First-of Its Kind Accreditation to Broaden Participation in STEM
In partnership with Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS), STEM PUSH designed a first-of its kind accreditation process giving value to pre-college STEM program experiences within the college admissions process.
Accreditation for Broadening Participation in STEM
Accredited STEM PUSH programs engage students in intensive (100+ hours), high-quality STEM experiences without students having financial barriers to access. While not exclusive by race, accredited STEM PUSH PCSPs intentionally engage Black, Latina/o/e, Indigenous and other racially and ethnically minoritized youth through culturally-responsive and sustaining STEM educational experiences.
The Process
Novel Accreditation Process Centers Equity
To become accredited, STEM PUSH programs provide evidence that their program aligns with and is improving along evidence-based quality standards. Programs improve along three objectives: Student recruitment and learning, STEM competencies, and College going & persistence.
Impact of Accreditation
PCSPs are accredited for broadening participation in STEM, recognizing quality, equity-centered pre-college STEM programs. This credential holds value in the college admissions process to make visible a student’s out-of-school-time academic achievement.
This accreditation has the potential to close the racial/ethnic achievement gap in STEM by providing an evidence-based standardized credential that is predictive of success in undergraduate STEM.
This is not solely a quality credential; if widely adopted, could create more equitable STEM pathways and social mobility through higher education.
Our ongoing research is studying the impact of accreditation to increase program recognition and value with a range of partners, including students & families, organizations that run programs, funders, and undergraduate admissions offices.
Our research shows STEM PUSH pre-college programs increase student enrollment and persistence in STEM in higher education. Accreditation is an externally validated credential to make STEM PUSH PCSP experiences visible and valuable in the college admissions process.
STEM PUSH pre-college STEM programs provide high-quality STEM experiences to high school students—many of whom are Black, Latina/o/e, and Indigenous— though these experiences are not consistently recognized and valued in the college admissions process.
If you are working in the college admissions space toward increasing equity and supporting STEM pathways, or see opportunities to leverage accreditation for greater admissions visibility and systems change, please join us to see how we can work together.
Accredited STEM PUSH Pre-College STEM Programs
Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health’s Health Science Academy
The Health Science Academy (HSA) at the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health is a STEM health science enrichment, after school pipeline program that prepares underrepresented students to succeed in college health science courses. The Academy, HSA’s 3-year high school program, provides advanced educational opportunities to high achieving students. The Academy is offered in partnership with SUNY, Health Sciences University (SUNY-HSU). SUNY-HSU provides the physical resources to hold weekly anatomy & physiology classes & labs.
California State University East Bay MESA
The CSU East Bay MESA College Prep Program supports students to develop their confidence, competence, and love of STEM by building a community that fosters curiosity and exploration. Led by the Institute for STEM Education, CSU East Bay MESA assists East Bay middle and high school students, who have been historically excluded in STEM fields, to excel in math and science and go on to college in math-based majors.
Gene Team at University of Pittsburgh
The Gene Team aims to engage students in current research in Biological Sciences and provide college preparatory mentoring. Our goal is to increase participation in biological research from groups that are historically underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math.
Joaquin Bustoz Math-Science Honors Program at Arizona State University
Joaquin Bustoz Math-Science Honors Program (JBMSHP) students participate in a 6-week residential summer program and take a college-level mathematics or computer science course for college credit. Students also learn about academic success topics and get mentored in transitioning to college. All expenses are paid by ASU.
New York Hall of Science’s Science Career Ladder
NYSCI’s Science Career Ladder engages high school and college students in meaningful work experience while exposing them to a wide array of STEM career and college pathways. The SCL program serves youth that are often underrepresented in STEM fields.
Nature Museum TEENS at Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
Participants in the Teenagers Exploring and Explaining Nature and Science (TEENS) program conduct urban ecology and environmental science investigations, study the nature found in our city’s parks, neighborhoods, and forest preserves, and participate in habitat restoration and other ecological stewardship activities. Teens contribute data to existing local, regional and global research projects and work in teams to develop their own research questions to investigate.
Network Accreditation as a Learning Services Provider
The Broadening Equity in STEM (BE-STEM) Center at the University of Pittsburgh, the STEM PUSH Network’s lead organization, is accredited by Middle States Association (MSA-CESS) as a Learning Services Provider. The STEM PUSH Learning Engine has been vetted and accredited for its robust educational program designed to strengthen out-of-school-time pre-college STEM programs along evidence-based and equity centered quality standards. STEM PUSH works with pre-college STEM programs across the country to evaluate and improve their ability to engage and support Black, Latina/o/e, and Indigenous students for success through undergraduate STEM.
Learn more about our programs, initiatives, and strategic partnerships.
