Ford PAS will appeal not only to students who are already interested in careers such as engineering, business, and technology, but also to students who may not think they would like, or be qualified for these and other challenging, rewarding careers. Each Ford PAS module has certain academic prerequisites which are listed in the Module Overview of each Teacher Guide and on the Ford PAS Web site. In general, students are expected to be reading at grade level and have completed Algebra I. However, the program was developed with the assumption that all students could benefit from the Ford PAS learning experiences and, in fact, has shown success with certain at-risk students.
Ford PAS uses a hands-on, project- and inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning. Rather than introducing students to facts, definitions, and terminology and then allowing students to solve related problems, Ford PAS modules pose issues for students to explore. Students then acquire information and develop skills in the context of investigating those issues, both individually and in groups, with guidance from the teacher. Students apply the knowledge, skills, and understanding that they acquire through the module’s learning experiences to carry out long-term projects and create end products that demonstrate their learning. For teachers who are unfamiliar with this approach, Ford PAS recommends professional development related to project-based and inquiry-based learning. Beginning summer 2006, Ford PAS will offer professional development institutes focused on these and other aspects of the Ford PAS approach. Go to the homepage of the Ford PAS Web site for specific information about current professional development opportunities.
View the Ford PAS Module Academic Subject Areas document which lists suggested academic specialties for each module. In addition, the content focus and the prerequisite skills needed to teach each module appear in the Module Content Summaries (coming soon). Since Ford PAS modules are interdisciplinary, there may not always be an exact match to an individual’s previous teaching experience. However, the materials provide suggestions and resources to help teachers master the content. Be creative and adventurous, and consult your colleagues from other subject areas, or consider team teaching.
In addition to the curriculum guides, videos and supplementary software needed for the modules can be ordered using the online catalog. View the price list for costs by module. Information about how to obtain these videos is included in the Materials List. This list includes materials needed in order to carry out various science activities, primarily in Reverse Engineering (10) and Energy for the Future (12.)
No. The Ford PAS curriculum is designed to be flexible. You may use any modules or sequence of modules that you wish. However, the module is the smallest unit of the program, and we do not encourage pulling individual activities out of modules, although you may need to make some adaptations in order to meet your students’ specific needs. If students lack the skills needed to complete certain modules, you can use materials from the Skill Resource Library (you will need to log in to the Ford PAS Web site to access this resource) to help prepare students for the modules you plan to teach. Skill Resources are skill-building lessons, skill-related reference materials, and skill assessments; they are described more fully in the document Using the Ford PAS Curriculum Materials.
Ford PAS teachers need to receive initial Ford PAS training, participate in ongoing professional development offered by their school/program site or a partner organization, register themselves and their students on the Ford PAS Web site, assist in data collection efforts undertaken by their school/program site, participate in the broader Ford PAS community to the greatest extent possible—including submitting student work and participating in Web-based events, and be committed to implementing the key features of the program. These features include the inquiry- and project-based teaching and learning philosophy, integration of technology throughout the curriculum, and partnerships with business, higher education, and community organizations. Ford PAS coordinators at a school, program site, or partner organization also take on some additional responsibilities (see Ford PAS Coordinator Roles and Responsibilities). Other commitments on the part of teachers may be required by a particular school/program site or partner.
Click here for a price list for the curriculum guides and resource materials.
The Teacher and Student Guides can be downloaded as PDF files from the Ford PAS Web site free of charge after registration. Spiral-bound print versions of the teacher and student guides are available at cost through the online catalog. We highly recommend that teachers have a spiral-bound Teacher Guide (with color-coded pages) for each module they are teaching. Student Guides may be purchased or reproduced from the PDF files. Teacher Guides range in price from $48 to $72; Student Guides, which are intended to be reused, range from $18 to $22. Some modules require videos and other resources, most of which can also be purchased at cost through the online catalog. (A few videos are not distributed through the site, but information about how to obtain these videos is available.)
Coordinated Learning Experiences (CLEs), including some field trips, are various types of learning experiences that link Ford PAS students’ classroom learning with the workplace, higher education, and the community. Most Ford PAS modules integrate CLEs into students’ learning, and the Ford PAS Web site lists possible CLEs for each module. In addition to field trips, CLEs include speaker and expert visits to classrooms, as well as mentoring and job-shadowing experiences. The Business/Education Advisory Council (BEAC) for your program may be able to help with fundraising efforts to cover transportation and other costs associated with field trips. CLEs are considered essential components of the Ford PAS program, however, and we encourage you to make every effort to assure that students have a range of these experiences.
Each Ford PAS partner organization and school/program site must designate a coordinator to be the primary contact person for the Ford PAS Technical Assistance Group.
The partner coordinator is based at a college, university, or other partner organization that supports one or more school or other program sites and may also offer its own Ford PAS program at its campus or other facility. The partner coordinator can be a faculty member, administrator, or outreach specialist at the partner institution.
The site coordinator is based at a school or other program site. The site coordinator can be an administrator, teacher, or counselor. One or more site coordinators are usually affiliated with a partner coordinator.
The partner and site coordinators fulfill a number of responsibilities that are crucial to the success of the program. The coordinator role calls for an experienced educator with the ability to communicate well with students, parents, business and university partners, and other educators and school officials. The partner and site coordinators have overlapping areas of responsibility, depending somewhat on local circumstances. The coordinators’ roles include:
- Planning and facilitating Ford PAS program implementation
- Promoting the Ford PAS program in the school
- Ensuring access to Ford PAS learning tools for teachers and students
- Ensuring teacher preparedness
- Providing ongoing teacher support
- Advocating for the program in the community, including establishing and maintaining the Business/Education Advisory Council (BEAC)
- Overseeing Coordinated Learning Experiences (CLEs) for Ford PAS students
- Participating in program documentation and evaluation
- Participating in the broader Ford PAS learning community
- Contributing to program capacity building and sustainability
A complete list of partner and site coordinator roles is available.
All Ford PAS module learning goals are aligned to national academic standards. Each module identifies the academic content and skills that are taught and assessed, as well as the knowledge and skills that students apply. Since Ford PAS modules are interdisciplinary and incorporate real-world applications, they can motivate students to raise their academic expectations and work harder to achieve success in other academic courses. Participating in Ford PAS will help your students acquire knowledge and skills that they will need throughout their college and working lives.
Ford PAS has been aligned to national standards in all relevant subject areas. Guidelines identifying the essential academic content in each module and a template for “cross-walking” Ford PAS to state standards are available to assist in aligning Ford PAS to individual state standards. Currently, Ford PAS partners in Ohio, Tennessee, California, and Texas are in the process of aligning the curriculum to their state standards. If you are interested in learning more about aligning Ford PAS with your state standards, please contact the Ford PAS Technical Assistance Group.
The document Using the Ford PAS Curriculum Materials offers suggestions for supporting students' success in the program. The Ford PAS Web site provides access to audio recordings of Student Guide readings which can be downloaded for free or purchased as audio CDs through the online catalog. Those who might benefit from these audio files include students for whom English is not their native language and students who are not reading at grade level. In addition, an alphabetized Skill Resource Library provides access to all of the Skill Resources by title (you will need to log in to the Ford PAS Web site to access this resource). These resources are designed to help refresh students' skills or bring them up to the necessary level to complete the work of a specific module. Relevant Skill Resources for each module are listed under the Module Resources for that module.
Skill Resources are available to help students master many of the specific technology applications used in each module. For students who need more help, you may use online tutorials and other online resources for particular software programs. Occasionally, you may allow students to use a "low-technology" approach to carrying out an activity, such as completing calculations by hand instead of using Excel. However, since technology skills are essential for students' success in college and careers, and are therefore a key focus of the Ford PAS curriculum, building students' capacity to use technology should be a priority.
Information about supporting students with limited English or reading proficiency is provided in Using the Ford PAS Curriculum Materials. Audio recordings of Student Guide readings can be downloaded for free from the Audio Library located in the Classroom Resources section of the Web site or purchased as audio CDs through the online catalog. In addition, the Student Guide for selected modules are available in Spanish and additional modules will be translated in the future.
Ford PAS recommends that teachers attend at least one in-depth training session for each module they plan to teach. An in-depth training session consists of more than an overview or sampling of the materials. During the program's launch period, the only official Ford PAS trainings available were those held during the annual Ford PAS training and networking conference and those held for specific groups of schools/program sites. In 2006, Ford PAS began to offer weeklong regional professional development institutes that will provide more in-depth training for teaching the Ford PAS modules. Additional trainings can be arranged for large groups. In 2008, an online PD training was piloted. See the most up-to-date information about training opportunities on the Ford PAS Web site.
The Ford PAS program expects you and your students to use Microsoft® Office software, specifically, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint®, Excel, and Access. See the Technology Requirements. Specific technology skills required to teach particular modules are listed in the Teaching Suggestions available under Module Resources in the Classroom Resources.) Ford PAS Skill Resources, designed for students, may help you to some extent with Microsoft Office applications, and many other resources are available to help you learn to use these programs; a technology teacher or specialist at your school or partner organization may assist you or point you to useful online courses and other help. The Ford PAS program also provides information, tutorials, and other resources to help you (as well as your students) learn to use other less common simulations and software programs.
How does a teacher assess students' learning in Ford PAS?
The Ford PAS curriculum provides multiple types of assessments to facilitate evaluation of students' mastery of each module's learning goals. The assessments are integrated into the curriculum and include teacher and peer assessments of products, self-assessments of core skills, and quizzes and tests. Product assessments clearly delineate the criteria on which students are being assessed and identify the content requirements of the assignment, such as a presentation, report, or long-term project. Peer assessments focus students' attention during class presentations and give classmates the learning experience of evaluating another person's work and giving (and receiving) constructive feedback. Self-assessments provide a consistent structure for students to reflect on and evaluate their skill development over time, as well as take responsibility for their own learning. Module quizzes and tests require students to apply the skills and knowledge they have acquired in order to solve problems. Ford PAS teachers are also encouraged to use portfolios to collect and track students' achievements over time. (See Using the Ford PAS Curriculum Materials for more information about assessment.)
A Ford PAS partner is an institution or organization-typically a college or university, community-based organization, or school district-that promotes and supports the implementation of the Ford PAS program at several sites. For example, a partner would participate in a Business/Education Advisory Council (BEAC), provide technical support, and arrange coordinated learning experiences (CLEs) for students. CLEs are community-based, real-world experiences, such as speaker and expert visits to classrooms, mentoring and job-shadowing experiences, and worksite and campus tours.
The Business/Education Advisory Council (BEAC) is an integral part of the Ford PAS program and is intended to provide a supportive link between the school program and local businesses, community organizations, and institutions of higher education. The BEAC may provide volunteers to enrich classroom experiences, facilitate workplace and higher education learning opportunities for Ford PAS students, and help establish other valuable contacts with organizations outside the school. The BEAC may also help with program planning, budgeting, fundraising, and public relations. BEAC members include business and industry representatives, faculty and staff of colleges and universities, community leaders, Ford PAS teachers, school administrators, and students and members of their families. Additional information and resources useful in establishing and maintaining a BEAC are available in the BEAC Toolkit.
No. If you already have a group representing the different constituencies in your community-business, higher education, and community organizations-you do not need to develop a new one.
Several schools or other program sites may share a BEAC that is organized with assistance from a partner organization.
Students in a number of schools are receiving two- or four-year college credit for their successful completion of Ford PAS modules. (See the list of school/program sites and partners offering college credit.) Each postsecondary institution sets its own criteria for offering credit to Ford PAS students. You may contact the Ford PAS Technical Assistance Group about the articulation agreements that have been established to date.
Ford Motor Company does not financially support an internship program for Ford PAS high school students. The Business/Education Advisory Council (BEAC) for a particular Ford PAS program may offer or help to identify internship and other workplace opportunities for Ford PAS students. Also, as internships relevant to Ford PAS students become available, they are posted under Scholarship Announcements in the Student Center.
A number of scholarships, awarded by organizations supported by Ford Motor Company Fund and other sponsors, are available each year to students who have participated in a Ford PAS program. To qualify for scholarships, students must be seniors applying to college (or currently in college) and must be registered, or have previously been registered, on the Ford PAS Web site. See the Scholarship Announcements in the Student Center for additional information and requirements.
It is vital to register on the Web site as it will allow you access to information and resources that are only available to you as a Ford PAS teacher. Your registration also allows the Ford PAS Technical Assistance Group to track what partners and schools/program sites are doing in order to better serve you, and helps track the number of materials downloaded from the Ford PAS Web site for copyright purposes. Once registered you will also have access to the Ford PAS Forum, a valuable networking online
Registration on the Ford PAS Web site is free. As a teacher, go to the green 'Classroom Resources' tab. If someone from your school has not already registered as the Ford PAS coordinator, you will need to register as a coordinator and enter your school's information. (If someone else is later designated the coordinator for your school, the coordinator designation can be changed.) If others at your school have already registered, register as a teacher and select your school name from the drop-down menu.
For detailed information about how to register on the Web site, go to Register with Ford PAS.
Ford Motor Company Fund recognizes a critical need to develop a diverse workforce, with strong problem-solving, critical-thinking, teamwork, and communication skills, that is academically prepared for careers in mathematics, science, engineering, and technology. Ford PAS builds on the long history of Ford Motor Company involvement in education, which began in 1929 with Henry Ford's founding of a high school dedicated to learning by doing, connecting education with the real world, and learning in community. The Fund has supported the development of Ford PAS to help high school students develop the necessary knowledge and skills and provide them with real-world experiences to enhance their opportunities in postsecondary education and future careers. The Fund has worked closely with Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), an experienced developer of high-quality education programs, to create and support the implementation of Ford PAS.
Ford PAS modules were reviewed by content experts from universities and businesses and by teachers. Modules were pilot tested with different types of students around the country. Feedback from reviews and pilot testing was used to revise the materials as they were developed. Currently, an external evaluator is undertaking an evaluation of the entire Ford PAS program at a number of sites around the country. The goals of the evaluation are to determine (1) the impact of the program on participants; (2) which aspects of the program and its implementation work well and which do not work as well, in order to provide feedback to improve the program; and (3) how the program impacts may vary across student populations (e.g., previously high-achieving vs. low-achieving students or male vs. female students). The Ford PAS Technical Assistance Group and the evaluation team will ask you for information about your program and your students to assist in conducting the evaluation, and will share with you what we learn from the evaluation as it proceeds.
Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) is an international, nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing learning, promoting health, and fostering a deeper understanding of the world. EDC manages more than 300 projects in 50 countries and has 650 employees in the U.S. and 500 staff members in other countries around the world. EDC's work bridges the worlds of research, policy, and practice in fields such as early childhood development, K-12 education, health promotion, workforce preparation, community development, learning technologies, literacy, institutional reform, and social justice. A developer of innovative curricula since 1958, EDC has been collaborating with Ford Motor Company Fund for the past five years, first to develop the Ford PAS curriculum, and now to offer support for program implementation through technical assistance.
Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is the leading national pre-engineering program that focuses on specific technical skills relevant to engineering careers. It offers a series of courses that, combined with strong academic preparation in mathematics and science, qualifies students for college-level engineering study. Educators who are familiar with both PLTW and Ford PAS agree that Ford PAS is complementary rather than competitive with PLTW. Ford PAS introduces students to a range of careers, of which engineering is just one, and it focuses on a broader range of skills that are critical for future success in postsecondary education and the workplace. Both programs have a strong focus on problem solving and involve partnerships with higher education and business professionals.
A map of Ford PAS sites and partners shows the extent of the Ford PAS network.
A project of EDC. Education Development Center, Inc., works closely with Ford Motor Company Fund