Health Science

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. 

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For additional information, please contact Dr. Jade Cox, DC, M.Ed. (E-mail).

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.

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For additional information, please contact Dr. Jade Cox, DC, M.Ed. (E-mail).

Benchmark 1: School Design

1.6 Leadership Team Strategic Priorities

• P-TECH/IHE leadership meeting agendas
  • 11/21/2024 Meeting
  • 10/8/2024 Meeting
  • 9/23/2024 Meeting
  • 8/26/2024 Meeting
  • 7/18/2024 Meeting
• 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

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For additional information, please contact Dr. Jade Cox, DC, M.Ed. (E-mail).

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)
  • Focused Care at Allenbrook
  • Focused Care at Cedar Bayou
  • Kroger
  • St. James House of Baytown
  • Walgreens

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For additional information, please contact Dr. Jade Cox, DC, M.Ed. (E-mail).

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

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For additional information, please contact Dr. Jade Cox, DC, M.Ed. (E-mail).

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
  • Biomedical Science
  • Diagnostic & Therapeutic Services
  • Teaching & Training
• Current dated regional high-demand occupation lis

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
  • Associate of Science - Healthcare
  • Healthcare - Core Complete
  • Associate of Arts - Teaching
  • Teaching - Core Complete
• 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

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For additional information, please contact Dr. Jade Cox, DC, M.Ed. (E-mail).

Benchmark 5: Student Supports

5.1 Bridge Programs

• Bridge program curriculum and schedule

5.2 Advising

• Schedule of advising events

5.3 Student Intervention

• Tutoring schedules

5.4 Classroom Supports

• Advisory/study skills curriculum material

5.6 Enrichment Opportunities

• Calendar of enrichment events and family outreach events

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For additional information, please contact Dr. Jade Cox, DC, M.Ed. (E-mail).

Benchmark 6: Work-Based Learning

6.1 Work-Based Learning Continuum

• Documentation of appropriate work-based learning experiences for students at all grade levels

6.2 Work-Based Learning Offerings

• Aggregate data describing student participation in work-based learning experiences

6.3 Student Participation

• Samples of student artifacts such as writings, portfolios, presentations and links to digital content

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For additional information, please contact Dr. Jade Cox, DC, M.Ed. (E-mail).