The Freshman Academy is a small learning community with a network of teachers focused on helping you make a successful high school transition and future pathway selection. This Academy will provide coursework in core content areas, elective opportunities, and career and pathway exploration through the Freshman Seminar course. In the Freshman Seminar course, you will explore the nine RCAS Pathways and have the opportunity at the end of your Freshman year to select a pathway to enter in the 10th grade.
RCAS Students: What you need to know about the RCAS Pathways
The RCAS Pathways will allow you to understand how what you are learning now will matter in your future. Through career-connected learning, you will participate in career exploration and gain the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in the 21st century. This will help you develop a college, career, and life readiness plan that leads to opportunities beyond high school, whether that is a credential, certificate, military service, and/or college. In addition, you will experience elevated engagement in coursework through relevant project-based learning and confidence from real-world experiences.
The Pathway Structure
Career Pathways
A pathway is one of nine courses of study (high school graduation requirements will be embedded) offered in our two comprehensive high schools. Each pathway will include two or three courses organized around a career theme and offered in a planned sequence that moves from general knowledge to deeper skills.
Within an RCAS Academy, a student will take:
Student Progression
9th Grade
10th Grade
In 10th grade, students will learn more about the careers offered in their chosen pathway through their Pathway Engage Courses. In addition, students will gain exposure to their chosen pathway through a pathway camp organized during the 10th grade year.
11th-12th Grade
In 11th grade, students will have the opportunity to become more specialized in their pathway by enrolling in a Pathway Experience Course offering, to include Capstone Courses, industry certifications, and specialized courses. Experience courses will allow students the opportunity to consolidate and apply learning from their other courses into a meaningful and relevant career-connected experience. Students can choose to further their education by enrolling in an additional Pathway Experience Course in 12th grade.
Students will meet graduation requirements within the RCAS Pathways model through meaningful course sequencing.
GRADtime will be a regularly scheduled period of time when students engage in advisory content in all 4 years of high school. This will allow you to engage in academic, social-emotional, and college, career, and life readiness opportunities and the gain the knowledge and skills needed to fulfill the RCAS Profile of a Graduate.
All students will earn a .25 credit/year toward graduation requirements through GRADtime.
Additional Information
The purpose of the RCAS Pathways is to help all students make well-informed decisions about college and career aspirations. it is up to the individual student, with advice and support from their parents and caregivers, to decide what direction is best for them.
Each of the RCAS Pathways are designed with three potential outcomes. By including all three options in every program, we make our pathway programming relevant for all of our students whether immediately following high school they wish to enter the workforce or college. These outcomes are not mutually exclusive:
An industry-recognized certification while in high school or after a short-term training program;
An associate degree at a two-year or technical college; and
A bachelor’s degree at a four-year college or university.
Each Pathway will offer seamless connections to postsecondary education and training, including the opportunity to earn college credit and/or industry certifications.