Utilize ESSER funds to support students in STEM
Due to the impact of the coronavirus on education, districts all over the country have been given funds from the federal government, like the Elementary and Secondary Education Emergency Relief Fund and the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund. These funds can be used in a variety of ways.
Elementary and Secondary Education Emergency Relief Fund
-
Purchasing educational technology (including hardware, software, connectivity, assistive technology, and adaptive equipment) for students that aids in regular and substantive educational interaction between students and their classroom instructors, including students from low-income families and children with disabilities
Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund
-
Providing access to high-quality digital learning content, apps, and tools that can deliver engaging and relevant learning experiences that are accessible to all students
-
Providing professional development and training for teachers on effective strategies for the delivery of remote and digital instruction.
It has been a particular challenge for teachers to support students in science where engagement in authentic inquiry is necessary. Inq-ITS is an AI-based STEM platform with real-time assessment and personalized learning. As students complete science investigations with our NGSS-aligned virtual labs, teachers obtain critical data on Teacher Alerts, a dashboard that is used in conjunction with Inq-ITS, providing them with actionable alerts regarding which students need help and how to help them.
Educator use of Inq-ITS and our Teacher Alerts have expanded widely since March 2020 with over 133% growth. In a research study led by our CEO, Dr. Janice Gobert, it was shown that students, including English Language Learners, either maintained or significantly improved their science inquiry competencies using Inq-ITS during this difficult time (Adair et al., 2021).
To learn more about purchasing Inq-ITS for your district, schedule a meeting.