Local schools provide site for AMSTI training

By John Underwood john@gulfcoastmedia.com
Posted 6/24/16

ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — While most school classrooms fall silent during the month of June, laughter could be heard coming from several of them last week at Robertsdale Elementary School.

Activities ranging from water and weather experiments to …

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Local schools provide site for AMSTI training

Posted

ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — While most school classrooms fall silent during the month of June, laughter could be heard coming from several of them last week at Robertsdale Elementary School.

Activities ranging from water and weather experiments to working with plants and animals were performed over a 3-day period at RES, but the activities, while ultimately for the students’ benefit, were not performed by students, but rather by teachers.

Educators from throughout the state of Alabama converged on RES and other area schools, participating in training through the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative (AMSTI), a state-funded initiative that provides materials, professional development and on-site support to public school teachers.

“Most of these teachers have already received training,” said Steve Ricks, director of AMSTI for the Alabama Department of Education, “but because of changes that will mean stricter guidelines over the coming year, we are providing additional training for teachers participating in our program this summer.”

About 180 teachers in grades K through 5 participated in training at RES. Another 500 to 600 K through 8th grade teachers participated in training at Baker High School.

In all thousands of instructors teaching students from kindergarten through 12th grades will participate in training at 11 sites throughout this summer, Ricks said.

While the training at RES focused primarily on science, other sites will also focus on math and technology training as well, Ricks said.

According to the organization’s website amsti.org, development of AMSTI began in 1999 through the efforts of then State Superintendent of Education Dr. Ed Richardson and Deputy State Superintendent of Education Dr. Joseph B. Morton.

Ricks, a former Alabama State Teacher of the Year and Presidential Awardee in science, was hired to develop and lead the program. The first AMSTI training site was funded in the spring of 2002 through a $3 million NASA grant.

According to the website, 20 schools participated in the first training session, and today nearly 700 schools throughout the state participate in the program, including approximately 80 schools in the University of South Alabama training district, which includes all of Baldwin County’s public schools, along with schools in the Mobile, Monroe, Clarke and Washington County school districts as well as the Chickasaw, Satsuma and Saraland city school districts in Mobile County and Thomasville City School District in Clarke County.

AMSTI is a three-fold program, providing training, materials and support for its member schools. Because of budget cuts, Ricks said, funding is not available for new schools in the program, but AMSTI has been approached about partnering with schools, including Baker High School, to enter into the program.

“They’ve offered to provide the funding if we provide the materials and training,” Ricks said.

Rachael Broadhead is the director of training for the University of South Alabama AMSTI site. For more information visit amsti.org, email questions@amsti.org or contact Broadhead at broadhead@southalabama.edu or call 251-665-4684.