Kingsland Schools to receive Project Lead the Way national certification

By News Team
ads@fillmorecountyjournal.com

Fri, Nov 16th, 2012
Posted in Spring Valley Education

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Kingsland Public School will receive national certification for their Project Lead The Way Engineering and Biomedical Programs. Kingsland Middle School/Junior High will receive national recognition for the Gateway To Technology (GTT) Program it has been offering since 2011 which includes the summer Gateway Academy Program for students in grades 4 through 6.

The school district will receive three Project Lead The Way banners to hang in honor of the accomplishments. Thor Misko, Project Lead The Way Vice President of Engagement, will fly in from Indianapolis, Indiana to make the presentation at Monday’s School Board Meeting on November 19, 6:30 p.m. at the high school in Spring Valley, Minn. Kingsland is partnering with a number of area businesses, including the Mayo Clinic, who will be hosting a tour for PLTW and Kingsland staff Monday (11/19) afternoon before the board meeting. Mayo Clinic is partnering with Kingsland School in both their engineering and biomedical programs. April Horne, Section Head of Mayo Clinic Division of Engineering, will also speak at Monday’s School Board Meeting.

Students who enroll in PLTW courses benefit from an innovative curriculum that encourages creativity and critical thinking. They also benefit from the organization’s strong university and industry relationships that allow students to begin working toward a college degree and gain valuable experience through internships and local business executives who serve as mentors.

Project Lead The Way Programs are in all 50 states and serves 400,000 students nationwide. Kingsland Public School will be the first school in Minnesota to achieve all three national certifications which include Engineering, Biomedical, and the Gateway to Technology Program of Distinction. The primary purposes of the certification program are to recognize schools that have successfully demonstrated a commitment to the quality national standards of the Pathway To Engineering and GTT programs and to provide an opportunity for students to apply for college credit at PLTW affiliate universities for selected PLTW courses. PLTW has more than 68 affiliate college and university partners (see attached) that offer students credit for completing PLTW courses in high school, including the University of Minnesota.

Administration and a team of teachers, staff, students and community members completed a self-assessment of the school’s implementation of the Pathway to Engineering, Biomedical, and Gateway programs that culminated in a site visit by a national PLTW certification specialist team. The certification team met with teachers, administration, counselors, students and community representatives and reviewed student work.

Teachers are the critical component of the success of the PLTW program. All teachers are required to complete an intensive two-week professional development course during the summer before they can teach a PLTW course. Kingsland staff have attended training at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, University of Illinois-Chicago, University of Minnesota, Mankato State University, and St. Cloud State University. Additional information can be found at the Project Lead The Way Website: www.pltw.org

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