Colonial Forge High School

Program Summary

Overview

In June of 2021, Stafford County Public Schools received funding from the Virginia Department of Education through the CTE High School Innovation grant to launch our Cyber 4+ program.  Cyber 4+ is a Dual Enrollment, Career and Technical Education pathway allowing highschool students to receive 4 Cyber Security certifications (CompTIA) and an Associate’s degree upon completion of their first year of college,, at no cost to the students or their families. Cyber 4+ is designed to meet a critical talent shortage in the cybersecurity field while providing meaningful learning opportunities leading to gainful employment for Stafford Schools students. 

The Innovation Founding Partners

Stafford County Public School’s Cyber 4+ pathway was created in partnership with Germanna Community College, GCubed Inc. , and Stafford County Office of Economic Development and Tourism. 

Cyber 4+ In Depth

Stafford Schools begins recruiting potential Cyber 4+ students in the 8th grade. Students submit an application to the program and are selected by a committee. Once selected, students are notified of their acceptance into the program. Students who are not accepted are still encouraged to access the courses in the pathway. Once accepted into the program, students participate in a summer orientation where they learn about the program and begin preparing for their success. From that point students will follow the following course progression.

In addition to these courses, students will also experience regular mentoring and tutoring from cybersecurity professionals as well as externships, bootcamps, and internships. 

Highlights

• CompTIA IT Fundamentals Certification

• CompTIA A+ Operating Systems

• CompTIA Network+ Certification

• CompTIA Security+ Certification

• Internship with CyberSecurity Firm

• Associate’s Degree from Germanna Community College

Keys to Success

The success of Cyber 4+ is dependent upon the following key elements:

• Students’ desire to engage the opportunity. Stafford Schools must ensure students have the exposure to Cybersecurity in primary grades as well as access to opportunities to explore the field. Stafford Schools must also ensure that communication regarding the Cyber 4+ program successfully reaches middle school students and their parents. 

• Stafford Schools infrastructure for the program. Stafford Schools and its partners must develop an infrastructure to support this opportunity to include teaching faculty, program staff and an advisory committee. 

• Cross Sector Partner Engagement.  Stafford Schools must engage partners across multiple sectors to sustain and scale the opportunity. 

• Continuous Improvement. Stafford Schools must commit to a Continuous Improvement cycle that includes feedback loops with students, parents, practitioners, faculty, partners and funders. 

• Evolution. The Cyber Security Field is ever evolving. Stafford Schools must be able to adapt at the speed of business and innovation to ensure the investment matches the opportunity at the end of the 5 year pathway.