Preparing STEM Majors to Become Highly-Qualified Chemistry and Physics High School Teachers

该项目通过使STEM专业的学生获得跨学科教学学位来解决南德克萨斯州地区高素质和认证的高中化学和物理教师严重短缺的问题;物理科学（化学和物理）的跨学科研究（BSIS）理学学士学位。在他们的学士学位的最后两年，20名有才华的STEM专业学生正在通过罗伯特·诺伊斯奖学金计划招募和支持，以获得具有教学认证的物理科学BSIS学位。据设想，一个严格的教师准备计划，如BSIS在物理科学，具有以下支持结构：竞争奖学金;指导;实地经验;以学生为中心的课堂环境;教育学院和科学学院的教职员工之间的密切合作;来自独立学区的大力支持;和一个结构化的入门课程，将导致生产和急需的高素质和认证的化学和物理教师谁将在南德克萨斯州地区的高需求学区教学保留。罗伯特·诺伊斯（Robert Noyce）的毕业生有望提供急需的领导力，使STEM教育更好地满足高中生的需求，兴趣和能力，从而增加在大学及以后的STEM中取得成功的青年人数。BSIS在物理科学是第一个基于大学的计划在格兰德河谷，旨在生产高中教师在化学和物理强大的内容准备，并具有足够的教学内容知识，认知和管理技能是有效和高效的科学教师。 包括Valley View独立学区，爱丁堡综合独立学区，南德克萨斯独立学区和Pharr-San Juan-Alamo独立学区在内的合作学区都是西班牙裔占主导地位的地区的高需求地区，他们的大多数学生都在他们的认证领域之外接受教师教授的化学和物理。

This project is addressing the acute shortage of highly-qualified and certified high school chemistry and physics teachers in the South Texas region by enabling STEM majors to obtain an interdisciplinary teaching degree; the Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies (BSIS) in Physical Sciences (Chemistry and Physics). Twenty talented STEM majors in the last two years of their baccalaureate are being recruited and supported through the Robert Noyce Scholarship Program to obtain BSIS degrees in Physical Sciences with teaching certification. It is envisioned that a rigorous teacher preparation program like the BSIS in Physical Science, with the following support structures: competitive scholarship; mentoring; field experiences; student-centered classroom environment; strong collaboration among College of Education and College of Science faculty and staff; strong support from independent school districts; and a structured induction program, will lead to the production and retention of much needed highly-qualified and certified chemistry and physics teachers who will be teaching in high-need school districts of the South Texas region. The Robert Noyce scholar-graduates are expected to provide the much needed leadership in making STEM education more responsive to the needs, interests, and abilities of high school students, thereby increasing the number of youths who are enabled for success in STEM at the University level and beyond. The BSIS in Physical Sciences is the first university-based program in the Rio Grande Valley designed to produce high school teachers with strong content preparation in Chemistry and Physics and with sufficient pedagogical content knowledge, cognitive, and management skills necessary to be effective and efficient science teachers. The partner school districts that include Valley View Independent School District, Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District, South Texas Independent School District, and the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District, are all high-need districts in a predominantly Hispanic region with the majority of their students taking chemistry and physics taught by teachers out of their area of certification.