Triangle Math and Science Academy is a public charter school with a STEM focus from grades K-12 in Wake County, NC.

Triangle Math and Science Academy's mission is to prepare students to become competent, responsible, and successful individuals in our globalized and technology-based society through a strong academic program, school-family-community partnership, and a strong teacher student relationship.

TMSA is committed to providing high quality and enriching educational experience that targets
21st-century skills for elementary, middle, and high school students in North Carolina. As a result, students will be equipped with strong core knowledge and higher-order skills, including critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, effective communication, and collaboration skills. To fulfill its mission, the TMSA implements a well-defined curriculum, supported by research and with a strong emphasis on science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, builds strong school-family-community partnerships, creates a safe, nurturing, engaging, caring, and culturally-responsive learning environment, and facilitates strong teacher-student relationships.

The core values of TMSA are responsibility, respect, resilience, diversity, courage, and industriousness. Fundamental to our mission is the commitment to students' active involvement, competent and caring staff, and leadership, innovative and effective teaching strategies, and striving for academic excellence for all students. 

The Triangle Math and Science Academy is designed to:

• Utilize current best practices in teaching to improve student learning in all areas. Prepare interested students for regional, statewide, national, and international competitions, and

• Offer free after-school and weekend tutoring programs for students, especially those who are at risk of academic failure and need extra help to pass their classes.

TMSA's instructional program is aligned with North Carolina Standard Course of Study and Common Core standards and nationally recognized standards, such as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards and National Science Education Standards. It employs active learning methods to enhance the learning process by shifting the teaching focus from the teacher to learners. In its active learning structure, TMSA also applies the following techniques to improve student learning.

Curriculum-led improvement:

The curriculum-led improvement focuses on improving the quality, pattern, and structure of day-by-day learning activities in the classroom‖ to meet the best of national and international standards. Based on the recommendations by the Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education, the TMSA offers a curriculum that: is designed based on what students have already learned specifies what all students should know, understand, and be able to do, and specifies how students‘ learning will be assessed students using a computer. Technology-supported instruction: A variety of technologies are incorporated into instruction: technology for inquiry technology for communication technology for construction and technology for expression. Assessment-Driven Instruction: Student progress is monitored to analyze students‘ assessment results for their academic success and social and emotional wellbeing. These results are also used for educational and instructional planning. Cognitively oriented instruction:

This type of instruction refers to instruction that promotes metacognitive skills such as reflecting on their own thinking process and developing effective learning strategies. This is achieved when students are provided opportunities to solve problems, reflect on the process of tasks, use critical thinking skills, and model the process.

Family-school-community partnership:

Family involvement is facilitated through classroom and school newsletters, parent-teacher conferences, home visits, parent volunteering, and family nights. Community partnership is accomplished through collaboration with the local colleges and universities, and institutions by inviting professionals, visiting places of interest, field trips.

Extended programs:

Research has shown that well-designed before and after school programs and extended weekend programs improve students‘ academic skills, enhance students‘ social and emotional well-being, and reduce rates of substance abuse, juvenile crime, and vandalism. Before and after-school programs and extended weekend programs are offered. These programs offer various activities such as homework help, tutoring, foreign language learning, sports, music, and art. A Community-centered learning environment is created to help students build confidence in themselves that ―they can do well, find the meaning and value in the material learned, and feel that they are valued members of the learning community. Small class size:

Research has demonstrated that students are more engaged in learning activities and show more learning gain when class size is smaller, and teacher to child ratio is lower. TMSA targets a teacher-to-student ratio of 1:16.