Schools receive STEM certification

Three Diocesan elementary schools first to achieve AdvancED STEM certification in U.S.

CLIFTON  Three elementary schools in the Diocese — All Saints Academy in Parsippany, St Anthony School in Hawthorne, and St. Catherine of Bologna School in Ringwood — have received 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.

In order to earn STEM certification, the three schools had to demonstrate adherence to the AdvancED STEM standard as reflected by the schools’ performances across 11 rigorous STEM indicators.

“This recognition has been the culmination of five years of dedication and commitment to the work of STEM education at all three of these schools,” said Mary Baier, diocesan superintendent of schools. “Our schools are the first Catholic schools in the north region to earn this designation and the first Catholic elementary schools in the United States to earn the certification. Admin­istration, faculty, staff, students, and the school community should be applauded for their untiring efforts, discipline, and drive to make their school one of academic excellence, so characteristic of the National Stan­dards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Schools.”

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, the Diocese along with these three schools has demonstrated its commitment to preparing its students for their educational and career opportunities of the future by ensuring our 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,” said Baier.

In 2014 the Diocese of Paterson received the NCEA’s Karen M. Ristau Innovations Award for STEM. The award is presented annually to an individual school or program that has furthered the mission of Catholic education through an innovative program or approach.

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.

All three schools provided AdvancED’s STEM certification reviewers’ evidence of their quality STEM education as well as opening their classrooms for observations focused on identifying student engagement and collaboration in the learning process using the Effective Learning Environments 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.

“These schools, as well as all of our schools, are grounded in the mission of Catholic social teaching and values that prepare and empower our students to be creative, collaborative and morally responsible contributors to an ever-changing global society,” said Baier. “This certification also validates STEM’s impact on student achievement and teacher efficacy.”