Curriculum

The Denver School of Science and Technology offers a rich and dynamic curriculum designed to challenge each of its students and prepare them attend and succeed in a four year college and to be responsible citizens and leaders of the future.
 
DSST is centered on six core values - respect, responsibility, integrity, courage, curiosity, integrity and doing your best. These values are central to the school community and guide students, teachers, and parents in every aspect of school life. Students are known, supported and held accountable through high academic and effort expectations in class and by an advisor. The "morning meeting," an all-school meeting is reflection of the school's community emphasis and focus on building a school culture that fosters success for all students.
 
Academically, students are challenged with a rigorous, college preparatory curriculum. Students are taught a strong liberal arts curriculum with an emphasis on the sciences. Our curriculum is aligned with state standards and not only meets traditional measures of success (standardized testing), but also reinforces our academic principles of rigorous, personalized, and integrated. Each student receives a laptop or tablet computer, allowing students to learn with the most available technology.
 
To meet the differing needs of the age spectrum of high school students, DSST is composed of two academies: Prep Academy (grades 9-10), and the Senior Academy (grades 11-12).
 
Prep Academy: During 9th and 10th grade, DSST students get a strong liberal arts foundation. The academic program focuses heavily on content and skill development centered on DSST's core performance standards in preparation for the Senior Academy. Students will be challenged to develop key skills in math, science, reading, writing, critical thinking and technology while grappling with a rigorous course curriculum. Prep Academy students study math, physics and chemistry, Spanish, humanities, world history, world literature and studio art in 75 minute block settings. Students will be required to create a digital portfolio that demonstrates mastery of the Prep Academy curriculum and core performance skills at the end of the 10th grade year.
 
Senior Academy: In the 11th and 12th grades students progress to more advanced class work. They fulfill final school and state requirements and prepare to demonstrate their achievements for college admissions officers. Students in the Senior Academy will be required to complete an internship project in order to graduate. They will also design and complete a comprehensive senior project, allowing them to synthesize the information and skills developed across the curriculum. The project is intended to be an overall illustration of student knowledge and skills, is a requirement for graduation, and serves as the capstone of the school's curriculum. Students will study math, biology, American literature, American History and Government, and other advanced science electives (physics, chemistry, biotechnology) during the 11th and 12th grade years.

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