Academics & Advisory
advisory (@dtech)
d.tech has a strong advisory program. Students meet with their @dtech group of 18 - 22 every day to check-in, receive updates and reminders, take care of field trip forms, and practice helping each other through Open Sessions and other activities. Your advisor is your ally and the first point of contact for questions and support.
Students also receive updates through a daily online Student Announcements page.
1:1 chromebooks
Students are issued a personal chromebook that standardizes learning and provides a platform for internet safeguards and security. Students must abide by the Acceptable Use Policy they sign when enrolling.
Chromebooks can be taken home and should be charged overnight to be ready for the next day. If the chromebook is damaged, students and their families are liable for in-house repairs or total replacement. d.tech has a dedicated tech staff to help with issues. If a student has taken good care of their chromebook, they have the option to keep it after graduation.
coursework - not homework
d.tech students have ‘coursework’ rather than ‘homework’. There is no ‘busywork’ assigned just for the sake of regurgitating answers—this motivates students to be productive during class so they have less work to do at home.
During your four years at d.tech, completing coursework at home is likely to happen, depending on your time management skills, how challenging a course might be, and what other activities you’re engaged in. However, given you work diligently while you’re at school, it’s important for your health and happiness to practice managing your time so you have free time outside of the classroom.
If you are used to doing a few hours of homework every day, this flexibility will feel strange at first. You may think there’s less work to do at d.tech. However, you’ll find there’s plenty of work and greater flexibility on how you choose to manage it.
You’ll eventually shepherd your time in a way that leads to better choices around rest, exercise, reading, fun and friendships - a great step towards life beyond d.tech.
grades
d.tech uses “competency-based grading” to align with the University of California. The goal is to help you achieve mastery over the material and is graded based on rubrics that assess competency on the outcome.
Your teachers and advisor guide you to stay on pace, although it is your responsibility to learn to do that independently.
grade tracking
Progress and grades are recorded in the Canvas Learning Management system. Progress reports are emailed several times throughout the semester, and report cards are published to parents after the end of each semester (in February and June).
off-campus academic enrichment
By junior - and particularly senior year - if you have managed your time well, you can complete d.tech’s paperwork to request additional learning opportunities.
This may take the form of Concurrent Enrollment education classes at a local community college. It’s free for high schoolers to take these college-level courses, although the textbooks may sometimes cost money (d.tech does not provide these. Community College bookstores often have second-hand versions you can sell back to them.)
Concurrent Enrollment can be a great opportunity to explore new topics of interest, challenge yourself, and potentially receive graduation and college credit.
schedule - no bells
Students follow a daily schedule at Design Tech High School, however there are no school bells. At the start of the day at the end of lunch, the school plays student-chosen music to indicate the start of morning or afternoon classes.
The school day typically starts at 8:45am and ends at 3:35pm.
8:45am is a later start than many high schools, which aligns with the sleep-cycles high school students need.
Students are expected to be seated in class at 8:45am and not be late.
Design Tech High School uses cycles: Cycle 1 & 3 periods 1, 3, FLEX, 5 & 7 Cycle 2 & 4: periods 2, 4, FLEX, 6 & 8.