As with all things we do at STEAD, we give our students choice and voice in their education. Our school provides many ways to move through their experience across the four years they spend with us.
Our students choose one of two approaches to graduation: (1) completion of a CTE/Agriculture Pathway or (2) completion of the AP Capstone sequence (AP Seminar + AP Research). Students can also choose to complete both!
Students in the CTE/Agriculture Pathway program choose between our four pathway options after completing Introduction to Agriculture their freshman year: Food Science, Animal Science, Natural Resources, or Plant Science. In 10th and 11th grade they take specialized courses in their pathway, and in their senior year they will complete a Summit capstone course giving them the seal on their diploma as “CTE Completer”. Students in this pathway participate in both the Lower School cohort projects and the Upper School Passage Projects.
Those that choose the AP Capstone approach now can choose between either the AP Cohort for 9th and 10th graders or a route that includes a combination of Ag/CTE and the two AP Capstone courses. Those that choose the AP Cohort route will not participate in the Lower School cohort projects, but will focus on advanced coursework preparing them for the Upper School Passage Projects in 11th and 12th grade as well as preparing them for advanced post-secondary study. Those that choose the AP Capstone approach but want to either complete a CTE Pathway as well or want to participate in our lower school PBL program can absolutely do so, and would simply need to take AP Seminar as a 10th or 11th grader and AP Research as a 12th grader.
| Subject Area | HEAR (Higher Education Admissions Recommendations) | 27J (Semester Credits) | STEAD (Semester Credits) |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 4 Years | 8 (4 Years) | 8 (4 Years) |
| Mathematics (Must include Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II or equivalents) | 4 Years | 6 (3 Years) | 8 (4 Years) |
| Natural/Physical Sciences (two units must be lab-based) | 3 Years | 6 (3 Years) | 6 (3 Years) |
| Social Science | 3 Years | 6 (3 Years)
|
6 (3 Years)
|
| World/Foreign Language | 1 Year | 0 | 2 (1 Year) |
| Academic Electives | 2 Years | 13 | 13 |
| CTE and/or AP Capstone Hours | n/a | 2 (1 Year) | 8 (4 Years) |
| PE | n/a | 2 (1 Year) | 2 (1 Year) |
| Health | n/a | 1 (.5 Year) | 1 (.5 Year) |
| Humanities | n/a | 2 (1 Year) | 2 (1 Year) |
Total Credits |
46 |
56 |
In addition to the above coursework, students must meet the following requirements as well:
| Subject Area | HEAR (Higher Education Admissions Requirements) | 27J | STEAD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Math | N/a |
Demonstrate competency of career and college readiness in Math (Must meet 1 of the following):
|
Complete a CTE agricultural pathway or an approved independent study towards industry certification or the completion of the AP Capstone coursework & Demonstrate competency of career and college readiness in Math (Must meet 1 of the following):
|
|
| ELA | N/a |
Demonstrate Competency of career and college readiness in ELA (Must meet 1 of the following):
|
Complete a minimum of one Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE) internship (required as part of the CTE Work-based Learning component) & Demonstrate Competency of career and college readiness in ELA (Must meet 1 of the following):
|
|
| N/a | Community Service: 5 hours per year (20 hours total) | Strongly Recommended: Take one college level course on a college campus or trade school | ||
| N/a |
|
Complete a post-secondary education plan (part of CTE requirements) and incorporate into portfolio |