District outlines capstone project requirement for all seniors starting 2021; rubric will be pass/revise

Gail Davies, the newly hired capstone coordinator, told the board the district will require a capstone project for all seniors beginning this school year as a way to teach 21st-century skills and improve postsecondary readiness.

Davies described five core components: a written proposal, a product or artifact, a digital portfolio hosted in Canvas, a reflective essay and a final public presentation to a panel of staff and community members. "It's their project. They decide the topic. They decide the format," Davies said (Gail Davies).

She outlined a pass/work-in-progress rubric: students must receive passing marks on all rubric components to graduate, and those who do not pass will be given feedback and a chance to revise. The district plans to introduce the capstone to juniors this spring and aim for senior presentations by March so revisions can occur before graduation.

Board members asked how the requirement will be recorded on transcripts and whether high-achieving students (for example, those pursuing honors pathways) should be exempt. Davies said the district chose the capstone as its preferred menu-of-options approach to meet state graduation menus and expects to record completion in the student record; decisions about exemptions are board-level policy choices.

Trustees asked about mentorship and shadowing at local businesses. Davies said mentors are encouraged but not required and that the project must go beyond passive shadowing to active student contributions; alternative activities will be arranged where safety or legal constraints prevent hands-on work.

Next steps: staff will finalize rubrics and adviser training, import course materials into Canvas and schedule advisor training days to support rollout.