Curriculum
IHSCA students complete a 32-credit curriculum with additional math and science requirements along with English and Spanish instruction all four years. In additional to classroom instruction, students are required to complete 100 hours of service prior to graduation and participate in a number of unique career exploration activities such as internship programs, experiential projects working with professionals in the field, guest speakers, and more.
Health Sciences at IHSCA
IHSCA's Health Sciences curriculum follows the standards from the National/State Cluster Foundation Knowledge and Skills, ACT WorkKeys, and Project Lead the Way.
The Health Sciences curriculum is intentionally integrated and taught within the context of the core courses (Math, Language Arts, Science, and History). Students are introduced to the knowledge, skills, and concepts where they apply later to real world cases within the health sciences careers. This reinforces the mastery of knowledge and skills, and brings a level of engagement motivating students to think beyond the class connecting it to the workplace.
IHSCA uses the following Instructional Strategies to serve its studnets:
Outcomes-based mastery: It is our belief that our students should not only successfully complete their four years of High School, but be fully competitive in any post-secondary educational opportunity they decide to pursue. Given the intense demands of the health science field, we know that our students will need solid skills to be successful in these fields.
Interdisciplinary learning: We address each component of our program within the context of the healthcare field presenting coursework in an interdisciplinary context which makes connections for students between the skills they are developing and their significance to possible future careers.
Collaborative team teaching: Team teaching brings together experts in more than one field, who, by engaging in the debates inherent in their disciplines, present a model for engaged and interdisciplinary learning.
Critical thinking: We engage students in the content of each course by addressing the controversies surrounding many issues within the healthcare field today. We encourage our students to think independently, creatively, and to strategize for optimum societal and community impact.
Problem-based learning: With emphasis on research-based, open-ended investigation, problem-based investigation acknowledges the complexity of all intellectual pursuit.
Cooperative learning: The cooperative learning model is a natural extension of the cluster program in which students are encouraged to draw on each other's skills and strengths to bring projects to fruition. Today's patient puts himself or herself in the hands of a team of specialists, all of whom must work together cooperatively to bring about the best possible outcome for the patient. We wish to model this in the instructional opportunities we offer our students.
Differentiated Instructional Strategies: Bridging students real world experiences to the classroom is an essential instructional strategy at IHSCA. We help students strategize their individual educational objectives and work plans and proved them with support as they undertake them.
Take a look at IHSCA's Graduation Requirements and Course Sequence:
