Bear Lake Middle School demonstrates its commitment to Standard 9: Fairness & Access by actively supporting all learners, including nontraditional (NT) and historically underserved (HU) student populations in STEM program areas. This commitment is evident through structured, monitored, and consistent strategies that ensure equitable access and success for all students.

undefinedSystematic Implementation

undefinedStructured

Bear Lake Middle School employs a variety of formal strategies, resources, tools, and initiatives to address barriers that NT and HU students face in STEM education.

As a Title 1 school, targeted interventions and support are provided to ensure equity in STEM opportunities. The school employs a wide variety of formal strategies, resources, tools and initiatives to support all students.  For example,  targeted interventions programs provide after-school tutoring programs, mentorship opportunities, and dedicated paraprofessionals during mentor classes. In addition, paraprofessionals receive training to support STEM projects effectively, such as assisting students with coding tasks or math challenges. These efforts are monitored and adjusted based on data from MAP and ISAT assessments​.

Outreach efforts to increase access for NT/HU populations include partnerships with community organizations and local universities. For example,  Engineering Day for Girls (Artifact #2), hosted in collaboration with Idaho National Laboratory (INL), focuses on inspiring young women to explore engineering careers. During the event, students engage with female STEM professionals, participate in hands-on engineering challenges, and learn about real-world applications of STEM. One participant shared, "Meeting women engineers helped me see that I can succeed in this field too."

Another example of our structured approach to ensuring access to high quality STEM experience  for ALL students is the the STEM Club (Artifact #3),  This club serves as an inclusive space where students explore cross-disciplinary STEM projects, such as designing robotics challenges and coding environmental solutions. Students collaborate across cultural and linguistic backgrounds, often integrating language skills learned in Spanish Club into their projects. For instance, one team programmed a bilingual coding project focused on community recycling awareness​.

Bear Lake Middle School actively pursues grant funding (Artifact #4) to ensure equitable access to STEM education for students from low-income backgrounds. Recent grant awards have supported initiatives such as providing classroom Chromebooks, STEM activity kits, and funding for after-school STEM clubs. These resources eliminate financial barriers that might prevent students from engaging in hands-on STEM learning. For example, a recent technology grant allowed the school to purchase robotics kits, enabling all students to participate in coding and engineering challenges without additional costs to families. By leveraging these grants, the school creates opportunities for NT and HU populations to fully engage in STEM education, fostering a culture of inclusion and innovation.

undefinedMonitored

Program leaders continuously analyze participation rates and outcomes to ensure NT and HU populations have equitable access to STEM programs.

Participation Data Analysis:

●      For Title 1 programs, data is tracked to ensure a balanced representation of students from all demographics. Regular reviews guide outreach strategies, such as targeted invitations for underrepresented students in STEM events (Artifact #1).

●      Engineering Challenges collects pre- and post-class surveys to measure changes in student interest and confidence in STEM fields- measuring their mindset (Artifact #5).

Performance Monitoring: STEM Club attendance and project completion rates are monitored. Leadership uses this data to identify barriers and implement solutions, such as scheduling flexibility or providing resources for students facing economic challenges.

Feedback Mechanisms: Feedback loops ensure that programs remain student-focused. STEM Club members regularly present their projects during assemblies or family STEM nights, receiving constructive feedback from peers, parents, and faculty.

undefinedConsistent Implementation

Bear Lake Middle School cultivates a culture of inclusivity and growth where all students develop a strong STEM identity.

●      Celebrating STEM Successes: Student accomplishments are highlighted during school-wide events and social media posts, showcasing diverse success stories. For example, the STEM Club’s water filtration project was featured during a community STEM night, reinforcing that students from all backgrounds can tackle real-world challenges​.

●      Integrating Real-World Problem Solving: The school prioritizes real-world, culturally relevant STEM challenges. For example, during a recent cross-curricular project, students worked in diverse teams (SpEd, 504, etc) to design dioramas illustrating sustainable solutions for local water management issues. These projects not only aligned with curriculum goals but also reflected the students’ community and environment​.

●      Fostering Student Agency: By embedding the Engineering Design Process (EDP) across disciplines, students are encouraged to think critically, collaborate, and iterate. This approach helps all students, including those from NT and HU populations, develop resilience and confidence in STEM learning.