Academy for Math, Science, and Engineering
Address
Map
520 West Main Street

Rockaway
,
Morris County
,
New Jersey
07866

United States
Coordinates40°53′27″N 74°31′45″W / 40.8908°N 74.5292°W / 40.8908; -74.5292
Information
TypeMagnet public high school
School districtMorris County Vocational School District
SuperintendentJim Jencarelli
CEEB code310274
NCES School ID341072000522[1]
DirectorCheryl Giordano
PrincipalTodd Toriello
FacultyNA FTEs[1]
Enrollment179 (as of 2022–23)[1]
Student to teacher ratioNA[1]
AccreditationMiddle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools
Websitewww.mcvts.org/domain/1202

The Academy for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering (AMSE) is a four-year magnet public high school program intended to prepare students for STEM careers. Housed on the campus of Morris Hills High School in Rockaway, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, it is a joint endeavor between the Morris County Vocational School District and the Morris Hills Regional District.

AMSE is one of 17 vocational academies under the Morris County Vocational School District, which administers the admissions process for prospective AMSE students. The program started in 2000 with an initial class size of 26, but in 2017, the class size was increased to 48 students.

As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 179 students.[1]

History

Background

As interest in traditional vocational subjects began to decrease in the 1990s, New Jersey's vocational school districts began to experiment with new programs that would cater to gifted students interested in careers in high technology and science.[2] Hudson County's High Tech High School was founded in 1991,[3] Bergen County Academies in 1992,[4] and Union County Magnet School in 1997.[5] Created as programs under New Jersey's Career and Technical Education legislation, the schools are overseen by the New Jersey Department of Education's Office of Career Readiness, which manages their standards, approval, and reapproval.[6][7][8]

AMSE was first proposed to the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders (now the Board of County Commissioners) in November 1997 as the “Morris County Academy for Math, Science, and Engineering.” James DeWorken, Superintendent of the Morris County Vocational Board, asked the Freeholders for $5 million to build a new high-tech school on the campus of the County College of Morris in Randolph. Modeled after Monmouth County's High Technology High School, which had opened in 1991, the new program would open with 60 students, eventually expanding to 240, who would take up to 40 credits of college courses at the County College.[9][10]

Although the County College supported the concept, the Freeholders raised concerns over the proposal's high cost, which, along with a number of other projects that had already been planned, would further accumulate debt and increase the burden on taxpayers. The Freeholders also noted worries that the program might simply be "a duplication of what [was] offered by other districts" and a lack of support from some district superintendents due to the increased competition that the new academy would bring.[9][11]

DeWorken worked to gather support from district superintendents as well as local industry leaders and colleges. The Freeholders eventually approved a revised proposal in October 1999.[12] Under the new plan, AMSE and three other academies were proposed again, but now as specialized programs within existing public high schools, effectively lowering their cost.[13] The Superintendent of the Morris Hills Regional High School District at the time, James McNasby, helped bring AMSE to Morris Hills High School.[14] The school's old vocational building was replaced using $1.4 million of county funds. The new building (named the “Dr. James J. McNasby Technology Center” in honor of the superintendent) serves as the home of the academy.[15] The academy opened its doors to 24 students on September 5, 2000,[14] and a ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on October 11, 2000.[16]

Program changes

Beginning with the class of 2021, the academy class size was increased from 26 to 48 students. In a statement to the Hilltopper, the Morris Hills student newspaper, Academy Director Cheryl Giordano described the rationale behind the school's expansion, saying “We were turning away extremely talented students who had a passion for STEM and wanted to be in a program that helped nurture their interests.”[17]

In 2021, the AMSE steering committee, a group of administrators from both the Morris Hills Vocational School District and the Morris Hills Regional District, announced changes to AMSE. Under the proposed changes, the program would be renamed “The Academy for Engineering,” the zero-block would be eliminated, and students would no longer be required to take honors humanities classes.[18] The changes were rescinded after students successfully appealed to the Morris County Vocational School District Board of Education in November, arguing that the changes would hurt the program and the “Academy’s culture for years to come.”[19][20]

Awards and recognition

Banner on the main building of Morris Hills with the AMSE logo

In its 2023 rankings, Niche rated the academy as 1st in its Best High Schools for STEM in America, an increase from the 2022 ranking, in which the school was ranked 9th. Niche also rated the academy 2nd in its Best Public High School Teachers in America ranking and 9th in its Best Magnet High Schools in America ranking in 2023.[21][22] For the 2020–2021 school year, SchoolDigger ranked AMSE as the third out of all public high schools in New Jersey.[23]

The Academy was ranked as the second-best high school in America in Newsweek's 2016 "America's Top High Schools" ranking,[24][25] a minor bump from Newsweek's 2015 ranking in which it was ranked 3rd best high school in America.[26] The school's Newsweek ranking, however, fell in 2016 when AMSE SAT scores began to be counted under Morris Hills High School, and AMSE was ranked the 79th best STEM high school in the nation in 2020.[27][28] The class of 2021 had an average SAT score of 1517.[29]

The Morris County Vocational School District is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools,[30][31] and the academy is also a member of the National Consortium of Secondary STEM Schools.[32]

Campus

The Dr. James. J. McNasby Technology Building

Although the academy is a program in the Morris County Vocational School District (the main campus of which is in Denville), it is a satellite academy that is located on the campus of Morris Hills High School. Ever since its inception in 2000, the academy has been housed in the Dr. James J. McNasby Technology Center, a small, modern building on the Morris Hills campus separate from the primary building that provides facilities for automotive shop, computer aided design lab (including a 3D printer), and a graphics workshop (including large plotters and screen printers). Students enrolled in the academy attend classes in both buildings; the joint nature of the program allows students to enjoy normal interaction with Morris Hills' public high school students.[33][2][34]

In 2017, a new roof was installed and a makerspace was created in the building.[17]

Admissions and Enrollment

Student body composition as of 2021[35]
Race and ethnicity Total
Asian 149 149
 
White 24 24
 
Two or more Races 5 5
 
Hispanic 3 3
 
American Indian/Alaska Native 1 1
 
Gender Total
Male 118 118
 
Female 64 64
 

Admission to the academy is competitive—in the 2021–2022 school year, 28.4% of applicants were admitted. AMSE typically receives the most applications out of all Morris County Vocational School District programs.[29]

In order to be eligible for the program, students must reside in Morris County and have taken Algebra 1 by eight grade. All applicants submit recommendations, middle school grades, and a “video submission.” All students applying to Morris County Vocational School District programs take the same English language arts test, but AMSE applicants must take a different mathematics test based on algebra 1 concepts. Students' scores are compiled on a rubric, and if the number of applicants who have scored higher than a predetermined cutoff is greater than the number of seats in the program, a random selection process is used to select from those students who scored higher than the cutoff.[36][37][38] Admitted freshmen must attend a mandatory two week summer program, in which students take part in CAD, Math Analysis 1, AP Physics 1, and Humanities classes.[39]

In the 2020–2021 school year, 65-70% of students were male and 30-35% were female. 81.2% of students were Asian, 13.6% were White, and 1.9% were Hispanic.[40] There have been concerns about the school's diversity and the underrepresentation of Black and Hispanic students.[41]

AMSE is mostly funded by funds from state, county, and federal taxpayers.[42][2] The Morris County Vocational School District also charges its students' sending districts, the public school districts which they would have otherwise attended, a tuition fee. The fee, which is detailed in a Collaboration Agreement between the two districts, is divided between them; the Morris Hills Regional District receives 91% of the tuition per pupil monthly.[34]

Extracurriculars

See also: Morris Hills High School § Extracurriculars, and Morris Hills High School § Athlethics

Students can participate in extracurriculars with other students in Morris Hills High School, which offers over 80 clubs and 29 sports. Students, on rare occasions, have also been able to participate in activities at the public school district they would have attended if they had not attended AMSE, their "sending district," with the approval of that district's Board of Education.[43] Some Morris Hills student groups are composed primarily of AMSE students, such as the boys tennis team.[44]

Academics

Academy students must accumulate 170 credits to graduate, 50 credits more than the New Jersey state graduation requirement and 30 credits more than Morris Hills High School graduation requirement. In doing so, students must meet multiple sets of requirements imposed by the state, the school district, and the academy itself.[45][46]

State requirements include physical education yearly, one year of a foreign language, one year of fine arts, one year of business and financial literacy, and one computer proficiency class.[45] In practice, the business requirement is fulfilled by the mandatory Academy Business Strategies course, the computer requirement is fulfilled by the mandatory CAD courses, and most students take three or four years of a language in accordance with the recommendations of highly selective universities. The only remaining requirements that students must pay attention to is the visual and performing arts requirement. The art requirement can be fulfilled through the Morris Hills offerings consisting of Chorus, Band, String Ensemble, Music Appreciation, Fundamentals of Music 1, AP Music Theory, Foundation Art, Drawing and Painting, Digital Art and Design, AP Studio Art, and AP Art History, among others.[33][46][47]

Academy course requirements are listed below. Notably, students go through the science curriculum by taking physics, then chemistry, then biology in an approach named "Physics First."[note 1]. Students must take multiple science and technology courses, such as computer aided drafting and engineering. Students must also take four years of mathematics instead of three, one year more than the state and district requirement.[46]

The academy operates on a quarterly grading system and uses a 100-point numerical scale. Grade point averages are thus based out of 100 rather than the traditional 4.0 used by many other high schools. Honors courses receive 5 extra points when factored into the GPA calculation, and Advanced Placement courses receive 10 extra points when factored into the GPA calculation. Academy students are not ranked due to the competitiveness of the program and the small class size.[46]

Curriculum by Year

All courses denoted "Academy" are taught at the honors level and are taught to only students of the academy. These courses are often more rigorous than their counterparts taught to Morris Hills students. All courses denoted "AP" represent courses under the Advanced Placement program offered by the College Board. These courses are taught to a mixed group of students from both the academy and Morris Hills, with the exception of freshman year AP Physics 1.[50]

Freshman Year

Freshmen who enter AMSE already having taken a geometry course in middle school are eligible to place out of the course through an end-of-course exam. Students who receive a passing score take an additional elective course.

Sophomore Year

Junior Year

Senior Year

Product Development Sequence

Unique to AMSE itself is its three-year Engineering and Product Development sequence, spanning an academy student's sophomore, junior, and senior years. Engineering and Product Development courses are meant to “create well-rounded engineers adept in electronics, robotics, drafting, mechanical engineering, manufacturing, and product development.”[51]

Academy Engineering and Product Development 1

The first installment in the Engineering and Product Development series, taken in an academy student's sophomore year, focuses primarily on electronics and robotics. Students taking the course, which is primarily hands-on, will gain experience working with various hand tools, electronic components, and robotics components. Units within the course are as follows:

Academy Engineering and Product Development 2

The second installment in the Engineering and Product Development series is taken in an academy student's junior year. Students will be placed in a woodshop environment for half of the course, focusing on different types of woods, various saws, abrasives, finishes, etc. The other half of the course is spent in a metalworking and manufacturing environment, which will afford students experience with benchwork machinery, welding techniques, manual and CNC milling, etc. Units within the course are as follows:

Academy Engineering and Product Development 3

The third installment in the Engineering and Product Development series is taken in an academy student's senior year. The course is meant to be a culmination of each previous Engineering and Product Development course, and also incorporates important principles that Academy students would have learned in previous science and mathematics courses. Students taking the course are placed into teams of approximately four, which “design, develop, and implement a product of their choosing that is centered on the need to solve a global problem.” The conclusion of the course features an “Engineering Showcase;” an evening event at which each team presents their final, alpha prototype to interested parties, including industry professionals. The product development process is split into an introductory unit plus six “milestones,” which are as follows:

Advanced Placement offerings

Academy students can choose from a comprehensive list of 27 Advanced Placement courses offered by Morris Hills High School.[52] As part of AMSE's curriculum, academy students will be enrolled in AP Physics 1 during their freshman year, AP Chemistry during their sophomore year, and AP Biology during their junior year. The academy curriculum provides for 10 elective courses to be taken over a student's four years at AMSE, allowing students to choose several Advanced Placement electives throughout high school. The exact number of elective slots able to be filled by Advanced Placement courses can be affected by placement out of Academy Geometry Honors, desire to continue studying a foreign language, and how an academy student chooses to fulfill their art course graduation requirement.[53]

Morris Hills High School offers students the option to take any Advanced Placement exam offered by the College Board, even those for which there is not a corresponding course at the school. Students may choose to self-study such courses during the school year through the school's Gifted and Talented Program.[54] Nearly all Academy students earn college credits while in high school. Most of these credits are earned through high scores achieved on Advanced Placement exams,[29] as well as courses approved the New Jersey Institute of Technology, which AMSE has an articulation agreement with.[55]

Senior-year internship

The senior year internship is a mandatory component of the academy curriculum and students cannot graduate without having completed one (or more internship) totaling to one hundred hours. The internship must be approved by the board of education of the Morris County Vocational School District and must be demonstrably related to the fields of mathematics, science, and engineering.[56]

Notes

  1. ^ The academy curriculum employs the Physics First approach, in which freshmen take an introductory physics course (AP Physics 1) rather than the traditional biology course offered to most high school freshmen. The primary difficulty with the implementation of Physics First in most high school curricula is that most high school freshmen lack the required Algebra 1 background prior to beginning the introductory physics course,[48] but since all academy students are required to enter freshman year having completed an Algebra I course, AMSE does not encounter this issue.[37] The Physics First approach emphasizes concepts in Physics in the instruction of Chemistry and concepts of Chemistry in the instruction of biology.[49]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e School data for Academy For Mathematics Science And Engineering, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Heyboer, Kelly (May 30, 2017). "N.J.'s hardest-to-get-into public high schools, explained". nj.com. NJ Advance Media. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  3. ^ Stoltzfus, Duane. "Hudson to start free adult school; Focus on trades, computers", The Record, June 12, 1991. Accessed October 6, 2022, via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "About BCA / History". www.bergen.org. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  5. ^ "Freeholders Introduce Ordinances to Create Union County's First Magnet High School". Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times. 27 February 1997.
  6. ^ "District At-A-Glance / District At-A-Glance". www.mcvts.org. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  7. ^ "N.J.A.C. 6A:19, Career and Technical Education Programs and Standards" (PDF). nj.gov. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  8. ^ "Office of Career Readiness". www.nj.gov. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Snowflack, Fred (December 12, 1997). "Plan for academy fails to find place on county budget". Daily Record (Morris County, New Jersey). p. 4. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Nussbaum, Alex (November 13, 1997). "Freeholders: 'Show us numbers' on county science school". Daily Record (Morris County, New Jersey). p. 6. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Snowflack, Fred (August 13, 1998). "Freeholders: Does Morris need a $5M tech school?". Daily Record (Morris County, New Jersey). pp. 1, 9. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Pacenza, Matt (August 5, 2000). "Academy students get jump on future". Daily Record (Morris County, New Jersey). pp. 1, 8. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Cichowski, John (September 23, 1999). "Morris academies proposal unveiled". The Record. pp. 18, 26. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b "Story of Morris Hills". www.mhrd.org. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  15. ^ Kullen, Charlotte (January 12, 2000). "Butler High to host session on academies". Daily Record (Morris County, New Jersey). pp. 9, 13. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Denville Academy to open Wednesday". Daily Record (Morris County, New Jersey). October 10, 2000. p. 9. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ a b Fuhr, Jacob; Gaurav, Sethi. "Academy Class of 2021 Grows". The Hilltopper. No. November 2017. p. 10. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  18. ^ Giordano, Cheryl (October 29, 2021). "AMSE Updates October 2021". Letter to Academy Students & Families. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  19. ^ Christopher, Tava; Godbole, Neel. "Students Participate in Democracy and Make Their Voices Heard". The Hilltopper. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  20. ^ Tran, Dmitri. "Academy Curriculum Petition". Archived from the original on May 22, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  21. ^ "2022 The Academy for Mathematics, Science & Engineering Rankings". Niche. Archived from the original on June 19, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  22. ^ "2023 The Academy for Mathematics, Science & Engineering Rankings". Niche. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  23. ^ "Academy for Mathematics Science and Engineering". SchoolDigger. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  24. ^ "America's Top High Schools 2016". Newsweek. August 11, 2016. Archived from the original on December 23, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  25. ^ "Academy at Morris Hills moves up a notch in ranking". Neighbor News Montivlle. August 31, 2016. p. A6. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "America's Top High Schools 2015". Newsweek. August 19, 2015. Archived from the original on October 16, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  27. ^ Giordano, Cheryl (October 2, 2022). "US News & World Report 2020". Archived from the original on October 3, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  28. ^ Newsweek (November 4, 2019). "Best STEM Schools - Top 500". Newsweek. Archived from the original on June 5, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  29. ^ a b c "Academy Profile 2021-2022". mhrd.org. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  30. ^ Full Time Academies Archived March 20, 2022, at the Wayback Machine, Morris County Vocational School District. Accessed May 17, 2022.
  31. ^ [1] Archived May 24, 2022, at the Wayback Machine, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed January 27, 2022.
  32. ^ "Membership List – NCSSS". Archived from the original on October 3, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  33. ^ a b "The Academy for Math, Science, and Engineering". Morris Hills High School. Archived from the original on January 16, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  34. ^ a b "Collaboration Agreement between the Morris Hills Regional District and the Morris County Vocational School District". Archived from the original on October 3, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  35. ^ "Academy for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering". National Center for Education Statistics. Archived from the original on October 3, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  36. ^ "22-23 MCVST FT Admissions Handbook". Morris County Vocational School District. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  37. ^ a b "Admissions". mhrd.org. Morris Hills Regional District. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  38. ^ Heyboer, Kelly (May 24, 2017). "How to get your kid a seat in one of N.J.'s hardest-to-get-into high schools". nj.com. NJ Advance Media. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  39. ^ "Important Dates". mhrd.org. Morris Hills Regional District. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  40. ^ "Enrollment". AMSE Performance Report. New Jersey Department of Education. Retrieved May 18, 2022.[permanent dead link]
  41. ^ Heyboer, Kelly (May 23, 2017). "The uncomfortable truth about race in N.J.'s top high schools". nj.com. NJ Advance Media. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  42. ^ "Morris County Vocational School District User Friendly Budget 2022-2023". www.mcvts.org. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  43. ^ "AMSE Information Session 2021". June 27, 2022. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  44. ^ Havsy, Jane (March 23, 2019). "Diversity bringing Morris Hills (Rockaway, N.J.) tennis team together". Morristown Daily Record. USA Today High School Sports. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  45. ^ a b "New Jersey State Minimum Graduation Requirements by Content Area" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Education. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  46. ^ a b c d "School Profile – Academy for Math, Science, and Engineering" (PDF). Morris Hills High School. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  47. ^ "AMSE Graduation Requirements & Course Requirements". Morris Hills High School. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  48. ^ "Challenges In Teaching and Learning Introductory Physics". web.physics.ucsb.edu. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  49. ^ Mathews, Jay (January 28, 2003). "Teaching Physics First Ignites Debate". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on June 19, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  50. ^ "CURRICULUM". Morris Hills Regional District. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  51. ^ "2021 AMSE Reapproval Application". New Jersey Department of Education. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  52. ^ "AP Courses Available at the Morris Hills Regional District". Morris Hills Regional District. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  53. ^ "ACADEMY FOR MATH, SCIENCE, AND ENGINEERING". Morris County Vocational School District. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  54. ^ "Gifted and Talented Program". Morris Hills High School. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  55. ^ "Options for Advanced Academic Achievement Secondary School Partnership Program Agreement between New Jersey Institute of Technology and Academy for Math, Science & Engineering". AMSE Reapproval Application. New Jersey Department of Education. 2021. p. 31. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  56. ^ "The Academy for Math, Science and Engineering / Internships". http. Archived from the original on September 16, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2020.

External links

Education in Morris County, New Jersey
Authority control databases: Geographic
Categories