Arlington School & Family Magazine April/May 2015 | Page 20
Campus News
with opportunities such as internships,
mentorships, job shadowing, community
service, enrichment programs and a
summer learning opportunities.
STEM
Academy
The AISD STEM Academy is located at
Martin High School and is a cooperative
effort of the Arlington Independent
School District and the University of
Texas at Arlington. Students will attend
classes at Martin High School and will
enjoy all the privileges and benefits of
The goals of the program:
• To expose students to rigorous science,
technology, engineering and math
curriculum in order to develop a
pathway to a future STEM career.
• To develop students who are socially
responsible, globally aware and locally
engaged.
• To develop a diverse group of students
who will be successful as STEM
majors in college, without requiring
remediation.
• To graduate students who will have
an opportunity to complete their first
year of STEM college courses and up
to 32 UT Arlington semester credit
hours prior to high school graduation.
• To graduate students with additional
college credit earned through AP
courses.
• To develop students with strong
leadership skills that allow them to
communicate and collaborate with
others.
To continue the goal of being a district
with leading-edge learning experiences,
the AISD has partnered with the
University of Texas at Arlington for a new
STEM Academy – science, technology,
engineering and math. Students will
have the opportunity to earn high school
and college credits from UT-Arlington
along four pathways – engineering,
biology/biomedical science, computer
science and math/science. The program
will debut at Martin High School in fall
2015 with about 100 ninth graders from
across the district, and 100 students will
be added each year until the program
enrolls about 400 students in grades
9-12. There are no fees associated with
being a part of the STEM Academy.
Students in the STEM Academy will
have a chance to complete 21-32 hours
in their college major at UT Arlington
prior to high school graduation. Students
will also be able to advance their STEM
education outside the classroom as well,
18 Arlington School & Family - April/May 2015
being a STEM Academy student along
with the benefits and privileges of being
a Martin High School student including
sports, fine arts, clubs and organizations.
Students enrolled in the STEM Academy
will automatically be approved as
transfers to Martin High School.
Students will be taught by AISD STEM
Academy instructors, Martin teachers
and UT Arlington professors. For
both semesters of the freshman and
sophomore year, the content focus is on
STEM courses, other core courses and
electives. During the junior and senior
year, students will earn college credit
from UT-Arlington, have an industry
mentor and participate in a capstone
course such as an internship.
Transportation will be provided to
students before and after school between
AISD’s six high schools and the STEM
Academy at Martin High School.
• To strengthen ties among the school
district, UT Arlington and STEMrelated businesses in our community.
The mission of the Arlington
Independent School District