Missouri State University is coordinating the development of a program for science teacher preparation to increase the number of science teachers who are well prepared to teach science in high-needs middle schools and high schools. The Science Experts Teaching Students (SETS) capacity-building project is a two-year collaboration between middle school and high school science teachers, university scientists and teacher education faculty who are working through two intensive summer workshops to design a teacher preparation program that prepares individuals who have a STEM degree to become certified to teach middle school and high school science through a dual-undergraduate degree program or through a one-year post-baccalaureate program. The SETS project is based on a model of science teacher preparation that is designed and taught through true collaboration of master middle and high school science teachers, university science teacher educators and university scientists. It is being designed in accordance with research-validated best practices and the teacher preparation standards of the National Science Teachers Association and builds on the work of other Noyce projects, especially those with induction programs delivered to teachers in rural areas. The project is expanding the capacity of Missouri State University to address defined teacher shortages in middle and high school science teaching. All SETS participants are learning about effective mentoring practices and induction programs through training led by an expert consultant from the Exploratorium Teacher Institute. Since many novice teachers work in isolation in small rural schools, the SETS project is developing a region-wide induction program that connects the novice teachers to peers and to science instructional coaches located throughout the region.
