STEM Success at Bios

For just a second, or less, I was considering writing just below the definition for STEM from the National Science Teachers Association. Boring. Instead, here is my interpretation of the oft cited acronym. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. The idea is that a successful STEM education in science, technology, engineering, and math, taught through building on previous concepts learned and using real world applications will develop students with critical thinking skills, science literacy, and who will become our future innovators. It is such an important goal in education that in a speech to the National Academy of Sciences last April, President Obama included this statement, "Reaffirming and strengthening America’s role as the world’s engine of scientific discovery and technological innovation is essential to meeting the challenges of this century. That’s why I am committed to making the improvement of STEM education over the next decade a national priority."

In the ten year employment projections put out by the US Department of Labor, fifteen of the twenty fastest occupations require a lot of knowledge in math and science.

So how does Bios Christian Academy fare statistically and in graduates declaring their college majors? Quite well and only getting better.

Percent of ACT-Tested Students Ready for College-Level Coursework

* College English Composition: Bios 100%; Arizona 53%; national 64%

* College Algebra: Bios 60%; Arizona 38%; national 44%

* College Biology: Bios 60%; Arizona 28%; national 36%

The percentages above are the results of the much higher than average ACT scores achieved through the hard work of the students , teachers, and parents. I included English for fun and to make a point later. Those high math and science scores result in 68% of our graduates entering college with science or math related majors. If you want to have students desire the higher paying and in-demand occupations, then you give them the skills and confidence to make those choices. That is one of the many things we do really well.

Out of our 34 graduates, here are the specific majors declared at graduation and the number who declared so. Engineering-4, chemistry-2, kinesiology-2, nursing-2, science-1, biology-2, equine science-1, art-1, technology-1, business-1, premed-2, music-1, education-1, writing-1, forensic science-1, medical tech-1, veterinarian tech-1, physical therapy-2, computer science-1, film/media-2.

Now for my comment on English. As I have shown above, our English scores are really, really good on the ACT. This is a reflection of the students hard work in this area. The scores also reflect the schools commitment to an outstanding education in all subject areas, not only for the STEM subjects. Great reading and writing skills are just as important for our STEM majors as the rest of our students.