Achieving the Unthinkable

Case Study: Blackstone Valley Regional Technical High School (Upton, Mass.)

How a high school steadfastly and robustly supports all students as they earn both a traditional and vocational degree—in four years.

All students who attend Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School in Massachusetts graduate with a traditional high school degree and at least one vocational/technical degree. With a 193- day school year, as opposed to the typical 180 days, these students complete traditional high school requirements in just over half the time of that of their peers in traditional high schools.

As a school that is home to 191 students with 504s and IEPs, how is it possible to support every student so effectively that, despite the unusually rigorous pace, 100% of its 1,218 students graduate after four years with their next step planned, including 83.5% of whom are set to begin two- or four-year college?

How is it possible that since 2004, 100% of its students have passed the state mandated MCAS test, with all of the students in the most recent graduating class having scored Advanced or Proficient on MCAS ELA and 95% having scored Advanced or Proficient on both the Math and Science MCAS?

It is possible thanks to a team of educators who define Blackstone Valley Tech as a school that belongs to the students, not to them; and who define their role as working not for leadership, not for the board, but for students. It’s possible thanks to a team that will do whatever possible to support every last student as they move through a rigorous vocational curriculum blended with an equally rigorous and relevant traditional high school education.