In 2007 Connecticut joined the ITEA, CATTS Consortium of states (CT,FL,GA,IL,KY,MD,MO,NC,ND,NH,OH,OK,PA,TN and TX). Membership in the consortium was funded through a NSF grant awarded to the Connecticut Community Colleges' College of Technology's Regional Center for Next Generation Manufacturing to be directed by the Connecticut Department of Education office of Technology Education and Engineering.
In June of 2008, the first Connecticut districts in the CT-EbD Network sent their teachers for training in the courses they would be offering in when the 2008-2009 school year began.
The International Technology Education Association’s Engineering ByDesign™ (EbD™) program is a K‐12 solution for states, school districts and schools wanting to deliver technological literacy through science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM.) In only the second year of existence, EbD™now includes over fifty participating schools nationwide. The EbD™Network links schools and teachers that believe that the ingenuity of children is untapped, unrealized potential, that properly motivated, will lead to the next generation of technologists, innovators, designers, and engineers.
ITEA’s Center to Advance the Teaching of Technology and Science has developed the only standards‐based national model for Grades K‐12 that delivers Technological Literacy. Engineering byDesign™is a national Model Program that was developed in with the collaboration and leadership of a consortium of states, the Technology Education Advisory Council, ITEA Institutional Members, and the Science, Mathematics and Engineering Community. The model, called Engineering byDesign™is built on the Standards for Technological Literacy (ITEA); Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM); and Project 2061, Benchmarks for Science Literacy (AAAS). Built on the constructivist model, students participating in the program will be learning concepts and principles in an authentic, problem‐based environment. The intent of the program is related to the development of Technological Literacy for students in Grades K‐12, and delivered in the context of Technology, Innovation, Design and Engineering (TIDE.)
What are the Goals of the Engineering byDesign™Program?
Provide a standards‐based K‐12 program that ensures that all students are technologically literate,
Provide opportunities for all students without regard to gender or ethnic origin,
Provide clear standards and expectations for increasing student achievement in math, science and technology
Provide leadership and support that will produce continuous improvement and innovation in the program.
Restore America's status as the leader in innovation
Provide a program that constructs learning from a very early age and culminates in a capstone experience that leads students to become the next generation of technologists, innovators, designers, and engineers.
Why should I be interested in the Engineering byDesign™(EbD™ Network?
The EbD™Network consists of teacher pioneers that collaborate through synchronous and asynchronous professional learning communities to implement the program on a national level. As a participant in the EbD™Network, teachers and schools collaborate to understand the complexities of student learning and join forces to help all students succeed and be prepared for the global society in which they will grow up. Teachers receive a series of training opportunities that prepare them in advance of implementing the program. The opportunities provide the technical expertise needed and the content knowledge required so that students in these schools will achieve the highest gains on EbD™and standardized assessments (local and state.)
The EbD™Network Believes that:All students can learn,
Diversity enhances the creativity of teams and individuals,
Collaborative teams that work to solve technological problems achieve better solutions and more reliable results,
Increasing student achievement relies on providing students with standards‐based opportunities that are standards‐based, problem‐based, and solved in an environment that provides an authentic environment, Authentic learning will increase all students’ achievement in mathematics, science, and English.
What does it mean to be a part of the EbD™Network?
Members of the EbD™Network receive resources and professional development opportunities that address specific needs in the areas of technological literacy, mathematics, science, and engineering. Through synchronous and asynchronous professional learning opportunities, teachers work together to elevate student achievement that will guarantee a technologically literate student that uses mathematics, science and engineering to develop solutions to authentic technological problems. Teachers participating in the network commit to the following strategic components of the Network:
1. Implement the identified course (from within the program) as it was developed,
2. Offer at least one class of the course during their teaching schedule in the identified year,
3. Actively participate in the opportunities for professional development,
4. Offer the EbD™online assessment to the students in the identified class
5. Actively utilize the data to improve instruction and ultimately student achievement.
What are the criteria to be a member of the EbD™Network?
There are 4 requirements of the EbD™Network. 1. Schools apply to the EbD™Network using the one‐page application process at www.engineeringbydesign.org . The school’s principal and teacher must sign the application and send it to the address noted on the form. Applications are accepted between April 1st and November 1st (exceptions made on a case by case basis.)
2. Schools agree to deliver the identified courses as they were written, covering the content using the units and lessons provided in the identified EbD™Course Guides. Professional development will be offered both at the ITEA Annual Conference and online at eTIDEonline. Teachers agree to enroll and actively engage in the professional development opportunities and to be an active participant in the EbD™Network professional learning community. There are no costs for the 4 identified schools in each consortium state for the professional development. Costs associated with travel, substitutes, and internet connectivity is the responsibility of the school/school system.
3. Schools agree to have students participate in the EbD™Network eTIDEonline Assessment program. Schools will not be required to share student names. Data will be collected in isolation of names in compliance with privacy requirements. Teachers will have access to scores and be able to identify students through their own coding system.
4. Schools agree to create and sustain an EbD™Collaboration Team. The team consists of (but is not limited to) representatives from the technology, mathematics, science, engineering, and counseling departments in the school, as well as a minimum of 1 or 2 representatives from the community (PTA/engineering communities).
What is eTIDEonline and how does it work?
eTIDEonline is an online professional learning community where teachers in training or implementing the Engineering byDesign™courses are able to access resources and coordinate strategies to improve student achievement. It is the method by which teachers from across the country (in some 65 schools) that are participating in the pilot communicate regarding instructional strategies, and development of resources to deliver the course. eTIDEonline is hosted on a Moodle® server, where participants are provided access to each course they are committed to implementing. Once online, teachers work together to pilot lessons from the course, share exemplars of student work (example of student work that illustrate above target, at target, and below target) to gain consistency. In addition, teachers that develop resources to augment instruction share these resources electronically. Together, teachers are able to build an extensive standards‐based library of student exemplars and resources. Teachers participate, and engage others in online forums, blogs, and chat rooms. Schools participating in the EbD™Network are automatically enrolled once the EbD™Application and Agreement is signed by the teacher, principal and superintendent of the school district.
What are the sequence of events so that I can incorporate the opportunities into my school calendar?
The process is a two year process in order to plan ahead and receive the proper training to implement the program. Exceptions are made in situations where schools are interested in participating, the teachers in the schools are recognized as highly qualified, and the principal has identified the program as a means to achieving the school improvement plan. International Technology Education Association www.engineeringbydesign.org P a g e | 4
What is the Student Assessment and Design Challenge and how does it work?
The eTIDEonline student assessment is given at the end of the pilot year. The assessment has been built by experienced assessment writers from around the country. The assessment was developed by writers looking at the identified standards for each course, the content for each unit, and associated math/science standards that were to be covered. Schools that are part of the pilot are provided enough student seats for every child in the pilot class. Each assessment is divided into 3 parts. Part A and B are selected response questions. These questions have students interpreting scenarios, graphs, diagrams, etc that would have been covered in order to meet the identified standards. In addition to the knowledge section, students complete Part C ‐ a design challenge in groups of 3 or 4. Once complete, each student then answers questions based on the challenge.
What Courses make up the EbD offerings?
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