Granville County Schools launches career-building curriculum focused on tech

Granville County high schoolers can explore careers in tech through a new program called SparkNC. The course is titled the ‘High-Tech Accelerator.’

It’s the first year of implementation across the state. Granville County is one of 17 school districts partnering with SparkNC. That includes Wake County Public Schools, which is in the process of launching the program.

“Students can join the program and learn about high-tech fields that are coming to North Carolina in the next couple [of] years,” said Michael Spradlin, the SparkLab leader for Granville County Public Schools.

Students can choose the track that most interests them. The options include artificial intelligence, computer systems engineering, cybersecurity, data analytics, game development and e-sports, software development and more.

Spradlin also noted the demand for jobs in the industry, especially in North Carolina. According to the NC Tech Association, the state saw a 28% increase in tech jobs in the last five years.

“I always tell the kids, ‘The jobs are coming. We want you to have the opportunity to have those jobs versus them bringing in someone else,’” Spradlin said.

Students have all four years to complete the curriculum. The program is mastery-based, so students don’t have letter grades.

Instead, they have to finish all eight modules – plus a capstone. The SparkLabs are physical classrooms students can go to for learning and collaboration. Every SparkLab has a hybrid teaching and learning zone that connects it with other districts’ SparkLabs.

Students can track their progress on ‘SparkNC Adaptive Learning Platform.’ Here, students can select units, connect with SparkLab leaders and classmates and upload evidence of learning.

“It’s not like a traditional class where you have a semester to do your work,” Spradlin said. “It is a chance for students to own their learning, in a way that they’re not necessarily allowed to in other classes.”

According to the website, SparkNC started as an initiative “incubated within The Innovation Project, a nonprofit collaborative working group of North Carolina public school district leaders, before transitioning to a separate, standalone nonprofit during the 2023-24 academic year.”