Livermore Valley Charter Preparatory High School (LVCP) will educate students from Livermore and the greater Tri-Valley area whose families are seeking a college preparatory education in a small school environment. Based on the California State Standards and admission to the University of California system, all course work at LVCP will be designed to help students prepare for the rigors and challenges of a four-year college or university. Successful completion of the academic program at LVCP will expose students to the particular academic challenges they will face in college: extensive reading, large-scale research papers and projects, lecture-format classes, and high-stakes testing. The culture of LVCP is built around the notion of college success for all.

Starting this fall, LVCP will have partnerships in place with regional higher education institutions including California community colleges like Chabot College, Las Positas College, Diablo Valley College, and Ohlone College; California State University at East Bay, San Jose, San Francisco, and Stanislaus; University of California at Berkeley, Davis, Merced, and Santa Cruz; and private universities like Stanford University, University of San Francisco, University of the Pacific, Mills College, St. Mary’s College, and Alliant International University. Along with these higher education partners, LVCP will be developing a “College Pathways” program under the leadership of Dr. Douglas Treadway.

Through the College Pathways program, LVCP students will take college-accredited courses and receive full college credit from many of the premier colleges and universities. As a first step toward that overarching goal, Dr. Treadway will bring the research and expertise of Stanford University as a higher education partner in the planning and construction of the LVCP facilities. By applying the latest research and best industry practices, Stanford University will be helping LVCP build a state-of-the-art school that maximizes learning.

At the beginning of the 9th grade, students will be introduced to the LVCP pathways. By the end of the 9th grade, students will declare the pathway of their preference. At any time the students may change the designated pathway, after conferring with their high school counselor.

The following four academic areas will be the initial pathways for the high school:

These Pathways will drive elective offerings and projects, including service learning and a culminating senior institute project. College preparatory skills including math, reading, writing, reasoning, and communication will be integrated into the pathways learning communities, course projects, and electives.

• Humanities & the Arts
• Environmental Sciences & Sustainability Studies
• Business Management & Entrepreneurial Studies
• Applied Sciences & Technologies

Each of the four academic pathways will have a business/agency partnership council composed of representatives from health care institutions, private businesses, technology firms, national labs, private and public environmental agencies, arts groups, and other professional associations. The council will arrange and coordinate experiential learning activities for our students.

“We have the framework to afford students successful real-world and college experiences while enrolled in LVCP through our partnerships and pathways. Students are then better prepared to appreciate the rigor, relevance and overall value of their education as it is directly linked to the institutions that will facilitate their intellectual and social growth,” said LVCP Principal Dr. Jeffrey Watkins.

Currently open for enrollment, LVCP will be located at 2451 Portola Avenue, Livermore, CA 94551, for the 2010-2011 school year. Please call (925) 443–1690 for more information about LVCP and its innovative Pathways to Success program.