WESTERN BEAVER HIGH SCHOOL
All Schools
All Students
HIGH STANDARDS
Graduation Project Handbook
For Students Graduating 2009



All candidates for graduation are required to have earned a minimum of 24 credits.
The following courses are required (with a passing grade to obtain the credit):
English
4.0 Credits
Social Studies
4.0 Credits
Math
4.0 Credits
Science
3.0 Credits (One MUST be Biology)
Computers
1.0 Credits
Physical Education
1.5 Credits (.5 Credits each year)
Driver's Education
.5 Credits
Health
.5 Credits
Art / Humanities
2.0 Credits
Local School District
Elective Courses, Including
Vo-Tech courses
3.0 Credits
Graduation Project
1.0 Credits**
TOTAL:
24 Credits
** Any students who fails to complete a Graduation Project will not be eligible for a Western Beaver diploma
and will not participate in the graduation commencement ceremonies.






* * * * * PLEASE READ * * * * *

This Graduation Project booklet has been prepared to provide you with information about the specific plan for Western Beaver graduates, including expectations of students relating to the Graduation Project during each of their years from grades 9 - 12.

This Graduation Project is part of new Pennsylvania state requirements for high school graduation. This new requirement mandates that all students create a culminating project in order to graduate.

You are encouraged to review all of the following information carefully with your son/daughter. Please be sure that your son/daughter understands these requirements.



  1. In compliance with Chapter 4 requirements:
  2. In accordance with the graduation requirements of the Western Beaver School District and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, all students will:

Culminating Project Focus Statement

The Western Beaver Graduation Project is designed to build upon each student's knowledge and skills. It is also a demonstration of a student's accumulated skills in reasoning, research, application, organization, problem solving, human interaction, and public speaking. The Graduation Project reflects a student's ability to meet deadlines, perform under pressure, and assimilate information for a performance assessment.





Guidelines for Western Beaver School District's Graduation Project

  1. Each full-time Western Beaver High School professional staff member will act as an "in-house" advisor. These advisees will be comprised of students in each grade level, nine through twelve. English department faculty is exempt from this responsibility.
  2. Students will complete a series of activities in grades 9 - 12 as part of their Graduation Project. If components are not completed according to the designated time-line, points will be deducted from student portfolios.
  3. Graduation projects involve work that is to be completed above and beyond the course of the school day. Students will NOT be permitted to work on their graduation projects as part of the school day. Students will be permitted to work on their graduation projecs before school, during lunch, study halls, or after school hours.
  4. Advocate/advisee time will be provided on a regular basis throughout the school year. Each advocate "group" will meet in a designated classroom or workplace, no less than four times throughout the course of the school year on designated dates. On one of these dates, students will participate in a workshop that will demonstrate necessary presentation skills. Friday, March 27th, 2009, is the scheduled date for the final oral presentation of graduation projects.
  5. Those students identified as special needs students will receive a high school diploma upon successful demonstration of the outcomes and criteria identified in the student's individual education plan (IEP). Special needs students will be expected to complete a Graduation Project. The IEP team will determine the substance and degree of the Graduation Project (i.e., modifications, adaptations, etc.). The IEP team may determine that the Graduation goals and objectives may be waived depending on the student's IEP.




Roles of the Graduation Project Participants

  1. THE ROLE OF THE STUDENT
    1. Graduation projects must be either a service project or a project that relates to a student's career interest. If raising funds for a service is selected, donations must go to a non-profit organization per district administration approval. Students must provide evidence of donation and must provide copies of reciepts for any money deducted from the donations for up-front costs. Projects are not permitted to benefit students or their families. Every activity or project must take place outside of the student's home. Students must show the completion of at least 40 hours of work towards their project.
    2. If a student has not submitted a summer proposal, the proposal deadline is Friday, September 12th. Proposals are submitted to the Guidance Counselor for approval. If proposal deadlines are not met, or if the student changes a project once the proposal has been submitted, five points will be deducted.
    3. Students will complete all requirements included in the Graduation Project Portfolio, according to a pre-established checklist and timeline. Composition papers are assigned and graded by students' English teachers. If papers are not turned in, or are turned in late to the English teacher, grades and points will be assigned accordingly. For each item not completed and included in a student's portfolio, points will be deducted from the Project Rubric that is used to score projects in the senior year. For each portfolio item turned in outside of the year in which items are due, points will be deducted on a scaled basis.
    4. Students will present an oral presentation to a Project Review Panel that will last between 10 - 15 minutes. The oral presentation will be followed by a question-answer session.
  2. THE ROLE OF THE WESTERN BEAVER FACULTY ADVOCATE
    1. Advocates will function as a resource during the Graduation Project process.
    2. Advocates will meet with the student at scheduled times, and throughout the year, continue to oversee progress on the Project.
    3. Advocates will communicate with administrators when necessary concerning the progress of the Project.





PROJECT SCORING RUBRIC

 Note: Scores can range from zero to the full amount of possible points in all categories. Suggested point values are indicated in parentheses.

ITEM
QUESTION
POSSIBLE POINTS
POINTS EARNED
1. Total Hours Spent On Project
  • 40 Or More Hours (10 points)
  • 30 - 39 Hours (8 points)
  • 20 - 29 Hours (5 points)
  • 0 - 19 Hours (0 points)
10
 
2. Time Log
  • Student maintained a complete time-log and recorded all hours spent on his/her project. (5 points)
  • No time log (0 points)
5
 
3. Proposal
  • Student proposal was submitted on time (10 points)
  • Student proposal was changed or submitted after due date
10
 
4. Portfolio
  • Student portfolio is complete according to portfolio checklist (25 points)
  • Deduct 5 points for each missing item
  • Deduct 1, 3, or 5 points for each item turned in late
25
 
5. Planning and Completing the Project
  • Student showed evidence of thoughtful planning and organization of the project. The student was self-directed and followed through on task. (0 - 10 points)
10
 
6. Oral Portion of Presentation
  • Student was fully prepared to present a formal presentation (10 Points)
    • Proper Attire
    • Good Eye Contact
    • Correct Grammer
    • Minimal Distracting Mannerisms
    • Minimal Trite Words
  • Minus one of the above (8 Points)
  • Minus two of the above (5 Points)
  • Student was unprepared for oral prsentation (0 Points)
10
 
7a. Project Creativity
  • Creativity was EXCELLENT (5 Points)
  • Creativity was GOOD (3 Points)
  • Creativity was FAIR (1 Point)
  • No Creativity (0 Points)
5
 
7b. Project Originality
  • Originality was EXCELLENT (5 Points)
  • Originality was GOOD (3 Points)
  • Originality was FAIR (1 Point)
  • No Originality (0 Points)
5
 
7c. Overall Visual Display
  • Overall Display was EXCELLENT (5 Points)
  • Overall Display was GOOD (3 Points)
  • Overall Display was FAIR (1 Point)
  • No Display (0 Points)
5
 
7d. Effort on Presentation
  • Overall Effort was EXCELLENT (10 Points)
  • Overall Effort was GOOD (5 Points)
  • Overall Effort was FAIR (1 Point)
  • No Evidence of Effort (0 Points)
10
 
8. Presentation Length
  • Student presentation was between 10 and 15 minutes, not counting the Question and Answer section. (5 Points)
  • Student presentation did not meet the length requirements. (0 Points)
5
 
TOTAL POINTS:
_____ / 100
((Student must obtain at least 70 points to pass.))
START TIME: END TIME:




Possible Formats For Graduation Projects

Remember: All projects MUST have a career-related or service-related focus!! * Any of the above may be video-taped and used in conjunction with the oral presentation.




Graduation Project Proposals

The Graduation Project Proposal is a formal letter addressed to the Guidance Counselor that identifies what you will be doing or creating (i.e., your project). Proposals will be reviewed by a committee comprised of administration and professional staff members. Students may not begin working on their project until they have received notification of approval.


FIRST PARAGRAPH: The first paragraph of your proposal reflects your interest in the topic that you have chosen and clearly shows that you will be doing something related to a career or service project.


SECOND PARAGRAPH: The second paragraph describes your project in details, including what you will be doing to achieve your desired goals, who will be involved as advocates, and any other information crucial to the success of your project.


Your project proposal must be at least one full page, double-spaced, with one-inch margins and a font-size no smaller than 12-point. Your name must be included at the top of the proposal.


DUE DATE FOR STUDENTS COMPLETING PROJECTS OVER THE SUMMER: FRIDAY, MAY 23RD, 2008.
DUE DATE FOR STUDENTS NOT COMPLETING PROJECTS OVER THE SUMMER: SEPTEMBER 12TH, 2008.
REMEMBER, IF YOUR PROPOSAL IS TURNED IN AFTER THE LISTED DATE, IT WILL BE CONSIDERED LATE AND POINTS WILL BE DEDUCTED FROM YOUR FINAL RUBRIC.



Graduation Project Portfolio Checklist

Your Graduation Project "Portfolio" is a binder of information reviewed by the Project Review Panel prior to your oral presentation. It is a compilation of documentation that has gone into your Graduation Project and should demonstrate the effort that has gone into completion of your Project.

REQUIRED ITEMS:




Timeline Leading To Completion of Graduation Project

Ninth Grade

Students must complete a typed, 2-3 page research paper according to the timeline set by the English teacher. Papers must include the following:
  1. Student's Current Career Choice
  2. Why Student Chose This Career
  3. What Skills Are Needed For This Career Area
  4. The Post-Secondary Education Required For This Career
  5. Required High School Education
  6. What Program of Study the Student Will Follow In High School, Including Specific Courses
  7. The Average Salary and Salary Range
  8. A Citing of the Sources
Classroom teachers will determine the paper format and grading rubric for this paper. The final paper will be kept by the Guidance Counselor and will become part of the student's eventual Graduation Project.


Tenth Grade

Each student must submit a typed, 3-5 page paper on a career area DIFFERENT from the career area explored in their Freshman year. The chosen area for this paper must NOT be closely related to the career area researched in the previous year and must have prior approval by the student's Advocate. The purpose of this assignment is to broaden the student's career area knowledge, provide them with information of a career area in which they may have limited knowledge, and provide additional practice for career research skills. The student's sophmore paper will include:
  1. Student's Career Choice For Assignment
  2. What Skills Are Needed For This Career Area
  3. The Post-Secondary Education Required For This Career
  4. Required High School Education
  5. What Program of Study the Student Will Follow In High School, Including Specific Courses
  6. The Average Salary and Salary Range
  7. A Citing of the Sources
Also during the sophmore year, students will be administered a career interest assessment, (i.e. Career Game or other interest inventory), and will be provided information based on the student's individual results of that inventory.

A copy of the student's final paper, as well as the results of the interest inventory, will be kept by the Guidance Counselor and will become part of the student's eventual Graduation Project.

During the 4th 9 weeks of the sophmore year, students will take part in further career exploration by attending a Career Fair presented at Western Beaver Junior/Senior High School. Students will be responsible for completing an Interview Form with information gathered from the invited speakers. If a student misses school on the day of the Career Fair, he/she will be responsible for contacting persons by telephone to complete the required assignment. The Interview Forms will be kept by the Guidance Counselor and will become part of the student's eventual Graduation Project.


Eleventh Grade

By the end of March in their Junior year, students will be required to participate in the Job Shadowing Program by shadowing at least one professional in a career area selected by the student. A Job Shadowing Evaluation Form must be completed and submitted to the Guidance Counselor upon completion. The Job Shadowing Evaluation Form will be kept by the Guidance Counselor and will become part of the student's eventual Graduation Project.

Each student will write a 3-5 page reflection paper relating the results of the interest inventory taken in 10th grade to the student's career plan, according to the timeline set by the English teacher. As part of the student's written paper, the student will identify:
  1. Student's Areas of Strength
  2. Areas Student Can Improve On
  3. How These Areas Correlate to the Skills Needed for the Student's Career Objective
  4. Pertinent Experiences From the Student's Job Shadowing Experience That Can Be Related to the Assessment Results
The final paper will be kept by the Guidance Counselor and will become part of the student's eventual Graduation Project.


Twelfth Grade

Students will be working on their final Graduation Project throughout their Senior year. During this school year, students will work with a mentor for a minimum of 40 hours for assistance on their physical project. In addition, they will be responsible for the assembly of their portfolio, as well as the following items:
  1. Completion of a Resume
  2. Participation In a Mock Interview
  3. Completion of a Job Interview Reflection Form Following the Mock Interview
  4. Completion of a Physical Project Relating to the Student's Career-Related Topic
  5. Completion of an Oral Presentation
If any of the above requirements are not completed by the end of the school year in which they were assigned, points will be deducted from the student's final rubric.