St. Francis High School: STEM Vision
St. Francis High School Strategic Vision: To ensure every student is eligible to attend a four-year university and possess the resolve to be a good Christian and honest global citizen.
Position Statement: St. Francis High School is a community of faith that fosters excellence through the charism of St. John Bosco.
Academic Excellence: St. Francis annually graduates 100% of its seniors and celebrates 100% college acceptance. Over the last 2 years, the school has achieved an overall Advanced Placement pass rate of 81% with the following subjects achieving a 100% pass rate: AP Calculus AB, AP English Literature, AP English Language, AP Spanish Language, and AP Studio Art.
Project Lead the Way (PLTW): St. Francis has partnered with the nationally recognized non-profit STEM organization "Project Lead the Way." St. Francis will utilize and teach, on campus, the Project Lead the Way Biomedical Science Curriculum. The rigorous and relevant four-course sequence allows students to investigate the roles of biomedical professionals as they study the concepts of human medicine, physiology, genetics, microbiology, and public health. PLTW courses are aligned with Common Core State Standards in math and English Language Arts, Next Generation Science Standards, and other national and state standards. Yet, our programs are flexible and customizable so that schools can meet their local curricular and community needs. Courses are designed to complement math and science courses offered by a school.
Student Outcomes: That 100% of the students who complete the 4-course curriculum will graduate from St. Francis and attend a four-year university. 100% of these alumni take at least one STEM class in their first year of college.
Over the last several years, numerous reports and external organizations have validated Project Lead The Way's success in engaging the hearts and minds of students through science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. St. Francis High School is proud to partner with PLTW to provide rigorous and relevant STEM learning experiences.
Independent research studies reveal that PLTW students outperform their peers in school, are better prepared for post-secondary studies, and are more likely to consider careers as scientists, technology experts, engineers, mathematicians, healthcare providers, and researchers compared to their non-PLTW peers. For the aforementioned reasons, we have chosen to launch a PLTW Biomedical Science pathway with 4 UC-CSU approved STEM classes.
A researcher from the University of Virginia, Dr. Robert Tai, and his team collected and analyzed over 30 research studies and reports on PLTW. Key insights:
*PLTW contributes to a strong, positive impact on mathematics and science achievement.
*PLTW has a positive influence on students' career interest and likelihood to continue their education.
*PLTW offers a pathway to prepare and motivate students to enter careers in science, engineering, and
medical fields.
*A clear strength of the PLTW program is the intensive teacher professional development program.
Tai, Robert H. (2012). An Examination of Research Literature on PLTW. University of Virginia. Publication by PLTW.
We encourage you to sign up today using your 2015-2016 Course Selection!