Missouri Academy of Science, Mathematics and Computers

President: Senior Administrator is a Dean: Dr. Cleo Samudzi

School Type: Two-year residential, early-entrance-to-college school for gifted high school sophomores

Founded: August 2000

Ages/Grades: For high school juniors and seniors

School Setting: Located on the campus of Northwest Missouri State University

School Size: 170-200 high school juniors and seniors

Classroom Size: 20-50 ( Missouri Academy students attend classes together with traditional university students at Northwest Missouri State University )

Student/Teacher Ratio: 25/1

Tuition: $8,600 (including all books and laptop) a year for 38 university credit hours; $7,500 for room and board

Financial Aid: Missouri residents receive free tuition and pay no more than 50% of the room/board costs; non-Missouri residents and international students pay all tuition and room/board costs, but limited scholarships are available

Departments:

The academic departments for the Missouri Academy are exactly the same as those for Northwest Missouri State University

Curriculum:

Core Course Requirements (all courses taught by professors at Northwest Missouri State University ); All Missouri Academy students must maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 to graduate

Percentage of Graduating Class: 75%

Support Services: Talent Development Center , Tutors available for free, meeting one-on-one with professors, meetings with Residential Counselors and Missouri Academy staff

Camp Programs: No

After School Programs: Yes

Computer Capabilities:

Laptops available to all students; students also have access to all other university computer resources

School Championships:

In academics, the Missouri Academy has won many championships in mathematics and FBLA competitions. The school also participates in university intramural activities/sports, but does not participate in statewide competitive athletics

School Clubs:

Student Government Association, Yearbook Club, Model UN, Robotics, Science Olympiad, Mathematics Club, FBLA, Astronomy Club

Admissions Requirements:

Students are selected for admission to the Missouri Academy on the basis of the following criteria:

Completed 10 th grade (or equivalent) at their sending school;

Completed mathematics courses in Algebra II and Geometry (passing grades of B or higher);

Standardized test scores (ACT, PLAN, SAT or PSAT): (a) minimum ACT composite score of 23, mathematics 24, English 23, and Reading 23; OR (b) minimum SAT I total score of 1060, with mathematics sub-score of 550; equivalent scores on the PLAN and PSAT;

Cumulative GPA of ˜ 3.5 for courses taken in 9 th and 10 th grades (this cumulative GPA takes into account only core courses such as mathematics, sciences, history, American government and English);

Class rank in the top 10%;

Evaluations by three teachers: mathematics teacher, English teacher and science teacher;

Official school records: these records include transcripts, disciplinary record, absences, tardies, etc

Mission Statement:

The Missouri Academy of Science, Mathematics and Computing is an innovative residential high school program at Northwest Missouri State University . Students selected for their high academic performance enroll in quality education provided by professors at the university. The driving force of the Missouri Academy is to prepare its graduates to succeed in science, mathematics and technology programs in any higher education institution.
The Missouri Academy community is committed to student development, and instills the principles of Integrity and Quality within its students, thus preparing them to contribute to society in ethical and meaningful ways. Upon successful completion of the program, these students simultaneously earn a high school diploma and an Associate of Science Degree.

School History: In the early 1990's, Dr. Dean Hubbard, President of Northwest Missouri State University, first introduced the idea and vision of an academic program designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of the best and brightest students of Missouri . Between 1990 and 1995, Dr. Hubbard met with the Commissioner of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), the commissioner of the Missouri Department of Higher Education and members of the Missouri legislature in an effort to garner support for the idea of an academy located at Northwest Missouri State University . In 1995, the Missouri legislature passed a law (SB/HB 340) that injected additional funding to Missouri 's public higher education institutions. Northwest Missouri State University elected to use some of this funding (dubbed Mission Enhancement) to fund the creation of the Missouri Academy . Additional funding would come from DESE through individual student's ADA (average daily attendance) funding that would follow the student enrolling at the Missouri Academy . Thus, about 90% of the Missouri Academy funding comes from Northwest Missouri State University while about 10% comes from DESE through ADA funding. In August 2000, the Missouri Academy of Science, Mathematics and Computing opened its doors to 41 bright high school juniors from around the state of Missouri . The Missouri Academy is a two-year accelerated, early-entrance-to-college residential program for students academically talented in science and mathematics. The program enrolls young scholars from different ethnic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds seeking more challenging academic experiences in a college/university setting. Traditionally, Missouri Academy students have come from all over the state of Missouri -- both rural and urban. The future of the Missouri Academy population includes students from surrounding states and from abroad. Typically, students apply for admission to the Missouri Academy during 10th grade in their traditional high school. Upon admission, students are enrolled in a curriculum consisting of university coursework taught by Northwest Missouri State University professors. Missouri Academy students attend classes State University professors. Missouri Academy students attend classes together with traditional university students, and professors have the same high expectations of them as they do for traditional university students. Students who complete this program receive an Associate of Science degree and a high school diploma, simultaneously. Since its inception, this program has been extremely successful. It is one of only 7 such programs (publicly funded, residential and early-entrance-to-college) in the US and the only one in Missouri . The goal of this program is to provide a strong foundational education in science and mathematics to capable students with career aspirations in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM fields). The Missouri Academy is an institutional member of the National Consortium of Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology (NCSSSMST) and a founding member of the Association for the Advancement of Early Entrance-to-College Programs (AAEECP) which strives to improve knowledge sharing and practices among and between early entrance-to-college programs.

Notes/School Information:

The school academic year coincides with the university's academic year:
Fall Trimester: August – December
Spring Trimester: January – April
May session: the entire month of May

Holidays: The school observes the following breaks throughout the academic year
Thanksgiving Break (in November)
Christmas Break (mid-December through early January)
Spring Break (one week in March)