Senior Capstone
Experience Framework
A Guide for South Dakota Schools
Senior Experiences…..
Prepares student for post-secondary with:
 Research
 Developing a Product

Including 15 hours of Mentoring
 Completing a Portfolio

Including weekly journals starting in
November and ending in March
 Presentation
The Four Project Phases
 When choosing a topic, keep all of these
things in mind:
 Paper

Will there be enough research on this topic?
 Product

What physical product or demonstration can come from
this? Can we find a mentor in that area?
 Portfolio
 Presentation
Initial Documents and Forms
 Senior Capstone
Guidelines
 Letter to Parents
 Timelines
 Point Breakdown
 Topic Selection





Guidelines
Topic Selection
Worksheet
Topic Proposal
Topic Approval Form
Letter of Intent
Topic Change Form
Baltic’s Research Paper
Guidelines
 8-10 pages in length
 Several Checkpoints
 MLA format
 Five sources
minimum
 Bibliography
 Note Cards

Noodle Tools
 Stress research vs.
report
Mentoring
 15 hours minimum (7 can be excused
from school; students must notify the HS
office beforehand)
 Time window: January through March
 Mentors are sometimes found through the
student, but it’s mostly my responsibility
 Certain projects may require more than
one mentor, which is fine
The Product
 The product can be oriented around the performance
of a skill or the development of some physical
product. It is an appropriate and logical outgrowth of
the research paper that demonstrates application of
knowledge.
 Powerpoint does not equal Product!
 FYI: products that score well usually include



Clear evidence of effort- several hours of work
an aspect of community involvement (fund raiser,
teaching a class, etc– this is especially good if your
product is career or demonstration based)
Significant stretch/risk
Products Require a Learning Stretch,
Which is…
 An addition to the
student’s own
knowledge or skill
 Something they
haven’t tried yet
 Searching for answers
to questions they
have about a topic.
The Portfolio
 Sections:
 Required Documents


Research Paper



Topic approval form, signed mentor forms, typed
overview, reflection, etc.
Outline, bibliography, polished final draft
Journal
Product

Evidence of Work – pictures, materials collected,
etc.
(example portfolio)
Cost- $10
The Journal
 Each weekly entry should cover the following:



Describe what was done on the Senior
Capstone Experience that week.
Write a personal reaction or evaluation of what
was done that week.
1/3 page of Word document, submitted
through Blackboard
The Presentation
 The Senior Experience Presentation is the
culminating event, which must include the
entire learning experience. It should reflect
elements of the paper, product and the
portfolio.
 Community/Practice Night
 Rubric