Exciting Announcement from ASMS - A message from President Hoyle

March 19, 2021

Dear ASMS community members and stakeholders,

ASMS is celebrating two excellent community achievements! I am pleased to announce that ASMS is officially accredited for the next five years, and we are now one of the only STEM-certified high schools in Alabama! These designations signify that our students are receiving a premier education.

ASMS has been preparing for Cognia Accreditation and STEM Certification since the fall of 2020. This past week, two Cognia review teams completed official evaluations of the school. ASMS had to demonstrate our performance in 30 Accreditation Standards and 16 STEM Certification Standards within separate Cognia frameworks. The evaluation teams reviewed more than 300 pages of longitudinal data, survey results, projects, programs, plans, anecdotes, photos, and videos, in addition to interviewing 56 ASMS school community members.

Due to the rigorous evaluation processes, rarely does a school complete both of these processes simultaneously, but I am pleased to share that ASMS completed both in the same week! Because of the dedication of our community members, we were able to make this happen, even amidst a global pandemic. When we receive the final reports from Cognia in the coming weeks, I will share their feedback with you.

I am grateful to all who contributed to this process. In our final meeting with the Cognia review team, one of the evaluators said, “ASMS is a true community.” Another said, “If I were at ASMS, I would be excited about what the future can bring to the school!”

I agree with both of these sentiments. We are a true community with a bright future, and it is because of the people we have at ASMS, including you! Collectively, our community members are our school’s greatest asset. I look forward to how these distinctions will keep us accountable to the highest level of excellence as we continue to enhance our courses, programs, and experiences for students.

Thank you,

John Hoyle, Ph.D.

President