Engineering Site Visit Guide

Engineering: Document 8: Site Visit Guide

District Name: Name of Campus/School:

Campus/School Street City State Zip Code: Address Name of Person Completing this Report: Affiliation/Title:

I. Program Implementation

A. Instruction (required) Yes No Usually 1. The current version of curriculum is being used. 2. Teacher shared evidence of accessing end-of-course assessments. B. Student Portfolios (required) 1. Student portfolios and engineering notebooks meet or exceed PLTW requirements (see Document #3). C. Software (required) 1. Current software revisions are being used for all PLTW courses (see Document #4). 2. Software lease agreement is current (copy available at site visit). D. Facility and Equipment (required) 1. There is adequate space and equipment to teach the PLTW courses offered. (See Document #3). E. Teacher Qualification 1. Evidence of some thoughtful selection criteria was used to identify and recruit teachers for the PLTW courses. 2. There is evidence of teacher “buy-in” of the PLTW program. I. Notes or comments:

A. Counselors (required) Yes No Usually 1. At least one on site counselor has attended a PLTW Conference. 2. Counselors have accessed the PLTW or state affiliate website for college and program information. B. Teachers (required) 1. Evidence of successful completion of a Core Training Session for each course taught. 2. Evidence of participation in the Virtual Academy. 3. Evidence of attending course update training (Core Training Session or Virtual Academy) if training was more than five years ago. C. Administration 1. At least one school level administrator has attended a PLTW conference. II. Notes/comments:

III. Partnership Team

A. Membership (required) Yes No Usually 1. Includes members from business/industry. 2. Membership is diverse in terms of industry and education roles. 3. Interview was conducted with at least one member. B. Frequency (required) 1. Agendas from at least two previous meetings. 2. Calendar or dates of next two meetings. C. Minutes (required) 1. Minutes from the two most recent meetings were available. D. Administrative Support 1. Site and district level administrators and counselors are actively engaged with the partnership team. III. Notes/comments:

A. Diversity Yes No Usually 1. PLTW program enrollment reflects school diversity. 2. School has strategy for improving diversity if needed. B. Equity 1. Percent of females enrolled in PLTW classes. % 2. School has strategy for increasing female enrollment if needed. C. Selection and Recruitment 1. School has policy/plans which allow all students access to PLTW courses. D. Concurrent Mathematics (required) 1. Students interviewed are enrolled in college preparatory mathematics. 2. Counselors interviewed understand mathematics requirements. E. Retention 1. Retention rates are adequate to sustain higher level courses (see Document #2). F. Matriculation 1. Students interviewed had a four year plan of study or knew which academic and PLTW courses they needed to graduate and be prepared for post secondary study. 2. Students interviewed were aware of state and local universities and colleges that offered programs in engineering or engineering technology. IV. Notes/comments:

V. Student Assessment

A. End of Course Assessment (required) Yes No Usually 1. Verify that teachers are properly rostering students and administering the end-of-course exam at the conclusion of each PLTW course. 2. Inspect student final exam grade report summary to see if there is a normal distribution of grades. B. Data Collection (required)

Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2012-Updated 9/18/12 Pathway to Engineering: Document 8: Site Visit Guide – Page 3 1. Evidence was given to verify that teachers and students are participating in PLTW end-of-course assessments.

V. Notes/comments:

VI. Administrative Support

A. Facility and Equipment (required) Yes No Usually 1. Verify that teachers have laptops that meet or exceed PLTW specifications. 2. Adequate classroom/laboratory space is provided for students to participate in the PLTW curriculum. B. Funding and Budget 1. Site Level Support: Teachers receive adequate support for the PLTW program, including but not limited to release time and budget allocation (based upon teacher interviews). 2. District Level Support: Teachers receive adequate support for their PLTW program, including but not limited to release time and budget allocation (based upon teacher interviews). 3. Sustainability plan is in place to ensure program longevity. VI. Notes/comments:

VII. Post Secondary

A. Student Plans of Study Yes No Usually 1. A system is in place to help each student develop a program of study which extends beyond high school. (Based on interviews with students, counselors and teachers.) B. Local and State Articulation 1. Counselors, teachers and students are aware of the articulation agreements between the school and local/state post secondary institutions.

VIII. Communication & Outreach

A. Awareness Yes No Usually 1. School counselors have made students and parents aware of the program. 2. The partnership team has made the community aware of the program. 3. Teachers have made the community aware of the program. 4. Administrators have made the community aware of the program. B. Recruitment 1. There is a system in place to identify, encourage, and recruit a diverse group of students. 2. Teachers and counselors work together to build enrollment. 3. Site and district level administration supports the work done to recruit students. C. Celebration 1. Student and program successes are being celebrated and recognized within the school. 2. Student and program successes are being celebrated and recognized outside the school. (example – newspaper articles) VIII. Notes/comments: