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Early College High School Program (ECHS)

EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM (ECHS)

Hudson Valley Community College Clean Technologies and Sustainable Industries

The mission of the Clean Technologies & Sustainable Industries Early College High School is to develop and support pathways to higher education that lead to careers in STEM fields for students through rigorous academic programming and a collaborative approach to learning.  A network of K-12, higher education, business and industry partners has been developed to provide students with the highest level of education and support for entering and succeeding in the clean energy fields.  

The Clean Technologies & Sustainable Industries Early College High School is an  innovative program that provides high school students with transdisciplinary learning and 21st Century skill sets necessary to make informed decisions as they relate to college and career readiness.  Students have the advantage of being in a fully connected and collaborative learning environment.  Students work at their own pace and leverage 1:1 technology to access individualized academic support, master program expectations, and develop college and career readiness. With support from regional economic leaders, including the Center for Economic Growth (CEG), Saratoga Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) and local Chambers of Commerce, the program connects with hundreds of businesses throughout the region that serve as assets for students and represents a robust fusion of education, business and industry collaborating to train students to become innovators and leaders for the jobs of tomorrow.

Early college high schools blend high school and college in a rigorous yet supportive program, compressing the time it takes to complete a high school diploma and the first two years of college.  Students in the Clean Technologies & Sustainable Industries Early College High School Program take both high school and college level coursework on a college campus at Hudson Valley Community College’s TEC-SMART campus located in Malta, NY. 

Pathways

  • Clean Energy Management
  • Community and Public Health
  • Cybersecurity and Hacking
  • Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Innovation
  • Engineering Sciences
  • Polysomnography
  • Surgical Technology

 Program Design Principles

The Clean Technologies & Sustainable Industries Early College High School believes that through a transdisciplinary approach to STEM teaching, learning, and experiences in higher education our students will have authentic educational opportunities that value:

  • A clear pathway from high school graduation, to college, to career.
  • Personalization and Collaboration: Each student is responsible to make learning uniquely his/her own while able to collaborate, communicate, and apply STEM concepts to best solve problems driven by personal interests.
  • Transdisciplinary learning with an emphasis on application of understanding in diverse situations through the development of projects and lessons that address authentic issues.
  • The demonstration of proficiency and mastery of content, ingenuity, innovation, and creativity using nontraditional assessment tools.
  • Critical thinking and the design process in the context of the community by leveraging assets and resources from higher education, business and industry: A collaborative learning ecosystem among partners in education.
  • Design-focused service learning promotes and informs self-discipline and ethical citizenry through learning about community issues and providing viable solutions to critical community issues and problems.

Program Overview and Format

The program includes the following for 9th Grade:

  • Applications are due in the spring of grade 8.
  • Virtual Learning Program- 21st Century Skills focusing on design projects and exploration of professional skills.
  • Students enrolled in high school coursework at their home schools.
  • Monthly visits for a half day to HVCC North.

The program includes the following for 10th grade:

  • A two-day summer academy for incoming 10th graders to be held on the TEC-SMART campus focusing on program career pathways and workplace skills.
  • Yearlong Virtual Learning Program – modules focusing on a particular pathway.
  • Students enrolled in high school coursework at their home school.
  • Monthly visits to TEC-SMART with peer and professional mentoring.
  • Site visits at home schools by program staff.

HVCC College Coursework- online College Forum (1.0 HVCC credit) in the fall; online Sociology (3.0 HVCC credits) in the spring

The program includes the following in 11th and 12th grades:

  • Students can choose from the following HVCC pathways: Clean Energy Management, Community & Public Health, Engineering Sciences, Entrepreneurship, Leadership & Innovation, Hacking & Cybersecurity, Polysomnography and/or Surgical Technology.
  • Students attend school at TEC-SMART for high school and college classes in the morning and then return to their home school in the afternoon.

Additional information about the program and mission can be found at: Home – Clean Technologies Early College High School.