HIGH SCHOOLS THAT WORKHigh Schools That Work (HSTW) is a national effort to improve the way high school students are prepared for work and further education. HSTW provides a framework of goals, key practices and key conditions for accelerating learning and setting higher standards to meet the criteria for comprehensive school reform.
The mission of schools in the HSTW network is to prepare high school students for both postsecondary education and a career by having students complete a solid academic core and either an academic, a career/technical, or a blended concentration. Pennsylvania has been affiliated with the HSTW initiative since 1991. Western Area Career & Technology Center joined the initiative in 2002. This initiative is what drives Western Area CTC’s curriculum. Changes are made in the curriculum to meet the three major goals of HSTW:
- Raise the mathematics, science, communication, problem-solving and technical achievement of more students to the national average and above.
- Blend the essential content of traditional college-preparatory studies with quality career/technical studies.
- Advance state and local policies and leadership initiatives necessary to sustain a continuous school-improvement effort for both academic and career/technical studies.
HSTW sites expect students to complete a challenging curriculum that focuses on raising academic and technical achievement and meeting the HSTW performance goals in reading, mathematics, and science. To complete the recommended curriculum, each student takes:
- At least four English courses with the content and performance standards of college-preparatory English.
- At least three mathematics courses, including two courses with the content and performance standards of college-preparatory Algebra I, geometry, Algebra II and trigonometry.
- At least three science courses, including two courses with the content and performance standards of college-preparatory biology, chemistry and physics or applied physics.
- At least three college-preparatory-level social studies courses.
- At least four courses in a planned career/technical concentration or additional course work in either mathematics and science, the humanities, or a blended concentration.
- At least two courses in related academic and career/technical fields, including at least one-half credit in a basic computer course covering word processing, database entry, presentation software, and use of the Internet and e-mail.
Western Area CTC, in cooperation with our nine sending schools, encourages all students to complete this challenging curriculum.