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STEAMspark Montessori Experience

STEAMspark is AMS Verified

STEAMspark is excited to announce we have officially been named a Verified School by the American Montessori Society (AMS). This is a significant achievement for our staff and our school. The accreditation given to us by the AMS will provide our school with more visibility as a high-quality educational institution and allow us to advance on the Pathway of Continuous School Improvement. The AMS Pathway offers schools like ours a guide to advance our course offerings, to implement more child-focused educational tools, and to increase our value as an educational institution in our community.

The Pathway of Continuous School Improvement is an AMS framework intended to support Montessori schools in their commitment to the Montessori philosophy. The Pathway helps schools like ours sustain quality Montessori programs and increase visibility in the community as an established Montessori educational institution. There are four steps on The Pathway:

Member School

Member Schools are educational institutions that join AMS to gain access to a notable and extensive network of other schools, personalized support, and essential resources. To become a Member School, a school must agree to uphold the official AMS Code of Ethics and utilize Montessori principles throughout their curriculum.

Verified School

AMS Verified Schools have been examined by the AMS at a scheduled school orientation, during which a Pathway expert verifies that the school upholds the five core components of a Montessori Education. The school will also perform a self-evaluation as part of the verification application. The core components of the Montessori education include:

  • Trained Montessori Teachers
  • The Multi-Age Classroom Experience
  • Using Hands-On Montessori Materials
  • Child-Directed Work
  • "Free Choice" Uninterrupted Work Periods

AMS Verification is in place for three years, after which the school must submit another verification application to maintain their credentials. Because these verifications are ongoing, schools must continually prove their adherence to the Montessori Education philosophy.

Accreditation Candidate

Once a school has been officially verified, it can work towards becoming an Accredited School. The school must meet the accreditation prerequisites, fill out an application for accreditation, and submit the required materials to the AMS for consideration. During the accreditation process, the school must present a self-study and host a team to verify the school's adherence to accreditation standards.

Accredited School

Once an accreditation candidate has completed the accreditation process, they become an Accredited School—the highest rank on the Pathway. These schools are the gold standard of Montessori education, with only about 15% of member schools achieving AMS accreditation.

STEAMspark is proud to be part of a small number of illustrious Texas schools in the AMS Pathway program. Out of a total of 1097 AMS Member Schools across the US, 90 of those schools are in Texas. Of those 90 schools, only 6 Texas schools have been AMS verified, with 7 Accredited Schools in the state. These numbers speak for themselves: STEAMspark is one of the leading Montessori Education institutions in the state.

Being verified by AMS is an excellent achievement for our school, staff, and community. We believe in the transformative philosophy of Montessori Education, and it is an honor to extend this philosophy to our students and our community. The Montessori philosophy aims to support student learning through thoughtfully curated educational environments and curricula that foster social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. Our curriculum is a visionary blend of STEAM and Montessori Education, offering our community a highly individualized learning experience that supports the educational needs of the whole child.

Becoming an AMS-verified school will allow us to extend our educational vision beyond our school's doors and even our community to serve as an example of high-quality education. Our academic standards have been developed to promote the intellectual, social, physical, and emotional success of every child to lay the foundation for a lifetime love of learning.

As we celebrate becoming a Verified School, STEAMspark simultaneously strives to steadily rise up on the AMS Pathway of Continuous Improvement. We thank our teachers, staff, and school community for helping us in reaching our current and all future achievements.