; (ii) supporting research on effective STEM teaching practices in rural settings, including the use of rubrics and mastery-based grading practices to assess student performance when employing the trans­dis­ci­plin­ary teaching approach for STEM disciplines; (iii) designing and developing pre-service and in-service training resources to assist such rural educators in adopting transdisciplinary teaching practices across STEM courses; (iv) coordinating with local partners to adapt STEM teaching practices to leverage local natural and community assets in order to support in-place learning in rural areas; (v) providing hands-on training and research opportunities for rural educators described in clause (i) at Federal Laboratories , institutions of higher education, or in industry; (vi) developing training and best practices for educators who teach multiple grade levels within a STEM discipline; (vii) designing and implementing professional development courses and experiences, including mentoring, for rural educators described in clause (i) that combine face-to-face and online experiences; and (viii) any other activity the Director determines will accomplish the goals of this subsection. (B) Rural stem collaborative The Director may establish a pilot program of regional cohorts in rural areas that will provide peer support, mentoring, and hands-on research experiences for rural STEM educators of students in grades Pre–K through 12, in order to build an ecosystem of cooperation among educators, researchers, academia, and local industry. (b) Broadening participation of rural students in STEM (1) In general The Director shall provide grants on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or a consortium thereof) for— (A) research and development of programming to identify the barriers rural students face in accessing high-quality STEM education