PLTW® General Information

The following information is also available at the official Project Lead The Way website.

Who We Are

Project Lead The Way (PLTW) prepares students to be the most innovative and productive leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and to make meaningful, pioneering contributions to our world. 

PLTW partners with middle schools and high schools to provide a rigorous, relevant STEM education.  Through an engaging, hands-on curriculum, PLTW encourages the development of problem-solving skills, critical thinking, creative and innovative reasoning, and a love of learning.

The PLTW middle and high school STEM education programs give students a brighter future by providing them with a foundation and proven path to college and career success in STEM-related fields.

STEM education is at the heart of today’s high-tech, high-skill global economy.  For America to remain economically competitive, our next generation of leaders must develop the critical-reasoning and problem-solving skills that will help make them the most productive in the world.  PLTW sparks the ingenuity, creativity, and innovation within all of our students.

Our Programs

The Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Biomedical Sciences and Engineering programs offer students an array of advantages, from career readiness and hands-on experience to college preparatory-level classes, labs, and creative exercises.  PLTW students succeed in the classroom and in life.

Our programs are designed to appeal to all students, from those already interested in STEM-related fields, to those who experience in the sciences and math has been less comprehensive or who find themselves uninterested in traditional STEM curricula.  PLTW classes are hands-on, based in real-world experience, and fun for students and teachers.  We set the highest standards for rigorous, focused, and engaging study, developing students’ innovative, collaborative, cooperative, and problem-solving skills.

Our relationship with teachers, parents, local and national business leaders, and university partners allow us to offer a complete experience both for students wishing to pursue a secondary degree in a STEM-related field and for those planning to join the workforce after high school.  STEM literacy reduces dropout rates, increases attendance, and helps students find better-paying jobs after school.

PLTW helps create better students, better teachers, better learning environments, and a better world.

  • PLTW is a comprehensive, turnkey program with a quick turnaround time and support for smooth and efficient implementation, whether you’re starting up for the first time or introducing new courses.
  • All course materials and equipment are selected by PLTW experts in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and are provided for in each program.  Teachers and students use the latest state-of-the-art equipment found in robotics, biotechnology, electronics, civil engineering and architecture, engineering design, and aerospace.
  • PLTW.org give educators 24-hour access to information, sourcing, and purchasing.

PLTW is a true curriculum based on a tried-and-true pedagogy.

  • Offered full year and multi-year for middle and high schools, both the Biomedical Sciences and Engineering tracks dovetail with current class offerings.
  • Curricula include standards, learning outcomes, sequence and schedule, problems, projects, integrated activities, assessments, and support.

PLTW provides professional development and support.

  • Teachers receive comprehensive training from a PLTW partner university.
  • Training gives teachers full proficiency regardless of previous experience.
  • PLTW’s Virtual Academy for Professional Development updates teachers through an online repository of information and references.
  • PLTW also offers counselor conferences to provide high school guidance counselors with a clear understanding of the program and how it fits within a student’s scholastic/academic career path.

Curriculum

The sequence of high school courses in the Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Biomedical Sciences program parallels the proven PLTW Engineering program.  The initial program includes four courses, all aligned with appropriate national learning standards.

  • Principles of Biomedical Sciences:  Students explore the concepts of human medicine and are introduced to research processes and bioinformatics.  The course is designed to provide an overview of all the courses in the Biomedical Sciences program and to lay the scientific foundation necessary for student success in the subsequent courses.
  • Human Body Systems:  Students examine the processes, structures, and interactions of the human body systems to lean how they work together to maintain homeostasis (internal balance) and good health.  Students work through interesting real world cases and often play the role of biomedical professionals to solve medical mysteries.
  • Medical Interventions:  Students investigate the variety of interventions involved in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease as they follow the lives of a fictitious family.  These interventions and showcased across the generations of the family and provide a look at the past, present and future of biomedical sciences.
  • Biomedical Innovations:  In this capstone course students apply their knowledge and skills to answer questions or to solve problems related to the biomedical sciences.  Students will design innovative solutions for the health challenges of the 21st century.