High School Educational Specifications

To download the High School Educational Specifications Report, click here:
High School Ed Spec  (this is a very large document - 5 MB total)


View a video explanation of the Educational Specifications by Bill DeJong at the May 18, 2009 work session.

Educational specifications describe the current and future educational activities that a school facility should accommodate and provide a written communication from the educator to the design professional.

They illustrate briefly and clearly the goals and outcomes, activities to be conducted, the persons to be served, spatial relationships of the program areas, equipment needs, technology needs, and any special considerations.

An Ed Spec Committee, composed of teachers, administrators, support staff, special services staff, students, central office personnel, and community members will be formed to assist in the development of the educational specifications.

The Educational Specifications committee represents a broad spectrum of high school faculty and staff, students, administrators, and community members. The High School Educational Specifications Committee will meet in two two-day workshops to determine educational facility needs at the high school level.

Step 1: Data Collection

DeJong will gather all relevant information. Data to be collected includes:

• Ten-Year Enrollment Projections
• Facility Capacity
• High School Program Information
• Previous Studies
• Facility Information & Floor Plans

Step 2: Ed Spec Lab #1 - Oct. 8-9 all day

Lab #1 is an intensive, two-day work session with the Committee focused on examining future trends, visioning, and determining program direction. DeJONG will present a PowerPoint presentation on future trends in several areas that will affect the District. This presentation will examine economic, demographic, and educational trends and present an overview on what is occurring at national, regional, and local levels. This will help stakeholders examine what State College high students should prepare for in high school and beyond.

The Committee will participate in a series of visioning exercises in small groups. The groups will consider:

• What will students be doing in 30 years?
• What will teachers be doing in 30 years?
• Describe the role of technology in 30 years.
• What will the role of the community be in 30 years?
• Describe the use of flexible space in the school facility.
• Why would a person be in the school facility at 4:00 on a Friday afternoon?
• Examine the advantages and challenges of a large school.

Participants will then reconvene to report on the small group activities. As a large group, members will discuss how the District can prepare for the future and what the State College high school(s) will look like in the future. The Committee will discuss programmatic and space needs. A draft report is generated from the results of Lab #1.

Ed Spec Lab #2 - Nov. 5-6 all day

Planning lab #2 is another intensive, two-day work session to further edit and refine the draft program & design requirements that will guide any new construction or renovation of existing space. As in Lab 1, this lab incorporates large group work, as well as smaller, breakout group work.

The Committee will continue addressing the delivery of programs in the facility. They will also develop the layout of the facility, sizes of instruction and support areas, and plan for flexible spaces for education now and in the future. During these work sessions, opportunities for shared spaces between program areas are discussed. This discussion often leads to the resolution of actual spaces needed and square footage requirements.

The draft educational specifications will be overlaid on the current site to determine potential renovations/demolition/additions and will be used to determine the needs and requirement to develop a new high school.

High School Ed Spec Report

A high school educational specifications report will be completed and presented to the Board of Education for review. These reports are outlined as follows.

General Considerations: General considerations are statements about the program and/or building that apply to all or most aspects of the building. They help provide a guide for the overall building.

• Physical Characteristics
• Safety & Security
• Technology
• Community Use
• Site

Space Requirements: Compilations of spaces for each type of school are developed based on the suggested enrollment of each building. The compilation of space identifies the number and sizes of educational, support, and administrative areas. For example, program area spaces for a high school might include:

• Classrooms
• Offices
• Support Space
• Media Center
• Food Service and Cafeterias
• Gymnasiums, Athletics & Physical Education
• Visual and Performing Arts
• Technology Education
• Student Work Areas
• Administration & Guidance Centers
• Building Services (including circulation, restrooms, mechanical spaces, etc.)

Spatial Relationships: Spatial relationships show correlations between program areas and help with the overall facility layout. For example, if there is a program relationship between performing arts and administrative services, or indoor natural science to outdoor space, these relationships should be indicated. A sample diagram is shown.


Specific Considerations: Specific considerations are requirements for each instructional, general and service use area in and around the building. For example, science rooms may require special space and equipment to conduct science experiments. The purpose of the educational specification process is to review the guidelines and select the spaces that will meet current and future educational needs of its students.