STEMscopes has greatly helped me implement engaging, exploratory, hands-on activities to aid my science lessons.  Instead of "old school' teaching techniques, that heavily utilize boring science books and comprehension questions, this curriculum provides teachers with fully prepared 5E lessons that dissect the TEKS so thoroughly that upon completion of the lesson cycle, the students are literally experts on that particular topic.  It encompasses technology resources, literature resources, virtual investigations (my favorite), intervention lessons, enrichment lessons (concept builders), of course the hands-on science experiments and much, much more!  While attending the 1-year training, I found myself excited to teach Science using this new curriculum and I noticed how my excitement spilled over to my student’s enjoyment of Science as well.  I was skeptical at first that this new technique, which allowed my students all this freedom to explore, would result in chaos and behavioral issues.  However, once I applied the teaching strategies and began to implement these lessons on a daily basis, I saw how the opposite occurred.  Students were more engaged and were now taking an active role in their learning.  Thus, they were more on task and even my more challenging students became involved so negative behaviors were greatly reduced.  All in all, this curriculum is truly at the heart of constructivist teaching and allows your classroom to be transformed into a student-lead environment, which best practices agree, takes student's learning to an optimal level!  I can't wait for STEMscopes 2.0 to be released!

Rice University’s STEMscopes program has definitely had a positive impact on science education in Waller, Texas.  My name is Sharon Wilder and I am the K12 Science Coordinator for Waller ISD.  We have used STEMscopes on our five elementary campuses for the past several years.  This past year we added our two middle school campuses.  It is difficult to provide data to show evidence of the positive impact on student learning because this is the first year of the STAAR test.  However, when we look at the raw score data released by the Texas Education Agency for STAAR testing in 2012, Waller outperformed the state in science categories.   We were very pleased with the results!  In my opinion the STEMscopes program is effective because it not only provides content information for the teachers but also embeds the use of technology for the teachers and the students.  It encourages the use of inquiry-based, hands-on activities by providing examples of those activities.  The program seems to get better each year with new features added and existing features improved.  I would recommend the use STEMscopes to any district with a need to improve their science program.

Thanks so much for creating STEMscopes.  We know that the teacher is the key to classroom success, but you also have to put the right tools in the teachers' hands. STEMscopes is the right tool.  There is a positive correlation between teachers who implement STEMscopes fully in their classroom and student success. STEMscopes has positively impacted our district and provides the resources a teacher needs to boost student achievement. You have an awesome program, and your diligence in creating this product is evident.  I look forward to seeing the new creations you are providing.