Prosser Career Academy, C. A.

Academic Programs

School Mission and Vision

Mission
Prosser Career Academy is an institution devoted to providing young people with opportunities to explore their place in the global community. We encourage students to extend their world and become independent learners to achieve their dreams. We emphasize education to careers and develop the knowledge and skills needed for our students to be successful on the paths they choose.

Vision
The vision of Prosser Career Academy is to have the state of the atrt career programs that reflect the school at work needs in our changing society. We must also provide a quality college preparatory program for advaced learning. Furthermore, we must provide the necessary support to meet the social, emotional, cultural and ethnic diversity needs of our community.
Education-To-Careers
Today's high skill job market demands that all high school graduates have both advanced academic knowledge and workplace skills. As a career academy, Prosser provides all of its students with a college prep curriculum as well as workplace skills that allow them to enter the marketplace at higher than entry-level positions. We expect all of our graduates to be eligible to enroll in college. We also provide programs to help students make informed choices regarding career opportunities. All students are provided with the opportunity and encouraged to participate in work-based experiences in the career area of their choice.

School-based Learning offers:
- Opportunity to achieve high academic standards
- Integration of academic skills, workplace skills and technical skills
- Career awareness, development and counseling
- A plan for transitioning to post-secondary education
Work-based Learning offers:
- Training in general workplace skills and skills relevant to a specific occupation
- Field trips to work sites (exposure to career opportunities)
- Job shadowing (supervision by a trained work place mentor)
- Internships (non-paid and paid work experiences)
Connecting Activities:
- Providing a school-based liaison to coordinate the school-based with the work-based learning experience
- Assisting schools and employers in integrating academic and career/technical instruction
- Matching students with employers
- Providing job placement assistance and assistance in transitioning to post-secondary education
Our Career Programs:

Business Cluster
* Business: Administration & Management
* Computer Programming & Technology

Hospitality Cluster
* Chefs Culinary Arts/Food Service

Communications Cluster
* Graphic Design
* Graphic Communications/Printing

Manufacturing Cluster
* Machine Technology/CNC
Construction Cluster
* Construction Technology
* Cabinet Making
* HVAC-E

Transportation Cluster
* Automotive Technology
* Auto Body Repair
Advanced Academics at Prosser
1. International Baccalaureate Diploma Program
  
  Short History of the I.B. Program
  In 1965 the International Baccalaureate Office was established at Geneva as a foundation under Swiss law. An International Council of Foundation was formed, and an experimental project was launched in 1967 and offered for use in twenty schools in 1970.
  
  Since that time, the IB has grown to nearly 800 participating schools in over 70 countries. Working in two official languages (English and Spanish), the IB enjoys the respect and support of many governments, colleges and universities.
  
  Significant numbers of IB Diploma holders both from within and outside North America have gained admission to the most prestigious universities in the world. Students are often accorded advanced standing and college credit based on their IB work.
  
  An Introduction to the I.B. Program
  The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program is a rigorous pre-university course of study, which meets the needs of the highly motivated secondary school student. Designed as a comprehensive curriculum that allows its graduates to fullfi11 requirements of the various national systems of education, the IB is based on the pattern of no single country or educational system It provides students of different linguistic, cultural, and educational backgrounds, with the intellectual, social and critical perspectives necessary for the adult world that lies ahead of them.
  
  All IB Diploma candidates are required to engage in the study of languages, sciences, mathematics, and humanities in the final two years of their secondary schooling. This program is a deliberate compromise between the preference for specialization in some countries and the emphasis on breadth often preferred in others. The intent is that students should learn how to analyze, and to reach considered conclusions about people, their languages and literature, their ways in society, and the scientific forces of the environment.
  
  The I.B. at Prosser Career Academy
  The Pre-IB program, for 9^th and 10^th grade students, was initiated at Prosser Career Academy during the 1997-98 school year. We now are a fully participating International Baccalaureate School. Currently, freshman and sophomore pre-IB classes and junior and senior IB classes are in place. Our plan is to select 30 freshmen each year for the full diploma program.
  
  Curriculum
  The IB curriculum, shaped over the years by educators committed to international education, involves the student's final two years of the secondary education sequence. During that time, study is undertaken in a broad range of subjects, selected under the guidance of a school appointed IB coordinator.
  
  The high standards implicit in the IB examinations assume high levels of achievement and preparation at the junior high and pre-IB levels. (Grades 9 and 10).
  
  The subjects that compromise the core of the IB curriculum are arranged according to six groups: the Diploma candidate is required to select one subject for each area. The student's selection of subjects will depend upon the range of IB subjects offered by the participating school.
  
  IB SUBJECTS AND LEVELS BY GROUPS
  During the 11^th & 12^th Grades
  
  HL= Higher Level
  SL=Standard Level
  
  Group 1 Language A
  English (HL)
  
  Group 2 Language B
  French (SL)
  Spanish (SL)
  
  Group 3 Individuals and Society
  History of the Americas (HL)
  
  Group 4 Experimental Sciences
  Biology (HL)
  
  Group 5 Mathematics Math Studies (SL)
  
  Group 6 Elective
  Information Technology In A Global Society (SL)
  
  Certificate/Diploma Candidates
  Students are awarded certificates for any examination completed. All IB Diploma candidates are required to take one subject from each of the groups. At least three and no more than four of the six subjects are taken at a Higher Level, the others at Standard Level. Each examined subject is graded on a scale of 1 (minimum) to 7 (Maximum). The awarding of the Diploma requires a minimum total of 24 points and the satisfactory completion of three additional requirements; the Extended Essay of some 4000 words, a course entitled Theory of Knowledge (TOK) which explores the relationships among the various disciplines and ensures that students engage in critical reflection and analysis of the knowledge acquired within and beyond the classroom, and the compulsory participation in CAS which requires the student to demonstrate creativity, action, and service in relationship to school and community. The CAS requirement complements a student's academic development. Bonus points may be awarded for the exceptional essay or performance in Theory of Knowledge.
2. The College Board Advanced Placement Classes
  (prosser Honors Program)
  
  Students at Prosser have the opportunity to earn college credit by successfully completing Advanced Placement classes in Biology, Calculus, English, English Literature, United States History, European History, French, and Spanish. AP classes may be taken on an individual basis by members of the Prosser C.P.S. Scholars or as part of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program.
  
  Currently, we offer or are preparing to offer Advanced Placement Courses in:
  
  Language Arts
  * English Literature
  * English Language
  
  Social Studies
  * European History
  * Geography
  
  Science
  * Biology
  * Physics
  * Environmental Sci.
  
  The curriculum is less rigidly structured than the International Baccalaureate Program yet offers the curricular options desired by gifted students desiring to pursue a Career Strand in their high school training.