IDOE STEM Certified Schools Digital Portfolio

Madison Elementary School Demographics

Location: Warsaw, IN
Type: Rural
Student Population: 477 students
Free or Reduced Lunch: 48.6%
- - Free lunch: 39.3%
  - Reduced lunch: 9.3%
Ethnicity:
- - White: 73.3%
  - Hispanic/Latino: 23%
  - Asian: 3.4%
  - Multiracial: 2.3%
  - Black or African American: 1.1%
Gender:
- - Male: 49.9%
  - Female: 50.1%
Other:
- - Identified for Special Education services: 17.9%
  - Identified for ML services: 10.1%

Madison Elementary School Description

Madison Elementary School, located in the heart of Kosciusko County, Indiana, is one of eight elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school that collectively make up Warsaw Community Schools, and Madison Elementary was proud to be initially accredited by the Indiana Department of Education as a STEM-certified school in 2020. The district encompasses an area of 25 miles by 35 miles, and Madison Elementary School's boundaries encompass the largest square miles. Situated in "the Orthopedic Capital of the World," we have a diverse student body that is representative of our diverse community, with 73.3% of our students identifying as white, 23% identifying as Hispanic/Latino, 3.4% identifying as Asian, 2.4% identifying as Multiracial, and 1.1% identifying as Black or African American. In Fall 2021, Madison Elementary also became a Title I school, recognizing our growing percentage of Madison students who come from economically disadvantaged households. Madison Elementary, specifically, is located in Warsaw's growing Technology Park amidst several orthopedic and medical device manufacturers and companies, adding a unique opportunity for Madison as a STEM school.

Madison Elementary consistently demonstrates above-average performance in statewide assessments, thanks to the dedication of our skilled educators, the support of our engaged families, and the hard work of our amazing students. We prioritize continuous improvement through strong distributive leadership, strategic cycles of continuous improvement, and data-driven instruction to enhance academic outcomes and address the individual needs of our students. In 2018, Madison earned a score of 50 ("Approaching Expectations") on our Federal Accountability Report Card, and in 2024, we are very proud to say that we earned a score of 77 ("Meets Expectations") for significant improvement in both academic achievement and growth. In 2019, 25.7% of Madison students achieved their individual growth targets in math on the ILEARN assessment, whereas 63% of students met their ILEARN growth target in math in 2024 (compared to the state average of 33.5%). Comparatively, in 2019, 39.3% of Madison students achieved their individual growth targets on the ILEARN ELA assessment, whereas 64.3% of students met their ILEARN growth target in ELA in 2024 (compared to the state average of 44.8%). Our teacher retention rate is high and a testament to our school culture, contributing to our upward growth. In 2024, 94% of our teachers returned, with two retirements after 30+ years at Warsaw Community Schools.

At Madison Elementary, we live out our vision and mission on a daily basis. Our scholars are empowered to know they are powerful thinkers and thoughtful problem solvers that can and will make a meaningful difference in our Warsaw community and beyond. Our school community, with the support of our community partners, is on fire for learning through the use of STEM integration to bring standards to life through cross curricular, real-life application. By engaging students in real-world challenges and hands-on learning experiences, we aim to transform them into innovative problem solvers equipped with critical thinking, creativity, and teamwork skills essential for navigating and contributing to our technology-driven world.

Our entire Madison Family, including our involved stakeholders, families, staff, and students, are all committed to fostering an environment that encourages innovation and curiosity, preparing students for the challenges of tomorrow with a love of learning and grit to persevere. We are dedicated to developing ALL of our students to become curious problem-solvers who know that making mistakes is just part of the process to getting a perfected end result.

Description of STEM Focus/Program

At Madison, we are committed to ensuring a high-quality, rigorous STEM curriculum that is integrated into core instruction and connects students to real-world experiences with a focus on problem-solving and collaboration, recognizing that STEM isn’t just “science, technology, engineering, and math”. We are dedicated to developing ALL of our students in areas of information and digital literacy, applications and modeling, communication and collaboration, data analysis and measurement, and inquiry-based approaches and problem-solving to help all Cardinals become curious problem-solvers who know that making mistakes is just part of the process to getting a perfected end result.

Growth Since Initial Certification: Madison Elementary was proud to be initially accredited by the Indiana Department of Education as a STEM-certified school in 2020. As our STEM program was growing and strengthening and at the height of our initial STEM programming in 2020, COVID happened and the world shut down. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent school shutdowns did have negative implications on our STEM programs (and all programming!), primarily due to the disruption of hands-on learning, experiential learning and community presentations, extracurricular experiences, outside volunteers, and access to laboratory resources. Our integrated STEM units, which rely heavily on experiential learning through experiments and practical activities, struggled to adapt to virtual formats. Consequently, our STEM program did face setbacks during and after the shutdowns as we worked to rebuild, refine, and adapt our STEM programming.

Since 2021, Madison has demonstrated significant growth and transformation in our approach to STEM education since our initial STEM certification, and we are proud of the strides we have made since the 2019-2020 school year. One of our key areas of growth has been in distributed leadership. Previously, a single STEM coach was responsible for most STEM activities, initiatives, and leadership of STEM in the building. Recognizing the importance of a broader approach to building a STEM culture and sustainable integrated STEM program, we have now engaged twelve (12) staff members (almost half our certified staff) in key STEM leadership roles, fostering a collaborative environment that leverages diverse expertise and insights. This shift has allowed STEM to be integrated across various disciplines, with our entire teaching team working synergistically to enhance learning outcomes and student engagement.

Furthermore, we have expanded our view and methodology in teaching STEM. Initially approached and more widely viewed as standalone 'science' time or one-off technology projects/experiences, STEM education at Madison Elementary has evolved to become truly integrative. It now spans across subjects, resulting in the transformation of our master schedule, and reinforcing the relevance of STEM in real-world contexts and everyday learning–and STEM as something that is equally accessible by all students. We now focus on nurturing our students into collaborative problem solvers. Through our PLTW curriculum, Picture Perfect Science, and home-grown STEM units carefully designed and continuously refined by our interdisciplinary teams, we emphasize the engineering design process, encouraging students to think critically, prototype solutions, and work together to overcome challenges. This hands-on, minds-on approach has energized our classrooms and empowered our students to take charge of their learning journeys.

In addition, we have strengthened our community partnerships significantly since our initial certification in 2019-2020. The role of business professionals and community members in our STEM education has expanded, bringing real-world expertise and experiences directly into the classroom. By partnering with local businesses and industry leaders, our students gain valuable insights into future career pathways, cultivating a deeper understanding of STEM applications beyond the classroom walls. These partnerships have enriched our curriculum, strengthened our family involvement, and demonstrated our commitment to embedding STEM education within our community context.

Based on parent feedback, we have also worked hard to actively involve families in our STEM program, from adding STEM family nights, working to educate and inform our families what integrated “STEM” looks like at Madison (and breaking the perception that it goes far beyond just “science experiments”), and inviting our parents in as valued community partners on our Madison STEM Advisory Board.

Since the release of the new 2023 Indiana Computer Science Standards, we have also focused on building the integration of computer science into the K-6 curriculum to continue to build a future-focused vision for computer science education that emphasizes and reflects the growing range of fields within computer science and focuses on computer science as a collaborative endeavor around the areas of data and information, computing devices and systems, programs and algorithms, networking and the internet, and impact and culture.

The evolution of our integrated STEM program reflects our commitment to providing high-quality education that meets the demands of the 21st century, preparing our students with the skills they need to succeed in a dynamic world. Recognizing the importance of this endeavor, our community and staff remain fully committed to continuing the journey toward innovative and inclusive STEM education.

Program Focus:

Learning Through Experience & Strong Community Partnerships: Madison Elementary School strengthens its STEM program by forming strong community partnerships. These collaborations provide students with access to real-world experiences and inspiration for future STEM careers through representation, enriching their learning and enhancing problem-solving skills. By engaging with local businesses and organizations, the school fosters a dynamic learning environment that prepares students for future challenges.

Focus on Collaboration and Problem-Solving: Madison Elementary School is dedicated to strengthening its STEM education, focusing on developing students' problem-solving skills and fostering collaboration. Through project-based learning and hands-on activities, students tackle real-world challenges that enhance creativity and critical thinking. Working in teams, they share ideas and leverage each other's strengths to find innovative solutions, building essential teamwork and communication skills.

Integrated and Rigorous Curriculum: With STEM integrated across the curriculum through units designed around our standards and grade-level "bricks," Madison Elementary aims to spark a passion for discovery and prepare students for future success in diverse environments. We aim to teach students that all industries are cross-curricular.

Home-grown Focus: Situated in the "City of Lakes" and "Orthopedic Capital of the World," we embrace our community’s rich distinctions and unique opportunities. Madison has built dynamic STEM curricula focused on these distinctions, both of which help drive our school "pillars" and experiential learning experiences. Students can be found in waders studying endangered mussels and testing water quality and learning from local industry experts through our strong community partnerships.

Future-Thinking: We aim to continue to expand our community partnerships to increase community business presentations at Madison Elementary in a way that is integrated into our curriculum. We aim to expand our training to more continuously provide learning opportunities for our teachers and staff to further expand their knowledge on ways to best implement inquiry-based learning and the engineering design process to further strengthen our integrated STEM units, recognizing that great can always be greater. We aim to better inform our community, families, and students about the amazing work that is going on at Madison in integrated STEM to help them, like us, expand their concept of what a true "STEM" school is and how it goes beyond just "science, technology, engineering, and math."