Education News
http://www.azschoolsmakeadifference.org/ys-mesa_skills.asp
East Valley High School Students Learning Skills for Jobs of the Future at Mesa Public Schools Biotechnology Academy
MESA – Sept. 25, 2008 – A high school student working today inside a Mesa High School laboratory may soon be the intellectual force behind a leading biotechnology breakthrough. The idea isn’t all that far-fetched considering the innovative curriculum and state-of-the-art-facilities East Valley students now have at their disposal.
Students from across the East Valley are learning the impact and influence of biotechnology, the fastest growing science of the 21st century, at the Mesa Public Schools Biotech Academy. A “school within a school” on the Mesa High School campus, the Mesa Public Schools Biotechnology Academy is an academically rigorous and career-oriented three-year program whose stated mission is to “…provide students with the skills and knowledge necessary to be competitive within the 21st century global economy and biosciences industry.”
The Biotech Academy’s commitment to excellence begins with three full research labs “…that put many universities to shame,” according to Coordinator Xan Simonson. She added the academy attracts students who are “problem solvers who know how to think.” Nearly all the students will go on to college – but even if they don’t, those completing the program will have all the skills necessary for an entry-level position in the bioscience field.
“Our program is not just academics,” Simonson said. “We also focus on career and technical education. For our students to be competitive with the rest of the world, they need to have both.”
Admittance to the academy is by application only, with only 24 students accepted per cohort class. This allows academy students to form a small “learning community” and take core academy classes together in English, Math, Social Studies and Science. Students completing the rigorous curriculum have the opportunity to earn up to 14 college credits in English and Science, with graduates earning a Biotechnology Academy Certificate of Completion.
Simonson noted that economics and government classes within the curriculum maintain a bioscience theme – biotech companies’ stocks are closely monitored as is the impact biotechnology has on the US economy. English classes also stay consistent to the theme, featuring an emphasis on technical writing.”Students learn how to write in the environment they’ll be working in while studying at the collegiate level,” Simonson explained.
Throughout the program, students work collaboratively with Mesa Community College and Arizona State University-Polytechnic on a variety of biotechnological projects. This allows them to acquire laboratory and research skills that are valued in both collegiate and workplace laboratories.
At the heart of the Biotechnology Academy curriculum is the Biotechnology I course (taken during the junior year) in which all academy students are enrolled. This hands-on, introductory course provides students with all of the laboratory and research skills necessary to begin work in the biotechnology field. From there, students have the opportunity to continue honing their skills in Biotechnology II and III courses or to begin preparing for university work by taking the honors level Biotechnology Research Course and participating in industry internships.
Simonson said students in the academically rigorous program all end up passing the AIMS test, and the students’ GPAs dramatically increase. One of the reasons why is the academy’s unique grading system – simply put, you just can’t pass with a “C”. Each student must receive an 80-percent grade or higher, or continue working on the assignment until they do
Published with permission from author Xan Simonson
New Teaching Materials Needed
The American Physiological Society’s Archive of Teaching Resources is looking for new teaching material submissions. The archive, partnered with Human Anatomy and Physiology Society, National Association of Health Science Education Partnerships, Society for Developmental Biology, and Physiology for the 21st Century, contains about 2,000 learning objects for K-12, undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education. By submitting a resource, authors will increase the exposure of their teaching materials, get them peer reviewed, and receive a citation reference. APS is in the process of upgrading the existing archive to be more user friendly, which should be complete by the end of the summer. During this time, the website is still active and authors can submit material for review. Items submitted by December 1st will be included in the winter review cycle. For more information, contact the APS Education Office at archive@the-aps.org, or view the website at www.apsarchive.org.
Submitted by Carol Stiff from a listserv
