First Year Exploratory

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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing."

-Theodore Roosevelt

Assabet provides a half-year exploratory program for 9th-grade students, which is based on the applicable Vocational Technical Education and Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. All ninth-graders who enroll at Assabet participate in a 5-month vocational-technical exploratory program designed to help them learn about their talents and interests relative to a variety of different vocational technical programs. After a 36-hour mini exploratory that includes rotating through all program offerings, students choose the top 6 programs they wish to explore for an extended period of time (approx. 30 hours per program).

During the extended exploratory students will receive a feedback form from the technical program teachers
which includes strengths and areas for improvement.

All freshmen participate in a structured exploratory experience, rotating through six Chapter 74-approved programs for approximately 30 hours each. Students rank only the shops they explored, and rankings must be submitted by the stated deadline.

Permanent shop placement is determined by a merit-based, 1,000-point system:
● Exploratory Performance (up to 600 points) – Based on shop grades.
● Academic Performance (up to 200 points) – Based on Term 1 GPA.
● Attendance (up to 200 points) – Based on unexcused absences; excused absences require appropriate documentation.

Disciplinary infractions during exploratory may affect placement. Students with serious suspensions or expulsions under M.G.L. c.71 (§37H, §37H1⁄2, or §37H3⁄4) are placed at the bottom of the list, regardless of points.

Placements are made in order of total points, assigning students to the highest-ranked shop with space. Ties are broken by exploratory grades, then attendance, then academic performance, and finally by lottery if needed. Students not placed in one of their ranked programs will be offered seats in programs with available space, with waitlists maintained for oversubscribed shops.

Placement is contingent on successful grade promotion. Students not promoted due to academic failure or insufficient credits forfeit their shop seat.

Exploratory Schedule (click here to view):

1st Exploratory: Week of September 16th
2nd Exploratory: Week of September 30th
3rd Exploratory: Week of October 15th
4th Exploratory: Week of October 28th
5th Exploratory: Week of November 12th
6th Exploratory: Week of November 25th
1st Day in Technical Program: January 6, 2025

Required Technical Program Attire

Please make sure to review the required program attire. Safety is our number one priority and it is critical that students dress appropriately in order to prevent injury.

Exploratory Dress Code