Skip to main content
District

P-TECH Academy

 

Panther Cyber P-TECH Academy in partnership with St. Phillip's College, Alamo Colleges District

 

What is P-TECH

The Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) is an open-enrollment program with purposefully developed pathways that are aligned to high-demand, high-wage fields within our local area.  This program gives students an opportunity to receive an industry or college credential and/or associate degree, at no cost to the student, along with their high school diploma.  This is in an effort to ensure students are college and career ready by building talent as well as helping to fulfill our local workforce needs. 

All rising 9th and 10th grade, within Navarro Independent School District boundaries, are welcome to apply regardless of academic ability.  Students can choose between one of the three pathways below.

  1. Associate of Applied Science - Information Technology Cybersecurity Specialist (earning 60+ college credit hours);
  2. College Level 1 Certificate - Information Technology Cybersecurity Specialist (earning 28+ college credit hours);
  3. Industry-Based Certification in CompTIA A+ and CompTIA Networking (earning 0-27 college credit hours)

P-TECH also consists of an innovative and ever-changing partnership between the district, community college, and local high growth industry employers who work together to provide any needed supports to P-TECH students as they navigate through their selected pathways.  Students will have access to post-secondary education while also gaining work experience through various opportunities, such as mentorships, internships, apprenticeships and other job work-based learning experiences.  A combination of both the learned skill sets through earning credentials and work-based learning experiences provided by our industry partners, will ensure that P-TECH students have an increased advantage and are top candidates when entering the workforce or additional post-secondary program. 

Cybersecurity P-TECH Academy Pathways

Pathways

 

Pathways

Associates Degree

College-Level Certificate

Industry-Based Certification

Minimum College Hours

60

28

0

Details

Cybersecurity and core college courses with passing TSIA required

Cybersecurity courses only, additional core dual credit courses are optional

Some or no dual credit; dual credit courses are optional

Award

Associate of Applied Science in Information Technology Cybersecurity Specialist

Level 1 Certificate in Information Technology Cybersecurity Specialist

Industry-Based Certification in CompTIA A+, Networking, and optional Security+

Scheduling Draft

8th Gr – Spanish 1, Fine Arts and/or Algebra I HS Courses

9th Gr – 2 College Courses

10th Gr – 4 College Courses

11th Gr – 4 to 6 College Courses

12th Gr – 7 to 9 College Courses

9th Gr – 0 College Courses

10th Gr – 2 College Courses

11th Gr – 4 College Courses

12th Gr – 2 College Courses

9th Gr – 0 College Courses

10th Gr – 0 College Courses

11th Gr – 0 College Courses

12th Gr – 0 College Courses

*Recommend students take 1-2 College Courses in Grades 10-12th but not required.

 

Qualifications

To qualify for the P-TECH Program, students meet the following criteria:

  1. The student must be a rising 9th grader with a desire to be a part of the PTECH program.
  2. The student must have a strong work ethic and commitment to complete one of the offered pathways.
  3. The student must be responsible for communicating with the instructor/professor and their designated P-TECH mentor regarding absences, grades, or assignments.
  4. The student’s parent/guardian must also want their child to be a part of the program.
  5. Both the parent/guardian and student must complete the online P-TECH Enrollment Application together
  6. Both the parent/guardian and student must agree to participate in PTECH-related events, such as required meetings, tutorials and/or preparation camps.
  7. Both the parent/guardian and student must agree and abide by the standards of academic and behavioral expectations of the program (including expectations of the college and industry institutions).
  8. Both the parent/guardian and student must agree to comply with all the policies of the program including the Electronic Information resource agreements (including policies or documents required by the college and industry institutions).
  9. Both the parent and student must agree that the ultimate goal is to graduate from the P-TECH Academy with industry credentials and/or college credits as planned.

Benefits

  • Up to 60 hours of FREE college courses that may transfer to a 4-year university
  • Free certification exams recognized by industry
  • Support, guidance, and industry mentorship provided by the district and industry partners in the field

Estimated Cost per Student

Expenses

2-Year Associates Degree

Level 1 College Certificate

Industry-Based Certifications

Tuition & Fees

$12,448

$5,810

 

Books & Supplies

$2,000

$1,000

 

Certification Preparation & Exams

$1,182

$1,182

$1,182

Room & Board

$5,552

$2,776

 

Transportation

$4,856

$2,428

 

Personal/ Miscellaneous

$3,210

$1,014

 

Total

$29,248

$14,210

$1,182

 

Apply for P-TECH ACADEMY NOW!

 

P-TECH Benchmark Documents

    • 1.6- Leadership Team Strategic Priorities
      • 1.6a- P-TECH/IHE leadership meeting agendas
      • 1.6b- School board and board of regents’ presentations
      • 1.6c- Document(s) outlining the strategic priorities for the current academic year and/or long-term priorities of the P-TECH partnership
    • 1.7- Leadership Team Key Roles
      • 1.7a- Description of each member and role in committee
    • 1.8- P-TECH Staff
      • 1.8a- P-TECH leader/liaison meeting agendas and relevant materials
    • 1.9- P-TECH Staff Professional Development
      • 1.9a- Mentor/induction program plans
      • 1.9b- Annual training or professional development plan with P-TECH and IHE faculty
    • 1.11- Advisory Board
      • 1.11a- Meeting agendas and minutes, with action items and decision logs
      • 1.11b- A list of strategic partners with each member’s organization, title, and role in providing work-based learning for students by grade level
    • 2.1- Goal of Higher Education Partnerships
      • 2.1a- Final, signed, and executed MOU/ILA or similar agreement with Institution of Higher Education
        • *MOU/ILA must be reviewed annually with the goal of improving programmatic supports and services for students and alignment to the Texas Statewide Dual Credit Goals.
    • 2.11- Roles and Responsibilities
      • 2.11a- Final, signed, and executed agreement with business/industry partner(s)
        • *The agreement must be reviewed annually with the goal of improving programmatic supports and services for students
    • 3.2- Documenting Enrollment Procedures
      • 3.2a- Written admission policy, and enrollment application
      • 3.2b- Written recruitment plan, including a timeline of recruitment and enrollment events, and recruitment materials for distribution at feeder middle schools and other appropriate locations in the community
    • 3.3- Stakeholder Engagement
      • 3.3a- Brochures and marketing in Spanish, English, and/or other relevant language(s)
      • 3.3b- Written communication plan for targeting identified audiences(e.g., parents, community members, school boards, higher education personnel, etc.)
    • 3.4- Lottery System
      • 3.4a- Written lottery procedures (district-level or campus-level)
    • 4.1- Regional Need
      • 4.1a- Documentation detailing courses of study examples that outline student pathways from high school to associate degrees, certificates, or industry- based certifications and beyond
      • 4.1b- Current dated regional high-demand occupation list
    • 4.3- Course Sequence
      • 4.3a- Crosswalk aligning high school and college courses, grades 9 through 12, which enables a student to earn an associate degree or up to 60 college credit hours toward a baccalaureate degree
      • 4.3b- Master schedules
    • 4.7- College Readiness
      • 4.7a- Calendar of scheduled TSI test administration dates, sign-up process, and intervention expectations
      • 4.7b- Aggregate reports of TSI exam performance
      • 4.7c- Testing calendar and schedule for SAT, ACT, or other college readiness assessments
    • 5.1- Bridge Programs
      • 5.1a- Bridge program curriculum and schedule
    • 5.2- Advising
      • 5.2a- Schedule of advising events and records of completion for these support services
    • 5.3- Student Intervention
      • 5.3a- Tutoring schedules
    • 5.4- Classroom Supports
      • 5.4a- Advisory/study skills curriculum material
    • 5.5- Multi-tiered System of Supports
      • 5.5a- Calendar of family outreach events
    • 5.6- Enrichment Opportunities
      • 5.6a- Professional learning community agendas
    • 6.1- Work-Based Learning Continuum
      • 6.1a- Documentation of appropriate work-based learning experiences for students at all grade levels
    • 6.2- Work-Based Learning Offerings
      • 6.2a- Aggregate data describing student participation in work-based learning experiences
    • 6.3- Student Participation
      • 6.3a- Samples of student artifacts such as writings, portfolios, presentations, and links to digital content

CONTACTS

Vanessa Ritenour

Margi Handrick

Shari Barta

Michele Hansen