Technology Education

Students study the resources of all technology, including tools, energy, materials, people, time, information and systems. They investigate the impacts of technology by identifying emerging technologies and predicting future technological changes. The problem-solving process is utilized, and students produce small products using measuring, drawing and basic hand tool operations skills. They also work in teams using computers to explore rocketry, space, robotics and other forms of technology.

Students explore inventions and innovations and explain how they relate to the development of new products, processes and systems. After studying these developments, they explore contemporary technological problems facing them, their community or the world and apply systematic procedures to invent new products or innovations as solutions, applying the design process. Students construct a model or a prototype and evaluate the model through assessment or the prototype through testing.

Through a global view of technology, students combine resources and techniques to create systems, attaining comprehension of how technological systems work. Students explore, design, analyze and evaluate technological systems. By simulating systems and assessing their impacts, students gain insight into how to approach the problems and opportunities of a technological world. They also explore technology-oriented careers. Students design specific technological systems (information, communication, construction, transportation, energy and power or biotechnology) to solve a problem. Projects include photographic portfolios, video productions, magnetic levitation vehicles, telephones and construction models.

All courses are one full year. Students are strongly encouraged to begin or continue their study of World Languages during the middle school years. Colleges and universities look favorably upon applicants who complete three, four or five years of study of one or more world languages. Students enjoy a variety of opportunities to study a World Language (Chinese, French, German, Latin, and Spanish):

For any high school credit-bearing course taken in middle school, parents/legal guardians may request that grades be omitted from the student’s transcript and the student not earn high school credit or Verified Credit for the course.

For students transferring into ACPS from other school divisions, appropriate beginning language placement will be provided pending sufficient enrollment.

• Rising sixth-grade students may begin studying a world language in grade 6 and earn two high school credits by successfully completing three years of study of the same language. A student may also choose to study another subject in sixth grade and begin World Language study in grade 7, earning one high school credit after successfully completing two years of study of this course.
• Rising seventh-grade students may earn one World Language high school credit after successfully completing two years of study of this course.
• Rising eighth-grade students who are already enrolled in the study of a World Language should continue the second year of study to earn one World Language high school credit. Rising eighth-grade students who have not yet begun their study of World Languages may earn one high school credit through successful completion of Spanish I during the eighth-grade year.