CASMEO is Oklahoma's state-level coalition of business education, government, and parent leaders that is committed to fostering collaboration and concerted efforts for continued improvement of math and science education for every child. CASMEO has worked closely with a variety of partners in hosting state and regional annual mathematics and science summits, leadership forums, master teacher programs, TEAMS projects, and regional CASMEO community involvement days.

2006 Highlights

• Checkpoints Benchmark Assessment Project - CASMEO worked with SEDL and OBEC to develop a mathematics test item bank that is housed at Onenet and will be available at no charge to teachers, schools and districts across the state. CASMEO is in phase two of the project and has received supplemental funding from EPSCoR to complete some additional programming required to get the system fully functioning and to add in dissemination.      
• NASA Explorer School Partnership for Sustainability - CASMEO is in the second year of a 3-year NASA Explorer School Partnership for Sustainability Grant that is focused on providing guidance and support for Sasakwa Public Schools.
• CASMEO partner, Oklahoma NASA Space Grant Consortium, also provided additional funding for the project in which CASMEO executive directors served as advisors and professional developers to assist in the purchase and implementation of additional materials/curriculum made possible by these additional funds.    
• Young Adult Empowerment Conference - Following the 2006 Summit, CASMEO was invited to participate in the planning and program for the Young Adult Empowerment Conference sponsored by the Department of Human Services and the Central Oklahoma Workforce Investment Board.   More than 500 young adults from across the State of Oklahoma attended the conference on June 7, 2006. These young people came to get career information, network, and talk with the many education, training, business, and industry leaders to help them realize their unlimited potential in career options. CASMEO provided sessions for the participants in the areas of robotics, applications of science, and career awareness.   This was the first time the conference had STEM related sessions.     
• Financial Fund Raising   - In the fall 2006, Wayne Jones' fundraising efforts resulted in a contribution from the Tinker Business and Industrial Park Developers and a grant from the Oklahoma Engineering Foundation. Stacey Weinand and Betsy Mabry visited with Carol Troy at Chesapeake and received some good fundraising advice. CASMEO also submitted a grant to EPSCoR and received a grant this fall to complete and disseminate Checkpoints and to fund the 2007 Summit.    
• Annual Mathematics Science Educational Summit, February 2006 - CASMEO brought together approximately 150 state level leaders in policy, business, and education to increase understanding with respect to the importance of education, specifically mathematics and science, in economic development from a global perspective and to explore present and emerging workforce opportunities in Oklahoma in the context of a changing world. Dr. Samuel Houston, President and Chief Executive Officer of the North Carolina Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Center was the keynote speaker. A special effort was made to involve state leaders and as a result we had a panel moderated by Department of Commerce Norma Noble and consisting of: Phil Berkenbile, Director, Oklahoma Career and Technology Education, Steve Hendrickson, Director, State & Local Government Relations,   Boeing Company, David F. Myers, Oklahoma State Senator,   David J.Myers, Executive Director, Ponca City Development Authority, Susan Paddock, Oklahoma State Senator, and Paul Risser, Chancellor, Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.   Following the morning session breakout sessions led by regional Workforce Investment Board Directors were held to explore ways to apply the information shared in the morning session at the local levels.    
• Regional Mathematics Science Educational Summits - Four regional summits with the same theme and basic information disseminated at the annual CASMEO summit were held in Enid, Muskogee, Pryor, and Durant during the summer of 2006. These summits were a collaborative effort of Workforce Directors in these areas with CASMEO executive directors and involved approximately 100 local business, education and policy makers statewide.       
• Summit Planning 2007  - A partnership development meeting with Terry Watson at the Oklahoma Department of Commerce led to a continued collaboration with the department and the Governors Council on Economic Development. This partnership resulted in the co-design of the 2007 summit focusing on the impact of mathematics and science education on Oklahoma economic development and new technologies being developed in the state to support this.     
• CASMEO Network Building   CASMEO Co-Executive Directors and President represented CASMEO at the following:    National Level - Betsy Mabry attended the annual NASSMC Conference and the annual Triangle Coalition Conference and made 3 visits to Capital Hill while at the conferences. Sacra Nicholas was invited to Huntsville Alabama to present the implementation of the NASA Explorer School Sustainability Grant in Oklahoma at the annual NASA Explorer School Conference.   Sacra Nicholas attended the annual conference for the Association for State Supervisors of Mathematics in St. Louis. Stacey Weinand served as a judge for the National Conference on Educational Robotics (NCER)  

Oklahoma is one of the states featured in the Linking Leaders Community for Change Book. Click the image to go to the Linking Leaders book main page and learn more about Oklahoma's Linking Leaders program activities.

In January 2002 CASMEO received an Implementation Grant Award from NASSMC. In 2004 CASEMO received a grant to Partner with the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory and the Oklahoma Business and Education Coalition to develop online Algebra I testlets and a mathematics test bank for schools in Oklahoma.

NASSMC State Summits Implementation Program (NSSIP): The NASSMC State Summits Implementation Program (NSSIP) provides assistance to state based organizations with planning, developing, administering, implementing, following-up and sustaining state mathematics and science education summits. NSSIP grants have been awarded to seven states in April 2005 through funding provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Additional support is provided through a separate grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The Coalition for the Advancement of Science and Mathematics Education in Oklahoma (CASMEO) held its Summit February 2, 2006. Speakers included Susan Savage, Secretary of State of Oklahoma; Samuel Houston, President and CEO of the North Carolina Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Center; Senators David F. Myers and Susan Paddack, and Norma Noble, Deputy Secretary of Commerce for Workforce Development, Oklahoma Department of Commerce. Click here for details.

NES Partnerships for Sustainability: The NES Partnerships for Sustainability Program was launched in 2003 as a pilot to gauge the effectiveness of state-based coalitions working in active collaboration with the NASA Explorer Schools. In 2005 CASMEO, in partnership with Sasakwa Public Schools, was awarded a NES Partnerships for Sustainability grant to increase NES recognition and influence in the state in STEM education and to integrate the schools into the state infrastructure and into a network of resources that will lead to long-term viability. The CASMEO/NASA Explorer School Partnership for Sustainability has five goals:

1. Increase recognition and influence of the Sasakawa NEW with respect to STEM education.
2. Integrate the Sasakawa NES and the NASA-related curriculum into the state educational infrastructure.
3. Integrate the Sasakewa NEW into a network of human, material, technical and financial resources that will lead to long-term viability.
4. Link the Sasakewa NES systemically to NASA in-state resources throut hSTEM content.
5. Collaborate with comitted policymakers, business, education and other advocates to assure long-term goals of the Sasakewa NES are accomplished.

Thus far, Sasakawa NES has exhibited at the CASMEO Annual Math and Sdience Summit, been featured in three newspaper articles, received after-school tutoring from the NASA Space Grant Consortium at East Central University, and held a Space Day.

Linking Leaders:
The Coalition for the Advancement of Science and Mathematics Education in Oklahoma (CASMEO) is now in the sixth year of its Linking Leaders process. The Coalition conducted an in-state meeting on Feb. 15, 2001 in Oklahoma City to involve an extended community in the Linking Leaders process. There were seventy-five invited participants in a balanced group representing business, education and public policy. Members of the Oklahoma education community at that meeting included representatives of higher education, the state department of education, the Governor's Education Secretary, mathematics and science professional organizations, school boards and local superintendents. NASA was represented by the HQ Ed Division, AESP, Space Grant and education management from Johnson Space Center.

Participants assessed and discussed four components of Oklahoma's system of mathematics and science education, suggested strategies to improve these components, and identified leaders who should be involved in the effort. Using the ECS/NASSMC Matrix, the group examined Oklahoma's progress in teacher improvement, apprenticeships, leadership and public engagement, and data-driven decision making. The participants also developed an action plan to address these key areas and although a great deal of progress has been made, CASMEO continues to address these issues on a regular basis.