7-YEAR PROGRAM ROADMAP · MIDDLE SCHOOL THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL
GRADE 6Intro to Coding with Code.orgFOUNDATION
GRADE 7LEGO Robotics + codingFOUNDATION
GRADE 8Computer Science for Innovators & CreatorsFOUNDATION
GRADE 9Cyber LiteracyCORE
GRADE 10Cyber and SocietyCORE
GRADE 11Cyber SecurityADVANCED
GRADE 12Dual Credit Cyber Security or Technology InternshipLAUNCH
Early exposureCore pathwayAdvanced / transition to next step
The challenge
The existing high school technology pathway did not create a strong progression from middle school exploration into advanced high school study. It also depended heavily on individual instructor-created curriculum, making long-term sustainability and consistent implementation more difficult.
Design the future state first
I authored a proposal to replace the existing pathway with an integrated Programming & Cybersecurity sequence using Project Lead the Way. Rather than treating the change as a single course replacement, I designed a connected seven-year experience spanning middle school through high school—introducing technology and coding early, then progressing toward increasingly advanced opportunities.
The design question was not “What course should replace this one?” It was “What should the entire student experience look like by graduation?”
Build an executable migration plan
The future state had to coexist with students already enrolled in the original program, employee training requirements, staffing constraints and limited implementation capacity. I therefore designed a phased transition rather than a hard cutover.
Existing state
Current cohorts continue their established sequence while the organization protects continuity and avoids unnecessary disruption.
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Future state
Incoming cohorts progressively enter the redesigned pathway as training, curriculum and scheduling capacity come online.
ScopeDefined the seven-year program pathway and intended outcomes.
ResourcesConsidered staffing, curriculum and training requirements.
SequencingDistributed implementation across multiple years.
ContinuityProtected existing cohorts during transition.
Influence without authority
At the time, I was serving in a mid-level leadership role and did not have authority to approve the program change independently. I authored the proposal and implementation roadmap, then worked through the required leadership and approval structure to advance it. The proposal was approved and moved into implementation.
Implementation in practice
The approved roadmap moved into phased implementation, allowing existing participants to complete the original program while incoming groups progressively entered the new pathway. The transition also expanded early coding exposure so participants entered the high school program with foundational experience rather than encountering programming for the first time.
The current pathway begins with introductory coding and applied computer science in middle school, progresses into a three-year cybersecurity sequence in high school, and culminates in either dual-credit cybersecurity coursework or a technology internship.
What this demonstrates
Strategy becomes useful only when it can survive implementation. This work required balancing the desired future state with existing commitments, available resources, stakeholder support, workforce capability, and the organization’s capacity for change. The result was not simply a new program—it was a transition plan the organization could realistically execute over time.