The College, Career, & Civic Readiness (CCCR) Department is dedicated to providing the students of our district with an educational foundation that takes them from basic education to postsecondary studies and the workforce. This foundation encourages exploration and achievement in academic, career, and technical education.
Integrating academics and work-ready skills prepares our students for the rigorous demands of college and career and has a positive impact on their community through the combination of civic knowledge, skills and actions, mindsets, and experiences. It is the educational development and career preparation of our students upon which the growth of our community and nation continues to depend.
The GMCS-CCCR Team
Alignment to GMCS Elevate 2025
Our work-based learning through our pathways supports the following GMCS Elevate 2022 strategic goals:
Goal #1: Increase Student Success
Strengthen academic performance and student engagement.
Goal #2: Create Career Pathways
Connect student learning to their career goals.
Goal #4: Strengthen Partnerships
Expand community partnerships to support and educate our students.
Our pathways programs prepare students to enter the workforce with the academic and technical skills needed to compete in the job market. GMCS-CCCR department aligns its initiatives with GMCS vision and mission. It is our mission in Gallup‐McKinley County Schools to prepare our students for success, empower and develop our students through improving academic knowledge, promoting essential skills and positive character traits, providing safe and healthy learning environments, and creating strong partnerships among parents, colleges, and the business community.
The CCCR Initiatives
The GMCS Portrait of a Graduate
The GMCS Portrait of a Graduate is the school district’s vision for 21st-century, deeper learning for every student. Every school system is unique, but all are connected by a shared aspiration: that all students have an educational experience preparing them to thrive in the future and in life.
Now more than ever, that experience must not only provide for the acquisition of rigorous academic content, but it must also be more intentional about fostering students to become creative and critical thinkers, responsible individuals, effective collaborators, and lifelong learners, plus more 21st century skills and mindsets our young people need to thrive in this complex, rapidly changing world.
Learn more about the GMCS Portrait of a Graduate.
“Schools Of” & Career Technical Education Program
GMCS Pathways, more recently known as “Schools Of,” and all other career-technical Programs of Study are a Linked Learning approach to college and career readiness education that transforms the traditional high school experience by bringing together rigorous academics, a demanding technical education, and real-world experience to help ALL GMCS students gain an advantage in high school, postsecondary education, and careers. Currently, there are six “Schools Of” in eight high schools:
- The School of Engineering – CPH, GPH, HMH, TGH
- The School of Health – CPH, GPH, HMH
- The School of Media – GPH, HMH, THH
- The School of Business – HMH, RAH, TOH
- The School of Technology – NPH
Additionally, there are 14 Programs of Study in eight high schools and the Opportunity Career Center:
- PLTW Engineering – CPH, GPH, HMH, TGH
- PLTW Biomedical Sciences – CPH, GPH, HMH, RAH, THH
- Health Science Fundamentals – THH
- Computer Graphics – GPH
- Mass Communications – HMH
- Media Production – THH
- Business Management – HMH, RAH, TOH
- Welding – CPH, GPH, RAH, NPH
- PLTW Programming & Cybersecurity – CPH, TOH
- Computer Technology Assistant – NPH
- Automotive Technology – HMH, RAH, THH
- Culinary/ProStart – GPH, HMH, OCC
- NCCER Carpentry – GPH, TOH, OCC
- Teacher Education – THH
Learn more about the “Schools Of” and other Programs of Study.
Work-Based Learning
Work-based learning is an instructional strategy that is essential in preparing all students for success in postsecondary education and careers and is a core component of the Linked Learning approach. The primary purposes of work-based learning are to expose students to future options and provide opportunities for skill development and mastery over time. All work-based learning experiences involve interactions with industry or community professionals linked to school-based instruction. These learning experiences are intentionally designed to help students extend and deepen classroom work and to make progress toward learning outcomes that are difficult to achieve through classroom or standard project-based learning alone. The term “work-based” does not mean the experience must occur at a workplace or during the standard “workday.”
A continuum of work-based learning experiences stretches from kindergarten into adulthood. Stated most simply, the stages of work-based learning can be described as:
- Learning ABOUT work.
- Learning THROUGH work.
- Learning FOR work.
Learn more about GMCS Work-Based Learning.
Post-Secondary Success
Post-secondary success in high school refers to a student’s readiness and preparedness to pursue further education or training beyond high school, whether in college, university, vocational school, or other post-secondary pathways. It involves academic achievements, personal growth, and the development of essential skills and technical skills that set the foundation for success in higher education and future career endeavors.
Learn more about Post-Secondary Success opportunities for GMCS students.
Opportunity Career Center
The Opportunity Career Center (OCC) is a career pathway program that allows students to spend half of each school day engaged in hands-on study of career fields. For the 2023-24 school year, OCC will offer learning opportunities in Hospitality and Construction. Students spend the other half of the school day at their home schools following the traditional course of study. Students in each pathway will gain high school credits that count toward graduation requirements while they work toward industry-level certifications. Students enrolling in this program will be provided transportation to and from their home schools. The program is designed to allow students to participate in clubs, sports, and other extra-curricular activities at their home schools.
Learn more about GMCS Opportunity Career Center and career tracks.
Community & Business Partnerships
Partnerships and collaborative relationships between high schools, the community, and local businesses and organizations support student success. These partnerships are established to provide students with valuable learning experiences, exposure to real-world applications of classroom knowledge, and opportunities to develop skills relevant to their future careers.
Learn more about GMCS Community & Business Partnerships and work.
Sustainability
Sustainability is of paramount importance in organizations or initiatives for several reasons. Embracing sustainability principles and practices is an ethical imperative and a strategic advantage that can lead to long-term success. GMCS believes that student success can be elevated through college, career, and civic readiness–a mission that the CCCR Department is committed to sustaining for the coming years.
Learn more about the Sustainability efforts of the GMCS-CCCR Department.
College and Career Readiness at GMCS (PDF)
- CTE Corner (PDF)
- Miyamura High School on Redesign Network (PDF)
- Thoreau High School on Redesign Network (PDF)
- NM College Career Guide (PDF)