OPAS is a collaboration of industry, non-profit, and public educators and leaders working to help achieve the Engineering and Technology Industry Council's goal of increasing the number and diversity of Oregon students pursuing engineering and similar fields at colleges and universities. OPAS develops and implements strategies that expand formal and informal educational opportunities in pre-engineering, computer science, and other applied sciences for students in middle and high school.

The OPAS strategy

1) Builds on proven successes to maximize the ability of programs to increase the number and diversity of future engineering and applied science students through measurable, scalable programs.
2) Addresses critical pre-college gaps by promoting participation in hands-on learning in engineering, computer science, and applied sciences; fostering rigorous academic curricula; and recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups.
3) Expands student opportunities in engineering and applied sciences across the system, by fostering collaborations, partnerships and additional funding sources; scaling up best practices; and sharing expertise, resources and information.

OPAS Accomplishments

Through the service of its members and allies, the Oregon Pre-engineering and Applied Science (OPAS) Initiative has contributed to:

• the inclusion of engineering design and discrete mathematics in Oregon's high school curriculum standards (read more - pdf)
• more emphasis on applied education in the delivery of science, mathematics, and technology courses (read more - pdf)
• increased funding for a variety of STEM programs both in class and outside of school time
  • SuperQuest Computer Science and Technology teacher education
  • Engineering Coaching And Mentoring Program (eCHAMP)
  • Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement (MESA)
  • Project Lead the Way (PLTW)
  • Saturday Academy Apprentices in Science & Engineering
  • Science & Math Investigative Learning Experiences (SMILE)
• growing consensus on strategic directions for engineering and applied science education among public and private stakeholders

OPAS Believes

• Engineering & Technology education benefits all students - application, context, and doing - promotes skills and retention.
• Engineering is not synonymous with science or math.
• Can't do engineering without science and math, although we often teach science & math without mentioning engineering, even when engineering content and methods are in play.
• We focus on raising the ceiling of student aspiration & achievement: more students, better prepared at the top end of the spectrum. Other groups are worrying about the floor, which is an important and more complex problem.
• Out-of-School-Time (OST) education offers things that formal education rarely can; both are more powerful when complementary.
• Students need an array of opportunities varying in duration, intensity and structure, to pursue their interests and personalize their learning; we must collaborate to increase capacity and access across the state and across socioeconomic lines.
• Teachers matter: pedagogy, relationships, content, and contact time and more.
• Diversity matters: gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, rural/urban.

Key Activities for the 2009 - 2011 Biennium

How We Got Here

In September 2005, a strategic planning summit brought together leaders from throughout Oregon to share information and insights and craft a statewide strategy for enhancing pre-engineering and applied sciences education in Oregon. Shortly after the summit a report describing the summit and the recommendations developed by its delegates was issued. A follow-up Workshop was held in November 2006, for which a report was issued in December giving the key conclusions of the workshop. In February 2009 a workshop was held to make the transition from high-level planning to creating business plans for the next biennium.

Page last updated Thursday, August 5, 2010