What’s happening with the Senior Culminating Project? (CP)?

The CP is a LWSD senior graduation requirement.  As high schools will no longer have an advisory period, (due to the recent budget reductions) the nature of creating and delivering CP will change for the 2011-2012 school year.  Here is what students in the class of 2012 can expect for their CP’s:

·         The three major parts of the CP are the same as they always have been.  These parts are:

§  a plan to develop a service or product

§  a research paper

§  a presentation

·         The plan to develop a service or product is to be submitted to each senior’s English teacher and recorded in the teacher’s Webgrader page for the class.  Students will need to submit this plan in order to earn credit for their English class.

·         The research paper is to be completed in each senior’s English class as well and will earn a significant number of points as part of the English grade.  The paper can be about a topic unrelated to the student’s CP.   The purpose of the research paper is to ensure that students know how to write a formal research paper, with MLA citations, as part of their college readiness skill set. 

·         The CP presentation, describing the product or service, will take place, probably in February, to ensure that students have ample time before graduation to meet the requirement.

This plan allows Juanita to maintain the high standard and student accountability associated with the CP without the support of an advisory (RebTime) period.

Some additional notes:

1.      Many students in the class of 2012 who submitted project proposals that were approved in the spring of 2011 may proceed with their service or product over the summer.  These students need to follow the former CP guidelines that are still posted on the JHS website.  If these students do not proceed as they had intended over the summer, they can begin anew with the revised system along with their classmates.

2.      Running Start students in the class of 2012 are also required to complete all Level V graduation requirements, including CP.  Our Running Start coordinator and Leadership teacher, Ms. Hasslinger, will be in email contact with each of these students in the Fall.

3.      A packet with details, including due dates,  regarding all parts of the CP will be provided in all senior English classes in September.