Selecting the ideal STEM curriculum for your high school students can be challenging. After all, you want to find materials that are both engaging and support your students on their way toward fulfilling careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Two major high school STEM curriculum providers you may be familiar with are Project Lead the Way (PLTW) and iCEV. Both offer extensive resources for teaching STEM, but you might be unsure which best fits your classroom.
In this article, you’ll discover key differences between PTLW and iCEV for STEM. Specifically, we’ll consider:
- What STEM Curriculum Resources Do PLTW and iCEV Offer?
- What Is the Instructional Focus of PLTW and iCEV?
- What Instructional Materials Are Included?
- Which High School STEM Curriculum is Right for You?
When you’ve finished reading, you should have a better idea of what PLTW and iCEV offer so you can choose what’s best for your students.
What STEM Curriculum Resources Do PLTW and iCEV Offer?
PLTW and iCEV both provide materials to teach multiple STEM classes to high school students. However, the specific resources they provide are quite different from each other.
In this section, we’ll take a closer look at the STEM curriculum materials each provider offers and how they are packaged.
PLTW Curriculum Resources for STEM
PTLW specializes in providing STEM curriculum for K-12 students. While they have separate offerings for elementary and middle school classrooms, most high school teachers will choose one of three separate curriculum packages:
- PLTW Computer Science
- PLTW Engineering
- PLTW Biomedical Science
Each of these curriculum options is designed to cover a completely different aspect of STEM, so it’s essential to understand the purpose of these resources.
PLTW Computer Science
PLTW Computer Science focuses on just the aspects of a STEM curriculum relevant to working in technology. Students learn foundational computer science concepts, including computer programming using Python and Java. In more advanced courses, students discover computer game design and other in-demand skills in the technology industry.
The PLTW Computer Science program includes five courses:
- Computer Science Essentials
- Computer Science Principles
- Computer Science A
- Cybersecurity
- Game Design and Development
Overall, this package works best for STEM teachers who want to provide an intense focus on learning information technology and computer coding languages.
PLTW Engineering
As its name suggests, the PLTW Engineering curriculum covers the engineering portion of the STEM curriculum. It focuses on providing students with applicable problem-solving skills in a variety of contexts. The courses in this package are designed to prepare students for real-world engineering opportunities in several specific subfields.
PLTW Engineering features these ten courses:
- Engineering Essentials
- Introduction to Engineering Design
- Principles of Engineering
- Aerospace Engineering
- Civil Engineering and Architecture
- Computer Integrated Manufacturing
- Computer Science Principles
- Digital Electronics
- Environmental Sustainability
- Engineering Design and Development
In addition to covering a wide range of engineering careers, courses within this curriculum could also be helpful for students in other CTE pathways, such as Architecture, Construction, and Manufacturing.
PLTW Biomedical Science
Although many teachers and students focus on engineering or computer science when considering STEM resources, STEM also encompasses scientific fields, including biomedical research. Project Lead the Way offers a Biomedical Science package for students with a specialized interest in this field.
The PLTW Biomedical Science curriculum prepares students for work in hospitals and research laboratories. There are four main courses included in the package:
- Principles of Biomedical Science
- Medical Interventions
- Biomedical Innovation
The courses are designed for students interested in scientific research but could also be attractive to learners in CTE Health Science pathways.
iCEV STEM Curriculum
iCEV specializes in providing comprehensive solutions for CTE programs and their teachers and students, including curriculum resources for 11 different pathways. The iCEV STEM curriculum offers materials for teaching courses in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics aligned with state and national standards.
The curriculum covers the entire spectrum of STEM subject areas, as reflected in the 13 included courses:
- Drone Theory and Design
- Engineering Design and Presentation I
- Engineering Design and Presentation II
- Engineering Design and Problem Solving
- Engineering Science
- Forensic Science
- Foundations in Cybersecurity
- Learn to Fly
- Principles of Applied Engineering
- Principles of Technology
- Professional Communications
- Scientific Research and Design
- UAS Remote Pilot Certification (FAA Part 107 Training)
The iCEV curriculum provides extensive resources for teaching classes in computer science, scientific research, and technology, plus additional specialized courses in forensics and drone design and piloting.
Since the curriculum is packaged together, these courses can be used together to create a balanced STEM program that introduces students to various potential careers and allows them to concentrate on one of several fields.
What Is the Instructional Focus of PLTW and iCEV?
Although Project Lead the Way and iCEV both provide a wide range of curriculum resources for STEM, their instructional focus is different.
In this section, you’ll learn more about the instructional focus of PLTW and iCEV and how this influences the overall purpose of the curriculum materials.
What Is the Instructional Focus of PLTW?
Project Lead the Way’s instructional focus centers on providing a large set of resources just for teaching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
They offer this through a digital curriculum environment encompassing the entire K-12 pathway. However, they offer the most comprehensive range of resources for high school classrooms.
Since STEM is the core focus of PLTW, the organization prioritizes creating instructional materials for this single CTE pathway. This allows PLTW to offer a program of courses for several different STEM pathways and go into depth in areas like biomedical research and computer coding.
Because PLTW emphasizes STEM so heavily, the company doesn’t focus on offering comprehensive solutions outside this one CTE pathway. That means that programs that adopt the PLTW curriculum will likely need to find additional curriculum providers for other CTE pathways, such as Agricultural Science or Business, Marketing, IT, Finance, and Media.
What Is the Instructional Focus of iCEV?
The iCEV STEM curriculum is designed for a blended learning experience for teachers and students. The STEM curriculum forms just one part of iCEV’s comprehensive CTE solution, which focuses on providing courses throughout multiple pathways that prepare learners for certification and career success.
Courses within the iCEV STEM curriculum build upon one another sequentially for a comprehensive learning experience. iCEV also focuses on providing a breadth of experience within the STEM pathway. The variety of courses available ensures students can discover separate subject areas within STEM to be better prepared for many different career opportunities.
Overall, the iCEV STEM curriculum has an instructional design that suits teachers who want to cover many different STEM subjects with equal attention rather than only giving students material relevant to a single set of professions.
What Instructional Materials Are Included with PLTW and iCEV?
As digital curriculum providers, PLTW and iCEV both offer materials electronically. This allows each to provide more diverse instructional resources than traditional textbook providers.
However, the specific materials available from each provider are different, influencing the courses the curricula work best for. In this section, we’ll consider these distinctions and how they affect CTE classrooms.
What Instructional Materials Are Included with PLTW?
With PLTW, teachers can access a curriculum designed around teaching a specific branch of STEM, including computer science, engineering, and biomedical science.
Because Project Lead the Way offers a separate curriculum package for each instructional area, the curriculum materials are designed to teach only the topics relevant to that subject. These include complete lesson plans, appropriate activities and simulations, and problem-solving challenges.
The included projects are formatted to connect with relevant state and national standards and to develop teamwork and critical thinking skills necessary for real-world STEM careers. PLTW also offers built-in assessments and reporting to measure results over time.
On the whole, PLTW’s instructional materials provide teachers and their students with focused, in-depth instruction in one of three popular sections of the STEM pathway.
What Instructional Materials Are Included with iCEV?
With iCEV, students receive a robust STEM curriculum emphasizing blended learning through interactive instructional components.
While iCEV includes written content, learners receive information through multimedia presentations, videos, interactive projects, and STEM activities. This allows students to master content through various instructional methodologies that prepare them for future success.
Each course is presented through iCEV’s digital platform, which tracks student progress and integrates with most learning management systems. Teachers receive access to iCEV’s extensive library of premade lesson plans and instructional resources for each course in the STEM pathway. Finally, iCEV includes formative and summative assessments and reporting features to measure ongoing student and program success.
When students learn through multiple iCEV courses, educators can provide cohesive instruction that builds upon knowledge and skills to ensure students are ready for many different STEM careers.
iCEV is ultimately designed to give students an interactive environment that blends different instructional opportunities and introduces the many STEM professions available.
Which High School STEM Curriculum is Right for You?
Ultimately, both Project Lead the Way and iCEV offer a wide range of curriculum materials to enhance each learner’s experience in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. With either provider, you can give your students an excellent education that prepares them for success in a wide range of careers under the STEM umbrella.
However, the type of CTE program you wish to create will likely indicate which STEM curriculum is best for your students.
If you’re looking to provide a detailed curriculum that prepares students for a single set of STEM professions, PLTW could be the right fit for your program. If you purchase the PLTW Computer Science, PLTW Engineering, and PLTW Biomedical Research curriculum, you’ll have an extensive library of resources to cover one emphasis in great detail.
However, if you want to introduce your students to the breadth of careers available in STEM, iCEV could be the better choice. Since iCEV STEM is offered as a comprehensive package, teachers can cover many courses in different areas of emphasis with a single subscription.
Could iCEV be right for your classroom? Sign up for a free trial to find out. You’ll gain full access to the entire STEM curriculum to determine if it’s a good fit for your CTE students.
