Project Description:
Project TEAMS, (Twice Exceptional students Achieving and Matriculating in STEM), is a five-year research study that will scale up and evaluate a model designed to increase the number of underrepresented students who perform at high levels of academic achievement through gifted and talented education programs.
The overarching goal of TEAMS is to increase the number of high school students with disabilities (SWD) identified as scientifically promising, defined by high levels of academic achievement in science, and intent to enroll and actual enrollment in postsecondary STEM programs.
Project TEAMS is a 3-pronged intervention program, built upon two evidence based models: Renzulli Schoolwide Enrichment Model (Renzulli Model), effective for serving the needs of gifted and diverse learners, and the Pacific Alliance (PacA) model, effective for increasing the number of high school and college SWD entering, persisting in, and succeeding in STEM fields. For the intervention, trained TEAMS mentors will provide 100 after school hours of (1) academic enrichment (80 hrs.); (2) mentoring on disability and STEM interest building (10 hrs.); and (3) college transition supports (10 hrs.) over 20 weeks in one school year. TEAMS will also create and utilize Communities of Practice at intervention group schools to support the implementation of the intervention, assess students progress and products, and evaluate the effectiveness of the TEAMS Model.
The target population is 11th and 12th grade SWD having potential to become scientifically promising, identified through a two- step approach: (step 1) receiving a grade of C or better in a required science class for graduation or Biology I; and (step 2) being recognized by teachers or parents to have potential in science and creativity, and/or self-rated to have strong spatial and naturalist intelligences. The sample is 1,440 eligible students at 24 high schools at the five sites (HI, IA, NY, American Samoa (AS), and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)) over 5 years.
The effectiveness of the TEAMS Model will be evaluated through a cluster randomized trial (CRT). Students in the TEAMS intervention program will be compared against students receiving 100 hours of homework support to address the following research questions: (1) Is there a statistically significant difference between intervention and homework support groups in the intended student outcomes, measured over time? (2) Is there a statistically significant difference between intervention and homework support groups in postsecondary STEM program enrollment following high school graduation? (3) At intervention schools, is there at least a 20% increase in the percent of SWD intending to enroll in postsecondary STEM programs upon high school graduation, between the baseline and project end years? (4) What school, mentor, or student factors moderate the strength of the intervention effect on each of intended outcomes?
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Limited English, Geographic Areas, Rural/Remote, Urban, Territory
