New Applicants
Biomedical Academy Applicants for the 2024-2025 School Year
Congratulations to those who were accepted into the Biomedical Academy (BA) for the 2024-2025 school year. Consider this a step forward in your career journey! Your counselor will be made aware of your BA status and next week, confirm with your counselor of your enrollment in Human Body Systems Honors. All of the 10th grade BA students will be placed into exclusive BA Advocacy classes to begin building community and learning about events and opportunities the BA provides. Next steps for new BA students include:
Familiarize yourself with the Biomedical Academy website and expectations as written in the 2023-2024 BA Handbook. The BA handbook will be updated for the 2024-2025 school year and the agreement will be electronically distributed and collected the first week of school.
Await your invitation to the End of the Year Banquet on Friday, April 26, 202, 6-7pm in the Multipurpose Room for dinner, recognize new BA students, and celebrate the year’s accomplishments and outgoing BA Class of 2024.
Biomedical Academy Applicants for the 2024-2025 School Year
Link to 2024-2025 Biomedical Academy application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc7yUV2aqjLEYeI58ibUkvU2C7BedKHNaVceYFGrDf3TrQCuQ/viewform?usp=sf_link
The Biomedical Academy application will be available January 2-February 10, 2024. If over 108 applications are received by February 2, students will be randomly selected. Those who are not selected will be placed on the first priority waitlist. Students will be contacted beginning the week of Monday, February 5 of their acceptance. If less than 108 applications are received by February 10, students are accepted in a first come first served basis until 108 applicants are received. After 108 students have been notified, the waitlist will still be available through the 2nd week of school of the 2024-2025 school year.
BIOMEDICAL ACADEMY SAMPLE 4 YEAR SCHEDULE WITH SUMMER SCHOOL OPTIONS
The Biomedical Academy Pathway is changing from a four year program to three year program beginning 2022-2023.
2022-2023 changes include:
Present 9th grade BA students in Principles of Biomedical Science do not need to reapply into the program for the 2022-2023 school year. They will continue with the BA for 10th grade unless a student wishes to disenroll from the program. Students who are NOT in the Biomedical Academy may apply, but will be waitlisted and accepted based upon the capacity.
Present 8th grade students interested in the Biomedical Academy can apply as 9th graders during the 2022-2023 school year. Application dates have yet to be determined.
The motives for changes include: 1) equitable access and 2) compliance
Regarding equitable access: Students should not have to take summer school and/or zero period in order to participate in a CTE pathway. With PGHS’s traditional schedule, the 4-year requirement in the Biomedical pathway made it such that a large amount of students had to take additional classes outside of the regular school day/school year in order to create room in their schedules to participate. This is an unnecessary barrier for those requiring bus transportation and for those who cannot participate in summer school.
Regarding compliance: Pathways are designed to be 3-year programs – introductory, concentrator, capstone. There are only three pathways in the entire district that are outliers and funded as 4-year programs directly through the California Department of Education. Over sixty other pathways are 3-year programs – all of which start in 10th grade. This also works much more efficiently with the master schedule – especially for a traditional school schedule – where students have more room in their schedules to fit the capstone course in 12th grade and ensure completion of the pathway.
Continued practice:
Continue with the smaller learning community model with Academy specific Advocacy specific teachers.
Continue aligning non-CTE courses (e.g., English, Science, Socials Science) curricula with Student Learning Outcomes across academic disciplines, which includes cross-curricular projects.
For 2021-2022 10th & 11th graders remain in BA and do not need to reapply for the 2022-2023 school year. Assume enrollment unless an academy drop form is completed.