The STEM Ambassador partnership between the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the STEM Education Center at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) supported Massachusetts Math and Science educators to develop high-quality standards aligned tasks.
Math and Science and Technology/Engineering (STE) Ambassadors were selected representing a diverse spectrum of backgrounds, experiences, and regions from across the Commonwealth to provide leadership in their districts to create and pilot high quality standards aligned tasks that fit within the scope and sequence of a curriculum. Ambassadors attended Ambassador Academy meetings between April 2018 and June 2019 that prepared them to support the task development process in their district. They presented selected tasks and their task development process at the STEM Institute .
Provide leadership and collaboration opportunities within districts and across the state
Increase understanding of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for Mathematics and the Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework across the state through:
Provide educators, schools, and districts with high quality, standards aligned tasks
Ambassadors recruited educators from within their district to be part of a task development team. Each team developed and piloted tasks (grades 4th–8th for math and grades 6th–12th for STE) and were supported through a series of professional learning sessions. Tasks and resources created during this program are linked to below.
The STEM Ambassadors worked with teams of educators from their home districts to develop and pilot high-quality Mathematics and STE tasks.
Karen Ares, Dudley-Charlton Regional
Betsey Clifford, Braintree Public Schools
Scott Farrell, Silver Lake Regional
Nicole Finneran, Lawrence Public Schools
Shawn Fortin, Belchertown Public Schools
Kevin Higginbottom, Haverhill Public Schools
David Kujawski, Walpole Public Schools
Eric Levine, Holyoke Public Schools
Bonnie Nieves, Millbury Public Schools
Jane Perkoski, Bourne Public Schools
Jeanne Powers, North Brookfield Public Schools
Alison Riordan, Plymouth Public Schools
Holly Rosa, Boston Public Schools
Karen Rose, Dighton-Rehoboth Regional
Jennifer Saunders, Fall River Public Schools
Cathy Anusauskas, Hopkinton Public Schools
Karen Cross, Boston Public Schools
Maggie Driscoll, Lawrence Public Schools
Kerri Frattaruolo, Fall River Public Schools
MaryEllen Haczynski. Lawrence Public Schools
Ondrea Johnston, Boston Public Schools
Kim Kelly, Leominster Public Schools
Melissa McCann, Shrewsbury Public Schools
Kristin McCoy, Hampden-Wilbraham Regional
Amy McKay, Milton Public Schools
Victoria Miles, Middleborough Public Schools
Shelly Moran, Hopkinton Public Schools
Jonathon Newman, Amherst Regional
Stephanie Niedziela, Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional
Meghan Papalardo, Swampscott Public Schools
Brian Selig, Whitman-Hanson Regional
Christopher Starczewski, Dudley-Charlton Regional
Tamisha Thompson, Waltham Public Schools
Ann Zito, East Longmeadow Public Schools
The Support team worked with the Ambassadors and their Task Development Teams on the development of the tasks.
Terri Gerhardt, Support Team Manager, former middle school science teacher and science consultant
Last Updated: October 15, 2020
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