The Georgia Department of
Education has awarded Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
certification to the Center for Design and Technology (CDAT) at Lanier High
School in Gwinnett County.
Lanier is the ninth school in
the state to be awarded the designation. David Turner, the department’s CTAE
director, awarded the certification in a ceremony at the school last week.
“Programs like CDAT are exactly
what Georgia’s students need – and what Georgia needs,” State School
Superintendent John Barge said. “There is a continuing void in STEM
professionals in Georgia’s labor market, and schools that encourage students’
passions for science, technology, engineering and math will go far to fill that
gap.”
To earn STEM certification, the
school had to submit an application showing that it meets rigorous criteria,
such as evidence of teacher collaboration, business and industry partnerships,
high levels of math and science instruction and an integrated, project-based
STEM curriculum. A team from the Georgia Department of Education visited the
school to observe the program.
Lanier’s CDAT program features
unique three-hour blocks of instruction featuring computer applications,
chemistry, biology and English language arts in the mornings and computer
applications, Advanced Placement physics, honors physics, English language
arts, history and economics in the afternoons, with mathematics integrated into
classroom projects. Students use computer projects and competitions as anchors
for all instruction, and teachers move students within the three-hour blocks
depending upon their academic needs and their project design.
The program is inclusive and
accepts any student who is interested. End-of-Course Tests (EOCT) and Advanced
Placement (AP) test results indicate that CDAT students meet or exceed the
results of Lanier students who do not participate in the program.
Learn more about STEM schools
at http://stemgeorgia.org.