Next year the Savannah-Chatham public school system will have a special place just for middle school math geniuses, techies and kids who just can’t wait for the science fair.
The Science Technology Engineering and Math middle school, or STEM Academy, will be the district’s newest specialty school located in the Bartlett Middle School building on Montgomery Crossroad. Students will be taught to apply concepts from science, technology, engineering and mathematics to real world problems.
The goal is for students to become logical, perceptive and independent thinkers with innovative problem-solving skills.
District officials hope to make public schools the first choice for all local families by offering a variety of educational options, including programs with special academic themes.
The STEM Academy will be the district’s 23rd specialty program. Beginning in the 2013-14 school year, the STEM Academy will have 690 seats available — 220 in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades.
To qualify for admission, students must have a good behavior record and at least an 80 average in reading, language arts, science, math and social studies.
They must also have scored in the 5th stanine of all areas of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) or state test (CRCT) scores of 825, 815 and 810 on the reading, math and science sections, respectively.
Currently, 34 percent of the district’s middle school students, about 3,109 children, meet the criteria for enrollment.
The 770 students currently enrolled at Bartlett Middle School have been reassigned to attend either Myers, DeRenne or Southwest middle schools.
Those who wish to remain at Bartlett must apply for admission to the STEM Academy. However, district officials say only about 191 of Bartlett’s current students meet the qualifications.
Families can choose from six other middle school specialty programs: Charles Ellis Montessori, Garrison Arts, Coastal Middle International Baccalaureate, Southwest Middle International Baccalaureate, Hubert Middle Career Tech and Risers Academy and the DeRenne Middle Medical and Allied Health program.
However, all of those programs require an 80 grade-point average and have standardized test score requirements.
The deadline for all public school specialty programs is noon Friday . Applications and information about all 23 elementary, middle and high school specialty programs can be found by going to http://internet.savannah.chatham.k12.ga.us and searching for ‘specialty programs.’