Who is eligible to participate in PTECH?
Only eighth-graders in participating HFM component school districts are eligible to apply to a PTECH program. Because the curriculum is structured to allow for acceleration into college courses, students must enter the program their freshman year of high school.
What kind of student is a good candidate for PTECH?
A student who will succeed in PTECH is motivated to learn in new and exciting ways and thrives in a non-traditional classroom setting. Other important qualities include being creative and well organized. Potential PTECH students should have the desire to build strong skills in communications, critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration and time management. They also should have a vision of using their individual talents and skills to impact their local and global communities.
How do I apply?
Along with an application that includes a writing section and a form that parents fill out, applicants must submit written recommendations from teachers and guidance counselors. Applicants also must participate in a personal interview. Check with your guidance counselor for specific application deadlines.
How are students selected for the program?
Completed applications received by the deadline are evaluated by the Application and Recruitment Team. Selected students are required to attend a “Summer Bridge” program for incoming freshmen.
What college costs are covered for PTECH students?
All tuition for credits, labs and books are covered, and PTECH students are granted the same privileges as other students at the participating colleges. However, room and board are not included.
Students earn a high school diploma and college degree
PTECH, or Pathways in Technology Early College High School, is a 6-year program that incorporates project based learning and professional skills training as students work toward their 2-year degree from SUNY Fulton-Montgomery or SUNY Cobleskill (depending on the degree pathway) at no cost to their families.
In PTECH’s “innovation spaces,” students focus on group collaboration and hands-on learning. Here, individuals take the lead role in their learning, choosing pathways to their careers as scholarship students.
PTECH ai
ms to look and function more like a hybrid between college and the workplace. It emphasizes individualized pathways to completion, workplace experiences, mentorship, in-depth project-based learning and real-world experiences.
PTECH students:
- Are motivated to learn in new and exciting ways
- Are innovative and creative
- Work well in a collaborative team environment
- Thrive in a non-traditional classroom setting
PTECH students enter the program as ninth-graders and simultaneously work toward Regents high school diplomas and associate degrees.
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Hear from our students
A Business/Education partnership
The NYS Pathways in Technology Early College High School partnerships will provide nearly 9,000 students with a high school diploma, college degree and pathway to a job. New York was the first to take the “PTECH” program statewide through an initiative that links education to regional economic development.
Originally announced as part of the Governor’s 2013-14 Executive Budget, HFM PTECH receives additional funding and support through the State Education Department.
The NYS PTECH public-private partnership builds on the nationally recognized success of IBM’s Pathways in Technology Early College High School (PTECH) in New York City. NYS PTECH was launched in partnership with IBM, which helped create the PTECH program and will provide tools, training and support to each NYS PTECH school.
The HFM partnership represents the Mohawk Valley. Other regions across the state that received grant money include the Capital District, Hudson Valley, North Country, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, Western NY, Central NY, Long Island and New York City.
As of 2019, there are 204 PTECH schools in 19 countries across the world.
Our history
A consortium of HFM BOCES, its component school districts, SUNY Fulton-Montgomery and regional business partners was one of 16 winners in a statewide competition in 2013 for funding a PTECH program that targets students who might not otherwise consider a college pathway, using a variety of demographic, academic and social indicators. The new school opened at the Jansen Avenue School in Johnstown for the 2014-15 school year with 50 ninth-grade students from the component school districts.
HFM PTECH was designated as a national Model School in 2016 and in the fall of 2017 was recognized as one of 25 national models of Innovative Successful Practices by the American Association of School Administrators and The Successful Practices Network.
To share the details of the school’s success widely, a case study on HFM PTECH has been completed through the national Innovative Successful Practices Project, highlighting the school’s nontraditional approach to teaching and learning and the impact it has had on student achievement. Read the case study.
In 2018, Gloversville and Johnstown school districts, along with other local partners, launched Foothills PTECH, which offered medical and computer science pathways.
To better provide opportunities to students in the region and to create efficiencies among the programs, the three PTECH schools co-located in the 2020-2021 school year. All PTECH ninth- and 10th-graders are now housed at the Glebe Street School in Johnstown. All 11th-graders attend their high school and college classes on the FMCC campus. Those pursuing agriculture degrees attend SUNY Cobleskill in 12th grade and beyond (years 13 and 14), while all others will complete their degrees at SUNY Fulton-Montgomery.
