Hialeah Gardens, FL. —May 21, 2019 – AdvancED congratulates Mater Academy Elementary Charter School on receiving AdvancED STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Certification. This achievement is a mark of STEM distinction and excellence only offered to highly effective institutions that prioritize STEM education as a path to success. Mater Academy Elementary is located at 7700 NW 98th Street in Hialeah Gardens (Miami Dade County).
AdvancED STEM Certification is the first internationally recognized mark of quality for STEM schools and programs, signaling the growing emphasis placed on STEM education by educators, politicians and business leaders around the world. In earning this certification, Mater Academy Elementary Charter School has demonstrated its commitment to preparing its students for their educational and career opportunities of the future by ensuring its students will have the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in their postsecondary pursuits and as workforce contributors in the 21st-century economy.
In order to earn STEM Certification, Mater Academy Elementary Charter School had to demonstrate adherence to the AdvancED STEM Standard as reflected by the school’s performance across 11 rigorous STEM Indicators. The certification process provides a rigorous evaluation and continuous improvement process, supported by research-based tools and resources. Achieving high scores across the indicators certify that students have been equipped and trained to be innovative, creative and systematic problem-solvers across disciplines.
“We are proud to be an AdvancED STEM Certified School. This certification exhibits Mater Academy Elementary Charter School’s commitment to addressing workforce needs by preparing our students with the relevant skills and experiences to succeed while demonstrating to the private-sector that we are committed to driving higher levels of student achievement for their STEM pipeline,” said Cecilia Guilarte, Principal. “STEM certification will continue to uphold our school to high standards while providing a clear roadmap for us to continuously improve our STEM disciplines and program.”
AdvancED’s STEM Certification Reviewers examined Mater Academy Elementary Charter School’s evidence of quality STEM education that the school provided to the review team beforehand, and conducted classroom observations focused on identifying student engagement and collaboration in the learning process using the Effective Learning Environment Observation Tool™ (eleot™). Reviewers also interviewed key stakeholders such as school administrators, STEM faculty and staff, parents, students, and external partners in order to verify the school’s commitment to connecting students’ STEM experiences in the classroom to the local community and the world at large.
To learn more about AdvancED STEM Certification, contact AdvancED at STEMCertification@advanc-ed.org. For more background on AdvancED’s products and services that support institutions in their continuous improvement efforts visit www.advanc-ed.org.
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About Mater Academy Elementary Charter School
Mater Academy Elementary is the first of the Mater Academy family of high-performing charter schools. With over two decades of educational success, Mater Academy charter schools have won multiple awards for high academic achievement. Some of the recognitions received by Mater Academy Elementary include:
- 2001-2009 Proclamation Gold Award for Superior School Performance
- 2001-2007 Platinum Award for Superior School Performance
- 2001-2008 United Way Student Campaign Recognition
- 2002-2010 Florida School Recognition Award for Achieving Higher Academic Performance for All Students
- 2009-2010 Florida Title I Distinguished School
- 2017-2018 School of Excellence
- 2018-2019 Florida Department of Education School of Excellence
In addition, Mater Academy Elementary has received full accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the foremost organization granting an external mark of quality and high standards to academic institutions in the Southern region of the U.S.
About AdvancED
AdvancED is a non-profit, non-partisan organization serving the largest community of education professionals in the world. Founded on more than 100 years of work in continuous improvement, AdvancED combines the knowledge and expertise of a research institute, the skills of a management consulting firm and the passion of a grassroots movement for educational change to empower PreK-12 schools and school systems to ensure that all learners realize their full potential.
AdvancED operates three regional accrediting agencies and serves as a trusted partner to 32,000 schools and school systems—employing more than four million educators and enrolling more than 20 million students—across the United States and 70 countries.