Building a Roadmap for Continued STEM Excellence

By Andrew Sherman, Vice President, Latin America

Most schools talk about STEM. Few can prove they’re doing it well.

Colegio CIEDI, an IB Continuum school in Bogotá, set out to change that. After launching its integrated STEM (i‑STEM) model in 2021—an approach uncovered by Head of School, Felipe Palacios, during his doctoral research in Australia—the program quickly gained a strong reputation. But CIEDI’s leaders didn’t stop there. They wanted evidence that the program met the highest standards.

That drive led them to the Cognia® STEM Certification process.

For CIEDI’s 450 students, the i‑STEM program isn’t a collection of isolated lessons. It’s a way to connect ideas, apply knowledge across disciplines, and strengthen real‑world problem‑solving. The Cognia Review Team pushed the school to go further, offering clear recommendations to measure and analyze student mastery.

The results? CIEDI earned a perfect score on the fourth Cognia STEM Performance Standard—recognition given to schools that engage a diverse network of community partners to sustain and grow STEM initiatives.

Now the school is taking its next step: expanding that network to elevate i‑STEM even more.

Want to see how high‑performing schools build STEM programs that last? Download the community story to learn what CIEDI discovered—and how your school can apply the same playbook.

About the Author: Andrew Sherman is the Vice President for Latin America for Cognia. He can be contacted at andrew.sherman@cognia.org.