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SOCES is part of a national network of Pre-Engineering schools who offer a nationally recognized program from a non-profit organization called Project Lead The Way. The video below provides a brief introduction to the PLTW program.
Local Southern California Affiliate Partners with PLTW
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Cal Poly Pomona
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The “Pathway” or sequence of courses would be as follows:
| Course Title | Ideal Sequence of Courses | California A-G Designation |
| PLTW Honors Introduction to Engineering Design
Honors Introduction to Engineering Design (HIED) is a great first course for students who are curious about design and/or engineering careers. The course is based on curriculum provided by Project Lead the Way (PLTW) and has been customized to address the SOCES student population and equipment.. The major focus of HIED is the design process, and each week students will complete activities that provide hands – on experience with brainstorming, technical sketching, CAD (computer – aided design) techniques, technical documentation, and technical communication through writing and presentations. The course introduces students to engineering standards, dimensional analysis, statistical analysis using Microsoft Excel, tolerances, and reverse engineering. During the course of the school year each student develops a personal engineering notebook that documents his or her skills and designs, culminating in a final project that can be printed one of our 3D printers. The course also develops teamwork and communication through group projects. Students in this course have the opportunity to compete in regional and statewide PLTW design competitions hosted by tech companies and local universities each year. In addition to competing in the Skills USA competitions, students can earn an Autodesk Inventor professional certification by passing an exam administered by Autodesk. Although aimed primarily at freshmen and sophomores , HIED is open to all grades and assumes no previous knowledge.
The Honors Introduction to Engineering Design course of study includes:
The full outline for the course is here. The course fulfills the UC “g” Visual and Performing Arts requirement. |
9th Concentrator Class (ED Pathway) |
“g” or Fine Art Credit |
| PLTW Honors Principles of Engineering Honors Principles of Engineering (POE) is a hands – on survey course of major engineering concepts, based on curriculum provided by Project Lead the Way (PLTW). The course relies heavily on activity, project, and problem – based learning to develop knowledge and skills in the areas of energy and power, simple machines, thermodynamics, statics, electronics, automation, projectile motion and computer programming. Students employ engineering and scientific concepts in the solution of a variety of engineering design problems, while also developing problem solving and teamwork skills. During the course of the school year each student develops a personal engineering notebook that documents his or her skills and project designs. Students also develop presentation skills as they communicate their solutions to peers and members of the professional community. The open ended design of many POE projects allows students to enable and direct their own learning, which is the ultimate goal of education. Students in this course have the opportunity to compete in VEX Robotics competitions hosted by tech companies and local universities each year.The Honors Principles of Engineering course of study includes:
The full outline for the course is here. HPOE fulfills the UC “g” Elective (Interdisciplinary) requirement . |
10th Concentrator Class (ED Pathway) |
“g” or College Preparatory Elective Credit |
| Robotics
Robotics is an intense hands – on survey course designed to provide experience in mechanical fabrication and various engineering careers. The curriculum is designed to fit the needs of both four – year college bound students and those interested in a two – year career tech education. Conceptual instruction begins with the design cycle, which students experience in all stages through hands – on skill development from brainstorming to prototyping to manufacturing and testing. Robotics, programming, electronics, machining, computer graphics, and CAD (computer – aided design) technologies are introduced to all students using industry – standard equipment. Applications of scientific principles, mathematical concepts, and communication skills are accentuated in an activity – oriented approach. Group dynamics and communication techniques are emphasized through informal classroom competitions. Student teams compete as well in a variety of national and international problem – solving competitions. The Robotics course of study includes:
Robotics fulfills the UC “g” Elective (Interdisciplinary) requirement |
Capstone Class (ITE Pathway) | “g” or College Preparatory Elective Credit |
| PLTW Engineering Research and Development (ERD)
Engineering Design and Development (ERD) is the capstone course in the PLTW high school engineering program. It is an engineering research course in which students work in teams to design and develop an original solution to a valid open-ended technical problem by applying the engineering design process. The course applies and concurrently develops secondary level knowledge and skills in mathematics, science, and technology. Utilizing the activity-project-problem- based (APPB) teaching and learning pedagogy, students will perform research to choose, validate, and justify a technical problem. After carefully defining the problem, teams of students will design, build, and test their solution. Finally, student teams will present and defend their original solution to an outside panel. While progressing through the engineering design process, students will work closely with experts and will continually hone their organizational, communication and interpersonal skills, their creative and problem solving abilities, and their understanding of the design process. Engineering Research and Development is a high school level course that is appropriate for 12th grade students. Since the projects on which students work can vary with student interest and the curriculum focuses on problem solving, ERD is appropriate for students who are interested in any technical career path. ERD should be taken as the final capstone PLTW course since it requires application of the knowledge and skills from the PLTW foundation courses.
The Engineering Research and Development course of study includes:
The full outline for the course is here. Engineering Research and Development fulfills the UC “d” Laboratory Science requirement. |
11-12 Capstone Class (ET Pathway) |
 “d” or Science Laboratory Credit |
| Honors Chemical Engineering
This is lab intensive course designed to provide students who are interested in pursuing degrees/careers in the STEM fields more experience in the engineering aspect to chemistry through a variety of lab and problems. Students will gain experience in writing a formal lab report and working on teams. The course is centered around the theme of Biodiesel production and the following chemical tests.
Honors Chemistry (Chemical Engineering)Â fulfills the UC “d” Laboratory Science requirement. |
10th | Â “d” or Science Laboratory Credit |
| Honors BioMedical Engineering PENDING APPROVAL This is lab intensive course designed to provide students who are interested in pursuing degrees/careers in the STEM fields the skills and experience they will need in biology through a variety of lab and problems that are currently being utilized in biomedical labs today. The course combines molecular biology with practical applications. Students will be expected to maintain a laboratory notebook and experience a variety of biotechnology procedures including:
Honors BioMedical Engineering fulfills the UC “d” Laboratory Science requirement. |
9-12 Concentrator Class (ED Pathway) |
“d” or Science Laboratory Credit |
| Science Technology & Research I PENDING APPROVAL This is a five-unit, one year, elective course at the high school level, for juniors or seniors. It is a research class that consists of a cognitive emphasis in conjunction with developing laboratory research skills used presently in scientific research. The cognitive areas include an understanding of DNA, RNA, cells, enzymes, and tissues and techniques such as bioassays, electrophoresis, and histology.Throughout the year, students will research various scientific journals and periodicals as well as the internet. Using ideas from their research, students will design several experiments, culminating in a long-term science project to be entered in one of several competitions/ science fairs. For experiments students will be called upon to integrate math, chemistry, biology and statistics. Present computer skills will be enhanced through student designing data charts and graphs and locating pertinent background research for their experiments. The Science Technology & Research I course of study includes:
Science Technology & Research I fulfills the UC “g” Elective (Interdisciplinary) requirement http://achieve.lausd.net/cms/lib08/CA01000043/Centricity/Domain/249/Science%20Technology%20and%20Research%201AB%20361119-20.pdf |
11-12 Science Class |
“g” or General Elective Credit |
A possible matrix of High School classes for students interested in Engineering at SOCES. Please contact your counselor for any discussion regarding courses offered and course of study.
| A-G Subject Requirements | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th |
History/Social Science “a”
2 years required |
World History or at the Community College via class “History 2 & 87 Intro to Western Civilization” |
US History
or at the Community College via class “History 12 & 13 Political & Social History of US II & US in the Twentieth Century” |
Gov/Econ (CA High School Graduation Requirement) |
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English “b”
4 years required |
English 9 or at the Community College via class “English 81S Reading and Writing Skills” |
English 10 | English 11 or AP English Lang and Comp |
English 12
or AP English Lit and Comp |
Mathematics “c”
3 years required 4 years recommended |
Geometry or at the Community College via class “Math 32 Plane Geometry” |
Algebra II or at the Community College via class “Math 22 College Algebra” |
Math Analysis or at the Community College via class “Math 2 PreCalculus” |
Calculus or AP Calculus |
Science “d”
2 years required 3 years recommended |
H BioMedical Engineering or Biology or H Biology or AP Biology or at the Community College via class “BIOL 3 Fundamentals of Biology” |
Chemistry or H Chemistry or H Chem Engineering or AP Chem or at the Community College via class “Chem 10 Introduction to Gen Chem” |
Physics or AP Physics AB |
Engineering Research and Development (PLTW) |
Language other than English
2 years required 3 years recommended |
 Language
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Language other than English |
Language
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4th year of Foreign Language or Elective |
Fine Art “f”
1 year required |
Introduction to Design (PLTW) | |||
| College Prep Elective “g” | Honors Introduction to Engineering Design (PLTW) | Honors Principles of Engineering (PLTW) | Honors Engineering Design and Development (PLTW) or Science Technology & Research or Robotics |
Honors Engineering Design and Development (PLTW) or Science Technology & Research or Robotics |
| Physical Education
(4 semesters required by the State of California but not |
PE (required in 9th grade by the State of California) |
PE | ||
| Other | Health (NOT A-G but required for HS graduation) can be taken in the summer or via an online option at SOCES or at the Community College via course “Health 10 Fundamentals of Healthy Living” |
If there are scheduling conflicts, students can enroll in any California Community College and take an equivalent course (even online classes at any of the 90+ colleges) and receive dual high school and college credit based on the grade earned. For more details on specific college classes that will qualify, read the following LAUSD Policy Bulletin. http://www.lausd.net/District_4/pdf/school_operations/BUL%201040.1%28REV%29%20Community%20College%20Enrollment.pdf
If you need help contact Mr. Hicks in Rm 106 or email at dave.hicks@lausd.net.
