The Health and Science Pipeline Initiative (HASPI) began in 2006 as a grant-funded program in San Diego County that aimed to increase awareness and strengthen preparation for healthcare careers. Career education continues to be a priority in the state of California and we are fortunate that HASPI continues to be supported.
Are the HASPI resources aligned to NGSS and CCSS?
The HASPI resources have recently been updated to reflect the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Common Core State Standards (CCSS) as applicable. The course curriculum pages and teacher guides for each lab or activity contain information on which standards apply.
How were the resources created?
The HASPI resources have been created through a collaboration between education and industry representatives, primarily in San Diego County. Through collaboration, each lab or activity has been designed to have medical or healthcare application while meeting the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
How can the curriculum resources be incorporated into core academic courses?
HASPI Curriculum Resources have been created to be implemented in "core" academic courses as well as in an Anatomy & Physiology elective course. For example, the Medical Biology curriculum resources have been created using the standards that would be used in a core biology course that every student would be required to take for graduation. Incorporating medical and healthcare topics into core courses makes them more relevant and reduces the chance that an innovative, career-related "elective" course would be cut from a student's schedule. Any teacher can incorporate these resources into their own core courses WITHOUT creating a new course on their campus.
Do I need to create a new course to use the haspi curriculum?
No. The HASPI Curriculum Resources have been created to ensure the NGSS and CCSS alignment and can simply be used as supplemental resources for a developed curriculum or they can be substituted in for labs or activities that are already implemented in core courses.
What if I would like a New course code for these medically-themed courses?
If your school would like a unique course code for your medically-themed courses (i.e. Medical Biology, Medical Chemistry, Medical English, etc.), then your district-level Curriculum and Instruction team would initiate a course submission process as required by your state education system. In California, new A-G course approval requires a written course description, which must align to the A-G subject requirements, to ensure that the course meets the criteria and guidelines of its respective subject area. The following link will connect you to the University of California, A-G Policy Guide, which will detail the process of submitting a new course for A-G approval: https://hs-articulation.ucop.edu/guide/update-your-a-g-list/submitting-courses/