Oregon High School/College STEM Agreement Expanded

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 12/11/19

Two schools in Oregon, one secondary and the other postsecondary, have renewed and expanded a partnership that helps higher schoolers pursue STEM education and careers. The "STEM&M" agreement between Mazama High School and the Oregon Institute of Technology, first signed in the 2016-2017 school year, lets high school students choose pathways in science, technology, engineering, math and medicine and then take rigorous college prep curriculum that meets the college's admission requirements. Participants also gain dual high school/college credits for many of the classes they take, graduating from high school with roughly 30 college credits.

Mazama High School STEM&M student Raine Wilcox, pictured with Mazama manufacturing teacher Jeff Sturgeon, shows what she made in an upper-level manufacturing and computer design class. Source: Klamath County School District

Under the latest agreement, the two schools have added new incentives, including additional scholarship opportunities, two terms of free tuition and preferential access to some Oregon Tech programs.

According to the recent memo of understanding, STEM&M students admitted to Oregon Tech's fall term following high school graduation are eligible for benefits that include:

• First and last term tuition remission;

• Various scholarships;

• An application fee waiver;

• A Chromebook for the duration of the program;

• A tuition waiver and "confirmed enrollment" for STEM&M juniors and seniors in a summer high school transition course; and

• Preferential access to selective Oregon Tech competitive academic programs.

Last year, 40 Mazama High School freshmen were inducted into the STEM&M program. A new group of freshmen will be able to apply in the spring and start the program as sophomores. The application requires transcripts, three letters of recommendation and an application essay. Those applications are graded on a 240-point rubric. Students who score at least 204 points are invited to join the cohort.

Once in, they're expected to maintain a 3.0 GPA, take four credits of pathway coursework while at Mazama and take nine STEM&M Oregon Tech credits.

"One of the things our program does differently is require students to step outside of their comfort zone by earning points for attending monthly guest speakers or by participating in outside of school fieldtrips and learning extensions," said Laura Nickerson, a Mazama teacher and STEM&M advisor, in a statement. "Oregon Tech recognizes our students' efforts above and beyond normal class interactions and this benefits package is a direct reflection of how exclusive and rewarding it is to be a Mazama STEM&M student."

She added that graduates of the program "are now in the Oregon Tech system, and we've heard nothing but great things about their success and representation at Oregon Tech."