ST1.8

STEM learning outcomes demonstrate students' STEM literacy necessary for the next level of STEM learning and for post-secondary and workforce readiness.

Self-Assessment: 3

At Mater Academy, data is at the heart of our decision-making process. As a college preparatory school, the ultimate goal is to provide all students with a quality education that will transition them into the best possible post-secondary institution. To achieve these ends, data is used to properly place, advance, and remediate students by creating a personalized schedule that leads to student success. Data on State-Wide Assessments, Advanced Placement Scores, and the AP Potential Report are used by the Student Services Department to place students in the most rigorous courses possible.

For our advanced high school students, AP Potential Report data is used to place students in Dual Enrollment and AP Classes with the goal of graduating as many students as possible with their Associate in Arts Degree (AA). In the 2018-2019 school year, 25% of the senior class earned their AA prior to high school graduation. This trend has been growing steadily over the last decade at Mater Academy and we have increased our capacity by offering 26 different Advanced Placement (AP) courses and incorporating Dual Enrollment classes within the school day taught by Mater teachers who are also Dual Enrollment instructors with Florida International University, Miami Dade College, and Doral College. Students in our graduating class who do not complete the entire AA degree still earn several college credits which prepare them for post-secondary education and help them alleviate some of the costs associated with higher education.

For our advancing middle school students, as a seamless 6-12th grade school, access to high school credit classes begin as early as 6th grade with students earning high school credit in Spanish, other Foreign Languages, Algebra I and Geometry, Physical Science, Biology, and even starting Dual Enrollment. In both the high school and the middle school, we are launching in the 2019-2020 school year, a study abroad program in partnership with the University of Granada in Spain. 25 middle school students and 25 high school students will travel to Spain in June to take college credit classes in Spanish Language and Culture.

For those students who struggle with academics, data chats are held frequently to pin-point specific areas of weakness. The Student Services Department, classroom teachers, and administrators conduct data chats with students and prepare a plan for remediation that includes Intensive Mathematics and Reading classes, Pull-Out and Push-In Tutoring, and additional instructional time in those courses the student is experiencing difficulty. Saturday Tutoring is a free three-hour session held by our faculty in the subjects of Reading, Math, and Civics which all require a standardized test at the end of the school year. Saturday Tutoring is offered to our students before testing season in order to ensure that our students who scored a Level 3, 4, or 5 maintain their high scores and/or achieve a higher score in this school year’s standardized testing. Saturday Tutoring is also offered to students who scored a Level 1 or 2 on the FSA Reading and Mathematics exam in order to review content and provide them with applicable testing taking strategies. In addition, Mater has Pull-Out and Push-In tutoring held by our Paraprofessionals. Our 2018-2019 scores demonstrate that students who were in Pull-Out tutoring showed learning gains on their exams and students in Push-In tutoring had an extra person providing them with help in the classroom and after school. Finally, our students are rewarded for their academic progress through an award we call “Lion Strides.” Students who were originally below grade level and demonstrate significant improvement in industry, scholarship, academics, and character are invited to a quarterly ceremony for making strides. Lion Strides has proven to motivate our students to perform better in the classroom in terms of both academics and discipline. It is also a way to recognize our students for making the necessary efforts to reach the level of proficiency required of them for their grade level.

Finally, to provide students with technical skills and readiness for the workforce, Mater offers a variety of Industry Certification courses that are aligned with industry recognized standards. In total, 615 of our students were industry certified in the 2018-2019 school year. These certifications allow our students to demonstrate their practical skills in several programs including: