The partnership between the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education and the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics continues to grow as more OSSM sites open their doors in technology centers across the state.

The regional centers have been in operation for more than 10 years and have had more than 1,100 students graduate from the program. The resident OSSM center has been open in Oklahoma City for more than 17 years, according to Jack Herron, OSSM outreach coordinator.

The regional OSSM program grew at the hands of Sen. Ted Fisher during the1997 legislative session. Senate Bill I allowed educational outreach programs for OSSM by developing centers for students highly motivated in science and math. House Bill 1510 provided funding for additional centers during the 1999-2000 school year. Along with Fisher, other principle authors of Senate Bill I were Reps. Abe Deutschendorf, Mike Tyler, Dale Wells and Larry Ferguson and Sen. Herb Rozell.

"Our 16th site will open in Chickasha at the Canadian Valley Technology Center in August of 2008," Herron said. "Central Technology Center in Drumright was the first technology center to establish the relationship between OSSM and the state CareerTech system in the spring of 1998."

Regional OSSM and technology center partnerships are located across the state. Other sites are OSU-Okmulgee, Gordon Cooper Technology Center-Shawnee, Autry Technology Center-Enid, Indian Capital Technology Center-Tahlequah, Stilwell, Muskogee and Sallisaw, Northeast Technology Center-Afton, Pryor and Kansas, Southern Technology Center-Ardmore, Pioneer Technology Center-Ponca City, Kiamichi-Poteau and Mid-America-Wayne.

"OSSM chose to partner with CareerTech in hopes of finding a way to offer advanced science and math courses, such as college level physics and calculus, to rural students without requiring them to leave their high schools," Herron said. "The CareerTech system has classroom space and transportation from the high schools to the technology centers for the students. OSSM fits right into the technology centers and is able to locally offer an advanced curriculum.

The centers must submit an application of interest to OSSM to open the site. A committee of education officials then analyzes the application looking for the technology center’s potential means of support for more academics.

As a student, admission to the OSSM is a highly competitive process initiated by a written application. Approximately 70 to 80 students are selected each year from an applicant pool of 300 students. Since accepting its first juniors in the fall of 1990, OSSM has selected students from all of Oklahoma’s 77 counties.

"Counselors at the CareerTech centers act as liaisons when recruiting students and are very supportive to the students in the program," Herron said. "Alumni of the program report gaining skills during their participation in the program, self-confidence in being successful and good study skills."