Classes in STEM October merge the punctual academic curricula with interesting collaborative environment, aiming to improve students’ social and presentational qualities. What makes STEM system unique is the fact of being student-based; that is, students are the center of the educational organization as it depends on students in explaining and searching their indicated concepts.
Our curriculum focuses on researching, to promote how important it is to learn from the vast amount of resources found online and to be as creative and independant as possible in solving their problems.
Our students do presentations in all subjects, where they research for information about their mean topic(s) and present what they have learned through discussing it with their classmates. All this is done under the supervision and guidance of our teachers and facility members.
Students at STEM October are encouraged to work together through out the whole semester, whether it is to find an idea for their capstone project or prepare for a presentation about a certain topic. This help the students to develop their communication skills and strengthen their relation with their fellow students.
The curriculum focuses on four main aspects which are: sciences, humanities, arts, and sports. Most classes provided are in STEM-based subjects such as chemistry, physics, biology, geology, pure mathematics, applied mathematics(mechanics), and technology. Students discuss the different topics of each subject in the classroom and then try to apply what they have learned in the labs with the guidance of our renowned faculty members. Regarding humanities, students take classes in languages: Arabic, English, German/French; Social Studies; Civics; and Religion. The purpose of these classes is to promote multi intellectuality and encourage students to share their ideas with their classmates. students are also required to enrol in one of three activities: Art, Library, Music to help them foster their sensational and artistic tastes. The last aspect is sports which is a mandatory course at STEM October due to its obvious importance in building students’ bodies and minds.
The most attractive feature at STEM schools in the Capstone. Since its very first graduating class in 2014, student research has played an essential role in learning at STEM High School. Requirements for the STEM High School Diploma include the completion of five original engineering or experimental research project be distributed across five semesters while be exhibited and evaluated at the end of each one. Students work in teams and choose their projects based on the topic provided that responds to one of the Egyptian Grand Challenges. Capstones are graded during the “Capstone Exhibition” by a panel of university professors in the School of Sciences and School of Engineering. The selected Grand Challenges include but not limited to:
The Capstone provides an alternative way for dedicated students to fulfill passion by working on research projects during applying they learned concepts to make the most effective value of the comprehensive academic system. Students are supervised by engineers and other technical professionals throughout their project. Students get involved in research and/or project development at various agencies, including corporate, university, and government institutions, throughout the metropolitan Greater Cairo area.
Most courses at STEM October are taught at the honors level; the school doesn’t offer AP courses. However, all the courses taught in STEM October during the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades, their types, and their credits are shown in the table below.
| COURSE | TYPE | CREDITS |
|---|---|---|
| Arabic | Regular | 3 |
| Second Language | Regular | 3 |
| English | Honors | 2 |
| Mathematics | Honors | 3 |
| Geology | Honors | 4 |
| Biology | Honors | 4 |
| Chemistry | Honors | 4 |
| Physics | Honors | 4 |
| Mechanics | Honors | 3 |
| Religion | Regular | 2 |
| Social Studies | Regular | 3 |
| Civics | Regular | 3 |
| Technology | Regular | 2 |
STEM October follows a letter grading system starting from A and ending with D; students scoring below D fail the course and receive an F score. The following table shows the interpretations of each grade.
| GRADE | RANGE IN PERCENTAGE |
|---|---|
| A+ | 95% - 100% |
| A | 90% - 95% |
| B+ | 85% - 90% |
| B | 80% - 85% |
| C+ | 75% - 80% |
| C | 70% - 75% |
| D+ | 65% - 70% |
| D | 60% - 65% |
| F | < 60% |