GCCISD | Career Academy

For careers in biomedical and health sciences, the Sterling Health Science Career Academy places students on a path of excellence. Academy students have the option to complete the Project Lead the Way-Biomedical Science Pathway, the Healthcare Diagnostics & Therapeutics pathway or an EMT Level 1 Certificate pathway. Students also have an opportunity to earn an Associate’s degree. In the Biomedical Science pathway, students explore and find solutions to some of the most pressing medical challenges. Students step into roles of biomedical science professionals and investigate topics including human medicine, physiology, genetics, microbiology and public health. In the Healthcare Diagnostics & Therapeutics pathway, students explore healthcare careers, learn the language of medicine, learn common healthcare skills, and have the opportunity to observe in various healthcare settings around Baytown. This pathway ends with a practicum course, where students can earn a CNA, CCMA, Pharmacy Technician, EKG, or Phlebotomy certification. In the EMT pathway, students take dual credit courses to earn a level 1 certificate in EMT at Lamar Institute of Technology. In the EMT course, students participate in emergency room and ambulance clinicals. Academy students also have an opportunity to earn other certifications such as Stop-the-Bleed, Teen CERT and CPR.

Level 1: Principles of Biomedical Science
In this course, students explore concepts of biology and medicine as they take on roles of different medical professionals to solve real-world problems. Over the course of the year, students are challenged in various scenarios including investigating a crime scene to solve a mystery, diagnosing and proposing treatment to patients in a family medical practice, to tracking down and containing a medical outbreak at a local hospital, stabilizing a patient during an emergency, and collaborating with others to design solutions to local and global medical problems.

Level 2: Human Body Systems
Students examine the interactions of human body systems as they explore identity, power, movement, protection, and homeostasis in the body. Exploring science in action, students build organs and tissues on a skeletal Maniken®; use data acquisition software to monitor body functions such as muscle movement, reflex and voluntary action, and respiration; and take on the roles of biomedical professionals to solve real-world medical cases.

Level 3: Medical Interventions
Students follow the life of a fictitious family as they investigate how to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease. Students explore how to detect and fight infection; screen and evaluate the code in human DNA; evaluate cancer treatment options; and prevail when the organs of the body begin to fail. Through real-world cases, students are exposed to a range of interventions related to immunology, surgery, genetics, pharmacology, medical devices, and diagnostics.

Level 4: Biomedical Innovations
In the final course of the PLTW Biomedical Science sequence, students build on the knowledge and skills gained from previous courses to design innovative solutions for the most pressing health challenges of the 21st century. Students address topics ranging from public health and biomedical engineering to clinical medicine and physiology.

For more information about Project Lead the Way, please visit www.pltw.org.

GCCISD Career Academies follow the National Career Academy Coalition's National Standards of Practice (NSOPs). Every 4 years, academies go through a rigorous review process to obtain or maintain certified, model or model with distinction status.

NSOP 1: Mission and Goals
The career academy has a written mission, goals and benchmark. These are developed, reviewed, available, and known by the administrators, teachers, students, parents, advisory board, and others involved in the academy. These include at least the following elements: connect postsecondary education and career; raise and maintain student aspirations; increase student achievement; show a commitment to equity.

NSOP 2: Academy Design
An academy has a well-defined structure within the high school, reflecting its status as a small learning community.

NSOP 3: Host Community and High School
Career academies exist in a variety of district and high school contexts, which are important determinants of an academy's success.

NSOP 4: Faculty and Staff
Appropriate staff selection, leadership, credentialing , and cooperation are critical to an academy's success.

NSOP 5: Professional Development and Continuous Learning
Since an academy places teachers and other adults into roles not normally included in their previous training, providing adequate professional development time, leadership, and support is critical.

NSOP 6: Governance and Leadership
The academy has a governing structure that incorporates the views of all stakeholders and the leaders of the advisory board.

NSOP 7: Teaching and Learning
The teaching and learning within an academy meet or exceed external standards and postsecondary entrance requirements while differing from a comprehensive high school by focusing learning around a career theme.

NSOP 8: Employer, Post-secondary Education, and Community Involvement
A career academy links high school to its host community and involves members of the employer, postsecondary education, and civic community in certain aspects of its operation.

NSOP 9: Student Assessment
Improvements in student performance are central to an academy's mission. It is important to gather data that reflect whether students are showing improvement and to report these accurately and fairly to maintain the academy's integrity.

NSOP 10: Sustainability
No new academy functions perfectly. Even well established and highly functioning academies benefit from self-examination and refinement. Ensuring and improving the quality of a career academy requires engaging in a regular cycle of improvement.

For additional information about NCAC, please visit www.ncacinc.com.

The Academies at Sterling High School are part of our school-within-a-school Pathways in Technology Early College High School.

P-TECH schools are open-enrollment programs that allow students least likely to attend college or who wish to accelerate completion of high school, to combine high school courses and college-level courses while participating in rigorous and accelerated instruction. P-TECH also offers students the opportunity to engage in work-based learning at every grade level.

This is a great opportunity for students to earn college credit, college certificates, associate degrees and industry-based certifications for free while still in high school.

Benchmark 1: School Design

1.6 Leadership Team Strategic Priorities

P-TECH/IHE leadership meeting agendas
School board and board of regents' presentations
Document(s) outlining the strategic priorities for the current academic year and/or long-term priorities of the P-TECH partnership

1.7 Leadership Team Key Roles

Description of each member and role in committee

1.8 P-TECH Staff

P-TECH leader/liaison meeting agendas and relevant materials
- 11/19/2024 Meeting
- 10/30/2024 Meeting
- 9/9/2024 Meeting
- 8/23/2024 Meeting

1.9 P-TECH Staff Professional Development

Mentor/induction program plans
Annual training or professional development plan with P-TECH and IHE faculty
- 10/28/2024 Meeting
- 8/19/2024 Meeting

1.11 Advisory Board

Meeting agendas and minutes, with action items and decision logs
- 11/19/2024 Meeting
- 8/27/2024 Meeting
A list of strategic partners with each member's organization, title, and role in providing work-based learning for students by grade level

Benchmark 2: Partnerships

2.1 Goal of Higher Education Partnerships

Final, signed, and executed MOU/ILA or similar agreement with Institution of Higher Education
- Lee College
- Lamar Institute of Technology

2.16 Roles and Responsibilities

Final, signed, and executed agreement with business/industry partner(s)

Benchmark 3: Target Population

3.2 Documenting Enrollment Procedures

Written admission policy, and enrollment application
- High School Options Application - class of 2029
- Career Academy Handbook
Written recruitment plan, including a timeline of recruitment and enrollment events, and recruitment materials for distribution at feeder middle schools and other appropriate locations in the community
- Recruitment timeline
- College & Career Night

3.3 Stakeholder Engagement

Brochures and marketing in Spanish, English, and/or other relevant language(s)
- Health Science Academy Brochure: English, Spanish
- Career Academy for Future Educators Brochure: English, Spanish
- High School Options Booklet for class of 2029: English, Spanish
Written communication plan for targeting identified audiences (e.g. parents, community members, school boards, higher education personnel, etc.)
- Academy Design Manual

3.4 Lottery System

Written lottery procedures (district-level or campus-level)
- Academy Design Manual

Benchmark 4: Academic Infrastructure

4.1 Regional Need

Documentation detailing courses of study examples that outline student pathways from high school to associate degrees, certificates, or industry-based certifications and beyond
Current dated regional high-demand occupation list

4.3 Course Sequence

Crosswalk aligning high school and college courses, grades 9 through 12, which enables a student to earn an associate degree or up to 60 college credit hours toward a baccalaureate degree
Master schedules

4.7 College Readiness

Calendar of scheduled TSIA test administration dates, sign-up process, and intervention expectations
Aggregate reports of TSIA exam performance
Testing calendar and schedule for SAT, ACT, or other college readiness assessments

Benchmark 5: Student Supports

5.1 Bridge Programs