Eight DeKalb County School District schools recently received AdvancED STEM certification – the highest number of school certifications in any school district in the 70 countries where STEM education programs exist.
“This is great news for DeKalb County School District,” said Superintendent Dr. R. Stephen Green. “This achievement shows the effectiveness of our system’s primary focus on rigor and relevancy, and our commitment to providing students with effective learning environments.
“A STEM education prepares DeKalb students for future educational and career opportunities, and gives them the necessary skills to be productive citizens in the 21st-century economy.” The prestigious AdvancED STEM distinction goes to highly effective institutions that prioritize
STEM education as a pathway to success. A STEM (Science. Technology. Engineering. Mathematics) curriculum helps students develop partnering and problem-solving skills, technical expertise, and communication capabilities they need to succeed in a competitive, technology-driven modern world.
Austin Elementary School, Chapel Hill Elementary School, Chesnut Charter Elementary School, Huntley Hills Elementary School, Sagamore Hills Elementary School, Stone Mountain Middle School (program), McNair Discovery Learning Academy, and Vanderlyn Elementary School all received AdvancED STEM certification. Sagamore Hills Elementary School has dual STEM certification from the Georgia Department of Education as well as AdvancED.
AdvancED STEM is the first internationally recognized STEM certification. Currently, just 50 schools, internationally and nationally, have been awarded AdvancED STEM Certification. This means the eight DeKalb schools represent 16 percent of all AdvancED STEM institutions
worldwide.
AdvancED’s STEM certification reviewers examine school resources to ensure quality STEM education, and they conduct classroom observations using the Effective Learning Environment Observation Tool™ (eleot™) to assess student engagement and collaboration in the STEM learning process. AdvancED Reviewers also interview key stakeholders to confirm a school’s commitment to connecting student STEM experiences in the classroom to the local community and the world.
Qualifying schools demonstrate adherence to rigorous AdvancED STEM program standards. High scores signify that students have been equipped and trained to be innovative, creative, and systematic problem-solvers in multiple disciplines.