CANAAN COMMUNITY ACADEMY RECEIVES IDOE STEM CERTIFICATION

First School in the County to receive this certification

Canaan Community Academy (CCA) receives the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) STEM Certification. Canaan Community Academy is the first Jefferson County School to receive this certification. It is also the first Kindergarten through Eighth Grade school in the state to receive this certification.

The Indiana Secretary of Education shared this quote in the release:

"The schools we spotlight today have demonstrated a commitment to providing high-quality, engaging STEM experiences that not only support students in developing problem-solving skills, but also prepare them for careers in emerging industries,” said Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education. “As careers in STEM fields continue to drive our state’s economy, our role is to ensure every Hoosier student has access to high-quality STEM curriculum needed to meet both current and future demands.”

CCA meets and exceeds the high quality STEM experiences preparing students, starting in kindergarten and continuing at every grade through grade Eight for the future.

The STEM certification is a rigorous two year process. Curriculum, lesson plans, students' evidence, event and community information is submitted into the STEM site that is reviewed by the Indiana Department of Education. The IDOE reviews for rigor of curriculum, authenticity, evidence that demonstrates collaboration and integration of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). Once CCA made it to the next phase the IDOE completed an onsite visit. During the onsite visit, student ambassadors led the IDOE team to each classroom, STEAM lab with various robotic demonstrations then continued outdoors. STEM Ambassadors continued the  campus tour sharing information and answering their questions. Then an exit interview was completed with the leadership team. This is a five year designation that must be renewed every 5 years.

"The IDOE STEM certification truly tells more about a school than the standardized test scores. Chief Administrative Officer, Rhonda Pennington said, "I want to commend every staff member and every student who made the certification possible by exploring, experiencing, and excelling daily."

Canaan Community Academy invites you to stop by for a tour or share your skills with our students. The community is always welcome. Community member, Julie Brown stated, "They are engineers! It's so cool to see these kids doing hands-on projects that are out of the box. They use critical thinking, teamwork, and their imaginations like no other 3rd grade I've seen and I've seen a few."

At CCA we walk the walk; we truly believe together we can.