Career Technical Education

Overview

Mission and Purpose

What is a Career Pathway?

A CTE Career Pathway is sequence of courses in a recognized industry sector aligned with the California Career Technical Education (CTE) Model Curriculum Standards. Antelope High School provides sequenced career pathways that include industry related and academic content standards to prepare students for success in postsecondary education, careers, and lifelong learning.

Students enter the Career Pathway by taking the Introduction course as the first course. During the Introduction course of the Career Pathway, the teacher will educate students about the Career Pathway. The teacher will encourage students to continue with the Career Pathway by identifying and tracking their progress in completing the Concentrator and Capstone course. Career Pathway courses do not need to be taken in back to back semester terms. Students who complete all three courses will automatically receive recognition as an Antelope High School CTE Career Pathway Completer upon graduating.

A Career Pathway consists of three courses designated as:

1st Course: Introduction Course
2nd Course: Concentrator Course
3rd Course: Capstone Course

What does a Career Pathway offer?

The Antelope High School Career and Technical Education Pathways offer students a unique perspective into a field of study that they might want to pursue upon their graduation from high school. Students completing a Career Pathway will have the opportunity to achieve specific competencies in that area of study, earn a program certificate and/or pre-apprenticeship certification, develop an industry specific portfolio, display a special graduation cord, obtain an internship with a local business or on campus, travel to conferences and/or competitions, receive college credit (dual enrollment) in some classes, and establish a professional on-line presence. Completing a Career Pathway at Antelope High School will be a distinguishing achievement whether you are continuing your education at a four year college, junior college, trade school, or entering a career.

CTE Career Pathways at Antelope High School

• Engineering
• Biomedical Sciences
• Professional Photography
• Computer Science

Who can benefit from completing a Career Pathway?

Students wanting to continue their study in the subject post high school
Students wanting to enter a career in the industry post high school
Students with a strong interest in a the subject
Students who want to have subject structured learning focus of knowledge and skills in high school
Students who want to make their high school experience more meaningful and be connected to other students with the same interest

Benefits of Taking CTE Courses

Career and Technical Education Facts

Learn real-world 21st century skills that make students career and college ready.
Courses meet a-g requirements for entrance into the UC college system.
Students learn skills like: critical thinking; communication; teamwork; leadership; research tools; creativity; and innovation.
Students who complete rigorous academic core with a career concentration are more likely to pursue postsecondary education; have a higher GPA in college; and are less likely to drop out the first year of college.
CTE courses increase engagement in school by involving students as decision-makers and “owners” of their education process.

CTE Fact Sheet for School Leaders

References:

The Career Pathways offered follow the CTE guidelines set forth by the California Department of Education.

CTE Model Curriculum Standards

PLTW Biomedical Science

Description & Accomplishments

Alumnus Spotlight

Program Accomplishments

Our program has received a Certificate of Recognition from CA State Assembly District 9 (signed by Jim Cooper) and District 7 (signed by Kevin McCarty) for its impact in education.

Program Description

PLTW Website - BioMed Pathway

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is a nonprofit educational program that helps students build strong foundations in science and engineering through hands-on, real-world learning. The Biomedical Sciences courses are rigorous, fostering motivation, cooperative learning, and critical thinking. Without a textbook, students rely on technology daily to seek information and solve problems collaboratively, preparing them for continuous learning and teamwork in the 21st century. Activities like suturing and constructing body structures from clay help to equip students with biomedical knowledge and versatile, transportable skills.

Principles of Biomedical Science

(UC/CSU 'D' Lab Science)

Students explore human medicine, bioinformatics, and research processes through hands-on projects, investigating body systems and health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and infectious diseases. They collaboratively analyze the fictional death of a person, examining lifestyle choices and treatments that could have extended life. The curriculum emphasizes biological concepts such as homeostasis, metabolism, inheritance, and disease defense, integrating engineering principles like design processes, feedback loops, and relationships between structure and function. Students also gain insight into biomedical careers while developing technical and transferable skills like clinical empathy, health promotion, and data analysis.

Course Outline

Human Body Systems

(UC/CSU 'D' Lab Science)

Students explore human body systems, focusing on processes, structures, and interactions that maintain homeostasis and health. Through real-world cases, they act as biomedical professionals to solve medical mysteries. Hands-on projects include designing experiments and investigating structures and functions. Students also engage in real-world scenarios, diagnosing and treating patients, ensuring safety on remote medical trips, and conducting research on development and aging.

Course Outline

Medical Interventions

(UC/CSU 'D' Lab Science)

Students explore disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment by following the lives of a fictional family. They investigate interventions in immunology, surgery, genetics, pharmacology, medical devices, and diagnostics. The course emphasizes maintaining health and homeostasis, covering topics like infection prevention, DNA screening, cancer treatment, and organ failure. Activities include designing a prosthetic arm and other real-world applications, reinforcing prior knowledge while introducing new concepts. Throughout, the importance of lifestyle choices, scientific thinking, and engineering design in developing future medical interventions is highlighted.

Course Outline

[Capstone] Biomedical Innovations

(UC/CSU 'D' Lab Science)

In this capstone course, students apply their knowledge to tackle 21st-century health challenges, designing innovative solutions in areas like clinical medicine, physiology, biomedical engineering, and public health. They work on open-ended problems and independent projects, often with mentors from universities or healthcare industries. Students present their work to professionals from the business and healthcare community, showcasing their solutions and skills.

Course Outline

Program Outcomes

Prepare students with career readiness skills for the roles they want and the reality they will face in college and beyond.
Inspire deeper learning with real-world experiences using the same tools and software used by professionals in biomedical science roles.
Equip students to succeed by practicing skills like collaboration, teamwork, and communication in the classroom.

PLTW Computer Science

Teacher: Todd Higley
Phone: 916-726-1400 ext. 6259
Email: thigley@rjuhsd.us
Room: S209
Social Media: @antelopecs

Industry Sector: Information and Communications Technology
Pathway: Systems Programming

Program Description

At a time when computer science affects how we work and live, PLTW Computer Science empowers students in grades 9-12 to become creators, instead of merely consumers, of the technology all around them.

The program’s interdisciplinary courses engage students in compelling, real-world challenges. As students work together to design solutions, they learn computational thinking – not just how to code – and become better thinkers and communicators. Students take from the courses in-demand knowledge and skills they will use in high school and for the rest of their lives, on any career path they take.

Sequence of Classes

Introductory Course – Computer Science Essentials
(UC/CSU 'G' Elective)

In Computer Science Essentials, students will use visual, block-based programming and seamlessly transition to text-based programming with languages such as Python to create apps and develop websites, and learn how to make computers work together to put their design into practice. They’ll apply computational thinking practices, build their vocabulary, and collaborate just as computing professionals do to create products that address topics and problems important to them.

Concentrator Course – AP Computer Science Principles
(UC/CSU 'G' Elective)

Using Python® as a primary tool and incorporating multiple platforms and languages for computation, this course aims to develop computational thinking, generate excitement about career paths that utilize computing, and introduce professional tools that foster creativity and collaboration. Computer Science Principles helps students develop programming expertise and explore the workings of the Internet. Projects and problems include app development, visualization of data, cybersecurity, and simulation. PLTW is recognized by the College Board as an endorsed provider of curriculum and professional development for AP® Computer Science Principles (AP CSP). This endorsement affirms that all components of PLTW CSP’s offerings are aligned to the AP Curriculum Framework standards and the AP CSP assessment.

Capstone Course Title – Cyber Security
(UC/CSU 'G' Elective)

Cybersecurity introduces the tools and concepts of cybersecurity and encourages students to create solutions that allow people to share computing resources while protecting privacy. Nationally, computational resources are vulnerable and frequently attacked; in Cybersecurity, students solve problems by understanding and closing these vulnerabilities. This course raises students’ knowledge of and commitment to ethical computing behavior. It also aims to develop students’ skills as consumers, friends, citizens, and employees who can effectively contribute to communities with a dependable cyber-infrastructure that moves and processes information safely.

Program Outcomes

Whether building apps to meet client needs or exploring cybersecurity, PLTW Computer Science engages students in interdisciplinary activities that not only build knowledge and skills in computer science, but also empower students to develop essential skills such as problem solving, critical and creative thinking, communication, collaboration, and perseverance. The program’ s courses empowers students with in-demand knowledge and skills they will use in high school and for the rest of their lives, on any career path they choose.

Program Accomplishments

The PLTW Computer Science Pathway at Antelope High School has had a number of students awarded the highly prestigious HPE Internship. Students are paid to work alongside programmers and learn to apply their skills to current projects for HPE. Also, we have had two students on Job Shadow with the City of Roseville learning all the roles of a professional in an IT Department. The program has strong relationships with Sacramento State University.

PLTW Engineering

Teacher: Chris Stinson, Marissa Winn
Phone: (916) 726-1400 x6305
Email: cstinson@rjuhsd.us; mwinn@rjuhsd.us
Room: CTE2

Industry Sector: Engineering and Architecture
Pathway: Engineering Design

Program Description

PLTW Engineering empowers students to step into the role of an engineer, adopt a problem-solving mindset, and make the leap from dreamers to doers. The program’s courses engage students in compelling, real-world challenges that help them become better collaborators and thinkers. Students take from the courses in-demand knowledge and skills they will use in high school and for the rest of their lives, on any career path they take.

Sequence of Classes

Introduction to Engineering and Design - course number 356113
(UC/CSU 'G' Elective)

Designed for 9th or 10th grade students, the major focus of the IED course is to expose students to the design process, research and analysis, teamwork, communication methods, global and human impacts, engineering standards and technical documentation. Students use 3D solid modeling design software to help them design solutions to solve proposed problems and learn how to document their work and communicate solutions to peers and members of the professional community.

Principles of Engineering - course number 356133
(UC/CSU 'G' Elective)

This survey course of engineering exposes students to major concepts they’ll encounter in a postsecondary engineering course of study. Students employ engineering and scientific concepts in the solution of engineering design problems. They develop problem-solving skills and apply their knowledge of research and design to create solutions to various challenges, documenting their work and communicating solutions to peers and members of the professional community.

Engineering Design and Development - course number 356163
(UC/CSU 'G' Elective)

In this capstone course, students work in teams to design and develop an original solution to a valid open-ended technical problem by applying the engineering design process. After carefully defining the problem, teams design, build, and test their solutions while working closely with industry professionals who provide mentoring opportunities. This course is appropriate for 12th grade students.

Program Outcomes

Students will gain an understanding of what role an Engineer plays in the workforce by being exposed to the many fields and disciplines within Engineering.
Students are made aware of the academic rigors of choosing to study Engineering in post-secondary studies and gain exposure to industry and colleges via field trips, study tours, and guest speakers.

Program Accomplishments

Antelope High was the first to offer a complete, comprehensive CTE program of study in RJUHSD. We have had several program completers go on to major in STEM fields.
Antelope students continue to be exposed to cutting edge technology, industry professionals, and academic programs that help to further the decision process for students considering the rigorous task of being a STEM major in college.

Media

Program Description & Outcomes

Description

Regardless of the form or medium, careers in the Arts, Media, and Entertainment sector all involve some form of public presentation or publication. The Production and Managerial Arts pathway emphasizes both technical skills and the organizational expertise needed to successfully deliver arts, media, and entertainment to an audience.

Outcomes

The Arts, Media, and Entertainment sector demands strong cross-disciplinary collaboration, as work is often project-based, requiring both independent and team management skills. Rapidly evolving technology continually reshapes career pathways, requiring a blend of artistic creativity, technical skills, and problem-solving abilities.

Successful careers in this sector require broad academic and technical preparation, along with adaptability and interpersonal skills. Career paths include Design, Visual, and Media Arts; Performing Arts; Production and Managerial Arts; and Game Design and Integration. Learning these skills fosters teamwork, communication, and creativity, enabling professionals to enhance the quality of life through sight, sound, and motion.

Introduction - Media 1

Course ID: 101680
(UC/CSU 'F' Elective)

This introductory Media Production course (1 of 3 in the pathway) satisfies the UC-F credit requirement and prepares students for Media 2. Students learn video production using DSLR cameras and Adobe Premiere Pro, with an introduction to Adobe After Effects. The course covers team production, video and audio equipment operation, and creative storytelling through all stages of filmmaking.

Students gain hands-on experience in lighting, sound editing, color grading, and industry-standard equipment, including DSLR manual settings for cinema use. The course involves teamwork, requiring some filming outside class, and may have material costs. It follows California State CTE Standards and the Adobe curriculum framework, qualifying for UC A-G (F) credit.

Course Outline

Concentrator - Media 2

Course ID: 101681
(UC/CSU 'F' Elective)

Media 2 is the Concentrator course (2 of 3) in the Media Production Career Pathway, focusing on content creation. Students apply skills from Media 1 to produce short films, social media content, promo videos, and school projects. They select a production focus, build video reels and websites, and create content for clients with deadlines.

The course offers professional opportunities, internships, live broadcasting, and participation in STN competitions. Teamwork and filming outside class are required. Students must obtain an SD memory card and headphones, with potential material costs. Coursework follows California State CTE Standards and the Adobe curriculum framework.

Course Outline

Capstone - Media 3

Course ID: 101682
(UC/CSU 'F' Elective)

Media 3 is the Capstone course (3 of 3) in the Media Career Pathway, available to students in leadership roles. It extends Media 2 and may occur during the same period, allowing Media 3 students to lead and participate in Media 2 activities.

Students take on leadership tasks, plan outside class hours, hold meetings, and support the program while serving as positive role models. Skills in organization, time management, communication, and project management are essential. Leadership roles include Producer, Studio Director, Editor, Social Media Producer, Classroom Leader, Live Broadcasting, and more.

Course Outline