Claflin University Start-Partnership for Improving Mathematics and Science (CUSP-IMS)

克拉夫林大学提高数学和科学能力的START伙伴关系(CUSP-IMS)的重点是在南卡罗来纳州发展可持续的基础设施和综合方法的模式，以加深学生的概念知识并提高他们在数学和科学方面的成绩。这一合作伙伴关系将克拉夫林大学和沃里斯学院(这两所大学都是为少数族裔服务的机构)的科学、技术、工程、数学和教育教职员工和研究人员与奥兰治堡综合学区5区和班贝格学区2的公立学校教育工作者和课程开发人员结合在一起，这两个学区位于南卡罗来纳州服务最匮乏的地区之一的农村环境中。CUSP-IMS项目正在加强克拉夫林大学和Voorhees学院与当地学区的现有合作，并扩大合作伙伴关系，将更多为少数族裔服务的学院和大学以及非城市、服务不足的学区包括在内。该项目正在探索创造性和变革性的战略，以建立一种有凝聚力的伙伴关系，设计、实施和评估将数学与科学相结合的课程材料，并使教师具备必要的教学和教学知识，以便有效地使用这些材料。利用MSP-START伙伴关系规划期进行需求评估，并为一系列活动设计战略计划，其中包括：1)审查现有小学科学和数学课程和课堂经验及其与项目目标一致的程度；2)评估教师最重要的专业发展需求，特别是与数学和科学内容有关的需求；3)开发评估工具，以提高伙伴关系机构服务的农村社区小学生的科学和数学成绩；4)评估地区伙伴实现项目目标的资源及其分配情况；以及5)建立一套工作指导方针和核心价值观，发展中的伙伴关系将以此为基础运作。对CUSP-IMS的评价正在使用定性和定量的方法，以记录制定可持续伙伴关系模式的过程，以及准备制定一个全面的以MSP为目标的伙伴关系项目。

The Claflin University Start Partnership for Improving Mathematics and Science (CUSP-IMS) is focusing on development of a sustainable infrastructure and a model for an integrative approach to deepen students' conceptual knowledge and improve their achievement in mathematics and science at the elementary school level in South Carolina. The partnership brings together science, technology, engineering, mathematics and education faculty and researchers at Claflin University and Voorhees College (both of which are minority-serving institutions) with public school educators and curriculum developers in Orangeburg Consolidated School District 5 and Bamberg School District 2, located in rural settings in one of the most underserved regions in South Carolina. The CUSP-IMS project is enhancing Claflin University's and Voorhees College's existing collaborations with local school districts, as well as expanding the partnership to include additional minority-serving colleges and universities and non-urban, underserved school districts. The project is exploring creative and transformative strategies for building a cohesive partnership to design, implement, and evaluate curricular materials that integrate mathematics with science, and to prepare teachers with the necessary pedagogical and content knowledge to use the materials effectively. The MSP-Start Partnership planning period is being used to conduct a needs assessment and design a strategic plan for a suite of activities that include, 1) review of existing elementary school science and mathematics curricula and classroom experiences and the extent of their alignment with project goals; 2) assessment of teachers' most critically important professional development needs, particularly as they relate to mathematics and science content; 3) development of evaluation tools that will improve the science and mathematics achievement of elementary school students in the rural communities served by the partnering institutions; 4) evaluation of the district partners' resources to achieve the project goals and how they are being distributed; and 5) establishment of a set of working guidelines and core values from which the developing partnership will operate. The evaluation of the CUSP-IMS is using qualitative and quantitative approaches to document the process of developing a sustainable partnership model, and the readiness to develop a full MSP-Targeted Partnership project.