Curriculum: 9-12

High School Departments

At Pathways, we use a department model within our high school program to assure that students receive instruction from highly qualified instructors. One single subject credentialed teacher is appointed as the Department Chair and these Department Chairs teach our a-g courses across the school. The Chairs partner with their colleagues in other regions of the school to validate that there is continuity and rigor within our academic program.

English Department Chair: Tammy Dier, [email protected] 

Mathematics Department Chair: Nora Plofker-Ray, [email protected] 

Social Studies Department Chair: Denice Hall, [email protected] 

Science Department Chair: Tracey Orlandi, [email protected]

A-G Courses

Pathways is fully WASC Accredited. Students who want the opportunity to enter a university or college directly after high school graduation must complete the series of a-g requirements during high school. This series includes 15 courses to be taken during the student’s high school years. All of the courses in this series must be UC/CSU-approved and come from Pathways’ list of approved courses (see below). Students may meet the a-g course requirements through a variety of methods; please review the Methods to Satisfy A-G Coursework (below) and then discuss these options with your teacher.

Methods to Satisfy A-G Coursework

Independent study is considered a special setting. While any valid teaching credential allows teachers to work with students in grades K-12, only subject area experts can work with high school students in core subjects for a-g credit, because the UC wants to ensure that students have access to true experts in each core discipline. In order to comply with this requirement and to support students in completing the more rigorous a-g coursework, Pathways has established a variety of methods for students to meet the a-g requirements.

• Learning Center/Online Class, taught by a Pathways expert teacher (see local class schedules for options)
• Approved Junior/Community College Class (see local college catalogs for options)
• Approved Online Course with an approved vendor (contact the Guidance Coordinator)