Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky
Encyclopedia
The Gatton Academy is a public academy funded by the state of Kentucky
and located on the campus of Western Kentucky University
. It began in the 2007-2008 school year. The Academy admits 64 qualifying high school boys and girls (for a total of 128 students admitted) each year to spend their junior and senior years on the WKU campus taking classes at the university. The students are selected on basis of grades, standardized test
scores, extracurricular activities
, teacher and community leader recommendations, personal interview, and interest in a science, mathematical or engineering career, and focus their classes mainly on mathematics
and science
s. Students of the Academy are considered both undergraduates
and high school
students by Kentucky and federal scholarship programs. As such, they are qualified for undergraduate research programs, scholarship
s, honors, and even (in exceptional cases) bachelor's degree
s, but at the same time must take the classes required by the state of Kentucky for a high school diploma
(and, if still enrolled in their home high school, the classes required by their previous school). Students also have the option of being dually-enrolled, or, remaining students at their home high schools while attending the Academy. However, some private schools will not allow students to remain enrolled while attending the Academy. This dual-enrollment option allows students, in some cases, to remain eligible for services offered by their home highschool (guidance, textbook funding). However, this option also requires students to meet state graduation requirements, and participate in CATs testing. The home schools benefit from this arrangement by receiving the test scores from their respective Gatton scholars.
The Gatton Academy was recently honored with a place on Newsweek's Public Elite list for the second year in a row, a list of the nation's 20 top public high schools, as graded by scores on standardized tests. The Gatton Academy has been recognized by Newsweek magazine as one of the nation’s top five high schools. America’s Best High Schools 2011, released in June, recognized more than 500 schools from across the United States.
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and located on the campus of Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA. It was formally founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier....
. It began in the 2007-2008 school year. The Academy admits 64 qualifying high school boys and girls (for a total of 128 students admitted) each year to spend their junior and senior years on the WKU campus taking classes at the university. The students are selected on basis of grades, standardized test
Standardized test
A standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent, or "standard", manner. Standardized tests are designed in such a way that the questions, conditions for administering, scoring procedures, and interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in a...
scores, extracurricular activities
Extracurricular activity
Extracurricular activities are activities performed by students that fall outside the realm of the normal curriculum of school or university education...
, teacher and community leader recommendations, personal interview, and interest in a science, mathematical or engineering career, and focus their classes mainly on mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
s. Students of the Academy are considered both undergraduates
Undergraduate education
Undergraduate education is an education level taken prior to gaining a first degree . Hence, in many subjects in many educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a bachelor's degree, such as in the United States, where a university entry level is...
and high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
students by Kentucky and federal scholarship programs. As such, they are qualified for undergraduate research programs, scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
s, honors, and even (in exceptional cases) bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
s, but at the same time must take the classes required by the state of Kentucky for a high school diploma
High school diploma
A high school diploma is a diploma awarded for the completion of high school. In the United States and Canada, it is considered the minimum education required for government jobs and higher education. An equivalent is the GED.-Past diploma styles:...
(and, if still enrolled in their home high school, the classes required by their previous school). Students also have the option of being dually-enrolled, or, remaining students at their home high schools while attending the Academy. However, some private schools will not allow students to remain enrolled while attending the Academy. This dual-enrollment option allows students, in some cases, to remain eligible for services offered by their home highschool (guidance, textbook funding). However, this option also requires students to meet state graduation requirements, and participate in CATs testing. The home schools benefit from this arrangement by receiving the test scores from their respective Gatton scholars.
The Gatton Academy was recently honored with a place on Newsweek's Public Elite list for the second year in a row, a list of the nation's 20 top public high schools, as graded by scores on standardized tests. The Gatton Academy has been recognized by Newsweek magazine as one of the nation’s top five high schools. America’s Best High Schools 2011, released in June, recognized more than 500 schools from across the United States.