1. HTEC: Global Leadership Academy
The Vision
The Vision of High Tech Early College: Global Leadership Academy (HTEC: GLA) is to challenge and
empower ALL students to take personal ownership of their learning through demonstrations of
competencies, skills, and rigorous college and career level content knowledge, so they can become
innovators, leaders, and positive change agents in our city, our nation, and the world.
Personalized Learning
The guiding belief of the HTEC: GLA program is simple: learning only occurs when students are active
and engaged members in the learning process. With that in mind, all systems and structures at HTEC:
GLA will be intentionally designed to ensure a personalized learning experience for every student.
Students will have Advisement classes that are aligned to career pathways, opportunities to accelerate
their learning, academic interventions, Project Based Learning (PBL) experiences, internship/externship
opportunities with community partners, and early participation in the college experience through the
Early College model.
Teacher, Leadership, and Community Collaboration
The leadership team at HTEC: GLA believes that success for ALL students is only possible when all adults
and school community members work collectively towards a common vision of empowering EVERY
student to take personal ownership of her or his education and learning. This “students first” position
requires faculty members to meet the twofold challenge of being effective in their content area and the
craft of teaching, as well as being personal mentors, advisors, and advocates to students.
Instructional Model
HTEC: GLA is founded up a desire to meet the needs of students and families in the Far Northeast region of
Denver Public Schools (DPS) through providing an authentic, empowering, and holistic competency based
learning educational program. The competency based learning mission, vision, and instructional model of
HTEC: GLA are actualized through the Four Cornerstone Competencies, which are as follows:
1. Personal Academic Excellence
2. Life-long Learning & Citizenship
3. Innovative Thinking & Action
4. Transformational Leadership
Similarly, the Four Cornerstone Competencies are brought to life through the authentic content and contexts
that are provided through Early College model and the Design Thinking Career Pathways:
Social Entrepreneurship (Social Sciences Early College course of study)
STEM/ Engineering for Societal Needs (Engineering Early College course of study)
Environmental Sustainability (Science/ Engineering Early College course of study)
2. Intentional Design
Every High Tech Early College: Global Leadership Academy graduate will demonstrate four
Cornerstone Competencies of Personal and Academic Excellence, Lifelong Learning and
Citizenship, Innovative Thinking and Action, and Transformational Leadership; and demonstrate
proficiency in one of three Design Thinking Career Pathways: Social Entrepreneurship, STEM,
or Environmental Sustainability.
To achieve these outcomes, we actualize three Design Principles in everything we do. We are
always Data Driven, Experiential, and Competency-Based. These design principles come to life
in our learning approaches, learning environments, and demonstrations of learning.
Our students learn through the following Approaches: Gradual Release of Responsibility (I do –
We do – You do), Project-Based Learning, and Service Learning. These instructional approaches
take place across all learning Environments, which include: Core Classes, Intensives, Flex
Block, Advisory, and Internships/Externships. Finally, our students Demonstrate their learning
in multiple ways at multiple times to drive authentic learning, promote self-directed learning, and
help teachers differentiate support. These demonstrations include: Dynamic Learning Portfolios
and Formative Checks for Learning; Performance Demonstrations/Projects and Standards-
Aligned Assessments; and Capstone Projects and Standardized Tests.
Together these components comprise our educational framework: essential Design Principles
inform the ways that students Demonstrate their learning across all Environments and
Approaches so that they graduate proficient in Cornerstone Competencies and a Design
Thinking Pathway.
