Dear STEM School Highlands Ranch High School Families,
For those who may not know, STEM School Highlands Ranch is one of only seven schools in the State of Colorado that has the P-TECH Program. P-TECH stands for Pathways in Technology, Early College High Schools and is a program that works in partnership with industry partners and Arapahoe Community College to offer students an opportunity to head on a Mechatronics pathway, which involves aspects of mechanical, computer and electrical engineering.
The P-TECH program is designed to prepare students for high-potential careers in STEM industries by enabling them to graduate with a high school diploma and an industry-recognized associate degree. Students may also earn pre-apprenticeship certificates and other industry-recognized certificates in addition to an associate degree.
Mechatronics is a synergetic integration of mechanical, electrical, control, automation, robotics, a computer system for industry and computer engineering technologies.
What is P-TECH?
In 2015, Governor Hickenlooper signed the Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools (P-TECH) bill into law (HB15-1270 ). P-TECH is intended to create a public-private partnership to prepare thousands of Colorado students for the high-skill jobs of the future.
- Students begin in 9th grade and go through 14th grade (i.e. high school and two equivalent years of college) for a total of 6 years.
P-TECH provides college tuition and relevant workplace skills at No Tuition Cost to students and families. - As such, students graduate with both a high school diploma and an industry-recognized associate degree, in addition to gaining relevant workplace skills. (will obtain physical High School diploma upon graduation of P-TECH program)
- The associate degree must be in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) focused high-growth industry.
- Students receive intensive student support services, in addition to mentoring, job shadowing, internships, pre-apprenticeships, and other workplace educational experiences.
- P-TECH is open to all students, with a special focus on encouraging enrollment of students who are socio-economically and racially diverse, the first to attend college in their family, English language learners, and students with disabilities.
Click here to access the Fall 2020 P-TECH Presentation.
What do you need to do?
If your student is interested in exploring the P-TECH program, please click here to access the Enrollment Form. This will allow our front office staff to properly code your student in Infinite Campus and ensure they have a spot within the program.
The form will close on Sunday, Sept. 26.
Not sure about the program just yet?
Don’t worry. Enrollment is easy and your student can withdraw from the program at any time.
Why do I need to enroll now, even though I’m not sure?
Making sure that your student is enrolled is important to ensure that their course credits are accounted for in the P-TECH program. Students in 11th grade who miss the deadline, will not be able to join the program after Monday, Sept. 27.
Who can I submit questions to about P-TECH?
Mike Shallenberger leads our P-TECH Program. However, as he has a full class load this semester, we are asking that all questions be submitted to stephanie.webb@stem1k2.org so that she can get them to the appropriate person to answer.
Sincerely,
STEM School Highlands Ranch Communications