9th Grade
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Today’s high school students have grown up in the digital age and use online technology to connect and learn. They respond to innovative and engaging curricula. We offer an array of online public high school courses for them to choose from, including core subjects, honors and AP classes, and career readiness courses tailored to prepare them for life after high school.
In addition to general education courses, students will enroll in career-focused academies aligned to their college and career goals. With multiple paths to success, students can gain a competitive advantage against their peers, whether that includes college, career, or both.
Within each Learning Community, students can specialize in a program of study that connects with their interests, skills, and talents. No matter which academy a student chooses, they will develop essential workplace skills and have the opportunity to gain industry-recognized credentials related to their program concentration.
Students will specialize in their pathway and strive to earn industry credentials relevant to current, in-demand careers. Pathfinder offers Lean Six Sigma, Rise Up, Microsoft Office, and OSHA credentials.
* Course offerings are subject to change and may vary based on school staffing.
Foundations of Success Academy
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Today’s high school students have grown up in the digital age and use online technology to connect and learn. They respond to innovative and engaging curricula. We offer them online public high school courses, including core subjects, honors and AP classes, and career readiness courses that prepare them for life after high school.
In addition to general education courses, students will enroll in career-focused academies aligned to their college and career goals. With multiple paths to success, students can gain a competitive advantage against their peers, whether that includes college, career, or both.
Within each Learning Community, students can specialize in a program of study that connects with their interests, skills, and talents. No matter which academy a student chooses, they will develop essential workplace skills and gain industry-recognized credentials for their program concentration.
Students will specialize in their pathway and strive to earn industry credentials relevant to current, in-demand careers. Pathfinder offers Lean Six Sigma, Rise Up, Microsoft Office, and OSHA credentials.
* Course offerings are subject to change and may vary based on school staffing.
Foundations of Success Academy
As students begin their journey with Pathfinder Career Academy, each student will spend their first two years of high school in the Foundations of Success Academy. We focus on helping individuals identify their strengths, interests, and passions to establish a strong foundation for their college and career paths. Within the academy, one-on-one support with a success coach allows students to explore their major upon completion.
Career Discovery Academy
Are you not sure what careers you are interested in yet? In the Career Discovery Academy, students learn strategies and skills for lifelong learning and success. They will learn about career paths, industries, and job functions that will help clarify interests, goals, and aspirations. Students will develop interview skills and learn professionalism, communication, team building, networking, and negotiation topics.
Career Exploration
Career exploration involves actively investigating and researching potential career paths in more depth. It goes beyond basic awareness and includes conducting informational interviews with professionals, job shadowing, internships, volunteering, and taking on projects that provide hands-on experience in a specific field.
Career Tech Club Participation
Participation in Career and Technical Education (CTE) clubs holds several notable benefits for students. These clubs provide students with opportunities for skill development, networking, and practical application of knowledge, enhancing the overall educational experience. During the student’s 8th and 9th grade school years, students will be encouraged to participate in club meetings, ensuring they are exposed to several CTE pathways. During a student’s 10th grade year, students solely participate in club meetings related to their desired pathway. Lastly, during a student’s 11th grade year, they will have chosen their CTE pathway. They will continue participating in the associated club throughout their journey at Pathfinder.
Career-Based Intervention
Career Based Intervention (CBI) is a systematic approach or program designed to assist students in making informed career decisions and effectively transitioning into the workforce. These interventions provide guidance, support, and resources to help individuals explore, plan, and pursue their desired career paths.
Key Components of CBI:
- Assessment
- Exploration
- Education
- Goal Setting
- Training and Soft Skill Development
- Counseling and Guidance
Project-Based Learning
Project-Based Learning (PBL) is an educational approach that focuses on active and collaborative learning through the completion of real-world projects. In PBL, students engage in an in-depth exploration of a complex question, problem, or challenge relevant to their interests or the curriculum. They work together to investigate, research, plan, design, and create solutions, often culminating in a tangible product, presentation, or outcome. PBL also allows for cross-collaboration opportunities between academic and CTE courses.
Future Fridays
Future Friday is a comprehensive idea aimed at preparing students for their future careers by offering a variety of resources and opportunities that focus on career exploration, skill development, and industry exposure. Future Fridays will give students time to engage in activities beyond traditional classroom learning. Future Fridays aims to help students make informed decisions about their educational and career paths, connect with professionals, and gain practical insights into different industries. Students will have the opportunity to participate in the following:
- Videos: Live and recorded video presentations or documentaries that showcase different careers, industries, and success stories. These videos give students a visual and informative introduction to various career paths.
- Guest Speakers: Bringing in guest speakers from various industries allows students to hear firsthand professional experiences and insights. These speakers may discuss their career journeys, share industry trends, and offer advice to students.
- Sessions: Workshops, seminars, and interactive sessions focus on skill development, resume building, interview preparation, and other practical aspects of career readiness.
- Events: Future Fridays may host job fairs, industry panels, and workshops highlighting specific fields of interest. These events allow students to ask questions, network, and gather information.
…and so much more! We welcome our students’ ideas and suggestions for Future Fridays at Pathfinder!
Certifications
Leadership Excellence: The Student Leadership Excellence Certificate focuses on providing participants with an experience with a proven structure for breakthrough problem-solving while developing leadership skills at the individual, team, and organizational levels. Students will have the opportunity to earn this specific certification during their 9th grade year.
9TH GRADE STUDENT EXPERIENCE
9th grade is a critical year for students to begin exploring career pathways, building foundational academic skills, and developing employability skills. Academic coursework is connected to real-world applications and career readiness, ensuring students are prepared for future success. Listed are some examples of how Pathfinder’s academic and CTE teachers will incorporate real-world applications in your student’s coursework.
💡 English Language Arts (ELA) – Career Communication & Research
🧮 Mathematics – Financial Literacy & Career Applications
🔬 Science – Career Connections in STEM & Technical Fields
🌎 Social Studies – Economic & Business Awareness
🚀 Career Exploration & Readiness
✔ Naviance Plan of Study & Career Counseling
- Students will work with the CTE Coordinator & School Counselors to develop a Personalized Plan of Study based on career interests.
- CTE pathway selection, elective options, and available industry-recognized credentials.
✔ Naviance Career Interest Surveys & Pathful Connect Activities
- Students will complete career interest surveys to discover potential careers.
- Participation in live virtual career fairs, guest speaker events, and interactive industry experiences.
✔ Introduction to CTE Pathways & Industry-Recognized Credentials: Opportunity to select specific program and start required CTE elective courses associated!
Overview of the five Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways:
-
- Construction Pathway
- Health Science Pathway
- Teaching Professions Pathway
- Business Administration Pathway
- Career Based Intervention (Seniors-only)
Students will be introduced to available further certifications they can begin working toward in 10th grade.
- Job Shadowing & Real-World Experience
- Students will explore job shadowing opportunities related to their career interests.
- The CTE Coordinator will assist in finding local opportunities for students based on where they reside in Ohio.
- Ohio Means Jobs Work-Readiness Seal Introduction
- Students will learn about the Ohio Means Jobs Work-Readiness Seal, which validates essential workplace skills such as:
- Professionalism & work ethic
- Collaboration & teamwork
- Critical thinking & problem-solving
- Digital literacy & adaptability
- Students will learn about the Ohio Means Jobs Work-Readiness Seal, which validates essential workplace skills such as:
Employability Skills & Professional Development: students will build workplace skills essential for career success.
By the end of 9th grade, students will have:
✅ A well-developed career plan and pathway focus
✅ Explored job shadowing and real-world learning experiences
✅ Built a resume, cover letter, and job interview skills
✅ Discovered industry-recognized credential opportunities
✅ Started working toward the Ohio Means Jobs Work-Readiness Seal
✅ Strengthened essential workplace and soft skills
Core Curriculum: Grade 9
9th Grade: Discovering Possibilities and Mapping Futures with Naviance
As our 9th-grade students embark on their high school journey, Pathfinder Career Academy supports them in discovering new possibilities and mapping out their futures. Naviance, our all-encompassing online platform, serves as a guiding light, empowering our 9th graders to make informed decisions about their academic and career paths.
Through Naviance, our 9th-grade students can explore myriad career options, gaining insights into their interests, strengths, and potential career pathways. They can delve into college research, access information about admission requirements, and even connect with college representatives to gather valuable information for their plans.
With Naviance, our 9th-grade students can set goals, track their progress, and identify the courses and activities that align with their aspirations. They can also utilize the platform to explore internship opportunities and engage in experiential learning, gaining practical skills and experiences that enhance their college and career readiness.
At Pathfinder Career Academy, we understand the importance of equipping our 9th-grade students with the skills to gain a competitive advantage against their peers, whether that includes college, career, or both.
English 9
English Language Arts for ninth graders provides interactive, engaging instruction and practice in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language skills. The course includes explicit instruction and practice for grade-level skills along with opportunities for more independent, inquiry-based learning.
Skills for Success units provide the scaffolding students need to comprehend, evaluate, and respond to complex texts. Students read texts multiple times to move from basic comprehension to deeper understanding of key ideas and the author’s craft and structure. They use a variety of skills to determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases, including interpreting figurative language and nuances in word meanings. Students respond in writing to prompts to practice crafting responses in shorter time frames, demonstrating command of the conventions of standard English grammar, usage, and mechanics.
Making Connections units center around a Big Question that students seek to answer as they work through the unit. Students read assigned texts in various modes and genres, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama, and conduct their own research to learn about topics that are relevant to their lives and experience. As they gather and interpret information, they share ideas by speaking, listening, and writing. Students use a process for writing that includes planning, drafting, sharing, evaluating, revising, editing, and publishing. Work products in these units offer opportunities for student voice and choice.
The course includes classic literature from the United States and around the world, along with original texts. Students also have the opportunity to read a text of their choice at least once each semester. They have multiple opportunities to practice writing narrative, informative, and argumentative texts.
Algebra 1
Algebra I is about training to run the race of high school math. Students will strengthen their skills in topics like linear relationships, functions, and equations, and learn new skills that prepare them for Algebra 1. This course is designed with interactive learning and real-world activities to strengthen students’ math muscles for the race ahead.
Physical Science
This is an introduction to the physical sciences and scientific methodology. The objectives are to impart a basic knowledge of the physical properties and chemistry of matter. Skills are developed in the classroom and reinforced through homework reading and interesting labs that relate to everyday life.
World History
World History begins with a focus on the skills needed to read, understand, and analyze history, also demonstrating how historians and social scientists arrive at their conclusions about human history. Semester A covers the history of civilization from hunter-gatherer societies through the characteristics of the earliest civilizations to the Enlightenment period in Western Europe. The second half of Semester A explores early intellectual, spiritual, and political movements and their impact on interactions among world cultures.
Semester B applies the reading and analytical strategies introduced in Semester A to the events and movements that created the modern world. In the second semester, World History emphasizes the effects of the Industrial Revolution and changing attitudes about science and religion as well as the impact of European colonization. Students are encouraged to make connections between World War I and II, events related to the Cold War, and between 19th-century imperialism and modern independence movements.
Electives
Health
Students begin this life course by exploring the different dimensions of good health and ways they can take charge of managing their health. The semester continues with a focus on good nutrition and safe food preparation and handling. Then, students take an in-depth look at the elements of physical fitness and its importance across the lifespan. A discussion of infectious and noninfectious diseases follows, with an emphasis on preventing disease. Students then investigate substance use and abuse, their effects on health, and ways to avoid or quit using. The course concludes with a focus on community and environmental health along with safety in the home, school, and community. A minimum grade level of 9th grade is suggested.
PE
In this course, students are introduced to exercise and physical fitness and the general recommendations for physical activity, while examining the benefits of exercise, lifestyle choices that can help prevent disease, and tips for kick-starting a healthier lifestyle. Students will explore each type of fitness, include the benefits, and the federal guidelines for exercise in detail. Students will also learn about bones and joints and the functions of the skeleton, and the different types of movements that occur at various joints. Students will learn about the different types of muscle in their bodies, and how they are structured, with particular attention to the different types of muscle fibers. Students will explore the functions that muscles perform, how they work, and their interaction with the central nervous system and special considerations for safe and effective exercise.
Game/IT
Have a great idea for a video game? It’s time to bring it to life. In this hands-on course you will create a playable MVP (minimum viable product). Explore video game history, which provides a springboard to learn about game mechanics, storytelling, character creation, and world building. And yes, you will learn how to code. Through fun, interactive projects, you’ll bring your ideas to life and see what it takes to design a game from start to finish. Plus, if you’re thinking about a future in game design, you will get a behind-the-scenes look at the gaming industry and what it’s like to collaborate with a development team. By the end, you’ll have a game prototype and the skills to keep creating!
CREDIT RECOVERY
Our Credit Recovery courses serve students seeking to recapture credit for courses previously taken. They have the same scope and sequence as the original credit courses. However, some teacher-graded assignments have been removed from the course to accelerate the student’s path.
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