What is the Culminating Project?

Information on the High School Culminating Project

The high school culminating project is a nationwide graduation requirement to improve the standards of education and prepare students for leadership opportunities.

Introduction

In other words, the high school culminating project is a leadership opportunity that challenges high school seniors to demonstrate their academic knowledge in an experiential way. However, the project structure varies as State Education Boards typically allow individual school districts to customize the project, based on basic state guidelines so be sure to check with your school for specific requirements).

Culminating Project is Also Known by Other Names

The high school culminating project is also known nationwide by a many different names, some schools use the term culminating project, senior project, high school grad project and exit project, just to name a few.

I have noticed that sometimes people reporting on the culminating project confuse the terminology with the state academic proficiency test sometimes referred to as the graduation exit exam. The state exit exam is a written exam that usually tests student’s math, reading, writing, and science skills (proficiency).

The culminating project is a required learning experience structured around a topic the student is interested in learning more about.

Both the culminating project and the exit exam are usually required to graduate public high school. However, since the requirements vary between high schools, parents and/or guardians would have to check with the student’s high school to determine their specific graduation requirements.

Are All High School Students Impacted by This Requirement?

Students that attend a public high school are impacted by the requirement. However, some private high schools have been requiring a high school graduation culminating project since the 1970’s.

The Purpose

The purpose of the project is to enhance both the teaching and the learning experience. High school graduation standards in the United States have been on the decline for several decades. School reform is a system designed to bring value back to the public high school diploma and to prepare students for college, a job, entering the military, entrepreneurship, an internship, or whatever path students decide to follow once they graduate.

How is Completing a Culminating Project Beneficial?

Everyone benefits as the requirement is an effort to increase the high school graduation standards. As college admissions and the workplace require more from their recruits, nationwide high school must too.

It is important to note, the culminating project is not required by all public schools or school districts. As mentioned earlier, it is advised that you check with the student’s high school for the official requirements for graduation.

For those students that are required to complete a culminating project, this is a chance for the student to explore a topic of personal interest. The project provides an opportunity that most students may not have otherwise. By participating, students will have a real life experience that can move them into their next adventure in life (college, job, entrepreneurship, military, internship, etc).

Students gain a number of important skills by participating in the process such as,

· Leadership

· Communication

· Project management

· Time management

· Group skills

· Negotiation skills

· Meeting deadlines

· Conflict management skills

· Public Speaking skills

· Presentation skills

· Self motivation

· Decision making

What Does A Culminating Project Look Like?

The high school graduation culminating project requirements differ from state to state and from school to school within the same state. So to understand your students graduation requirements parents and guardians will have to check with the student’s high school. For many school districts the project begins with the student picking a topic they are interested in, writing a research paper on that topic, participating in an activity directly related to the topic, keeping a journal of artifacts to demonstrate their work, followed by a presentation.

After the project is completed the student may be required to describe their culminating project and the process they went through during the project to a panel that will determine if they met the requirement and will graduate high school. These panels usually consist of 2-5 people typically made up of teachers, community members, parents, peers, faculty, and staff. However, some schools have student present to a panel consisting only of their peers. Although there are some mandates for the high school culminating project, schools districts do have some discretion to design the process in a way that works best for their student population and school culture.

In some cases, students complete a project working independently with the support of a mentor they have chosen from their local community. Some schools encourage group projects and group presentation while others forbid them. For example, it would not be uncommon for the leadership class of a school to raise funds to build a school in a village located in Africa. Other school districts include a mandatory social/community component which means the high school culminating project must benefit someone other than the student.

Additional Resources for High Schools and Students

If your school is looking  for resources for the school newsletter, newspaper, leadership program, or the school website…please click on the feed button (the orange button that says RSS Feed) located way up in the right hand corner. this feed will automatically send my articles and blog postings directly to you.

If You’re a high school student looking for a topic for your culminating project…you will find some great resources here in my blog. But if you want to access an amazing resource…I have a surprise for you.

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