One8 grants help schools start or grow their PLTW programs, focusing on specific courses that best align to the industry and context of the state of MA. This opportunity is open to all public schools (K-12) in Massachusetts, with competitive preference for those:
- With significant number of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds;
- Applying for Biomedical Science and/or Computer Science; and/or
- In districts building out multi-school pathways (e.g., 6-12 or K-12)
The grant process includes a two-part application. Part I is about your vision for PLTW at your school, and how it will be positioned to support instructional initiatives. Part II of the application requires implementation planning (course rollout, staffing considerations, and budgeting).
Before you start your application, schedule a meeting with Christine Schepeler to learn more about the process, including criteria, tips, and resources.
PLTW offers a variety of courses across the pathways; in Massachusetts, we focus on supporting specific courses that best align to the industry and context of our state.
MA schools who are interested in adding PLTW courses and are able to schedule meaningful and sustained student exposure to the program:
- Two modules at each grade level (K-5) for Launch
- One course per year at the middle school level
- Three-course pathway at the high school level
Research shows outcomes are strongest for students with sustained exposure to PLTW. Plan for significant student participation over time:
- 100% of students participating at the K-5 level by year 3
- 75% of students participating in grades 6-8 by year 3
- 15-25% of high school students participating by year 3
These grants are school-based. For example, if your district is looking to add Gateway units to all of your middle schools, each middle school in your district must apply separately.
The grant is intended to offset costs of teacher training, durable equipment, and technology for implementing PLTW. The grant does not cover the participation fee, consumables, teacher stipends, meals, indirect costs, or optional equipment.
No. You should submit an application with your actual needs based on course materials and training projections.
The funding is disbursed over the three-year implementation period with 40% in year 1, and 30% each in years 2 and 3.
We offer expansion grants to offset the costs of teacher training, durable equipment, and technology needed for the additional courses to make a pathway. We are looking for all applicants to plan to get to:
- Two modules at each grade level (K-5) for Launch
- One course per year at the middle school level
- Three-course pathway at the high school level
If you are interested in expanding your pathway with additional offerings beyond the three courses, our grants can support that as well.
There are various PLTW roles, each with different responsibilities:
Program Coordinator (District Champion) – Responsible for overall account, site, and classroom management and serves as the primary point of contact for the account. This role is authorized to add/remove sites and programs, select Site Coordinators, manage users, and complete annual renewal forms and participation surveys. Each account is required to have two Program Coordinators. PCs can complete any task an SC, Teacher, or General User can.
Site Coordinator (School Champion) – Responsible for day-to-day implementation and management of PLTW programs at a specific site. Each site is required to have at least one Site Coordinator and may have up to two. SCs can complete any task a Teacher or General User can.
Teacher (Teacher Champion) – Responsible for classroom management, including rostering and managing student users, accessing course curriculum, and administering high school End-of-Course (EoC) assessments and accessing EoC results. This role can also purchase items from the PLTW Store for any site they are affiliated with.
Financial Contact – Responsible for financial processes and coordinating payments if the school is awarded a grant.
Rostering Point Person – Responsible for ensuring students are properly rostered in the PLTW system.
Adapted from the PLTW Knowledge Center