Cognia (formally AdvancED) congratulates Haleyville High School, Haleyville Middle School, Haleyville Elementary School, and the Haleyville Center of Technology on receiving Cognia 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 achieving the Certification, Haleyville City Schools becomes the second and largest district in the state to have all its schools to receive this recognition and the only school who has accomplished this all in one day.
Cognia 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, Haleyville City Schools 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, all Haleyville Schools had to individually demonstrate adherence to the Cognia 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 Cognia STEM Certified School. This certification exhibits Haleyville Schools’ 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 district Superintendent, Dr. Holly Sutherland. District STEM Coach Candy Garner continued with positive remarks by stating that. “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. For our students this certification will equip them with both the skills and confidence to compete and achieve great things in the competitive world they will enter upon high school graduation. Our passion is to give each student the tools they need to both achieve and market the skills of their choice.”
Cognia’s STEM Certification Reviewers examined Haleyville City Schools’ 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.