Copy and paste statements into the survey tool of your choice. The statements below have been grouped for your convenience. The statements below are designed to be used with a Likert Scale like the one below.

Family Survey (PDF)