The 4 P’s Guidelines

The Graduation Project is designed to give students an opportunity to explore a topic of interest.  Since the project is a journey of many years, students need to choose topics wisely.  Students should become familiar with the NC rubrics that will be used to assess each of the four components.

The Research Paper will follow these guidelines:

• No general encyclopedias of any type (Wikipedia, Americana, Encarta, etc.)

The Product will follow these guidelines:

• Adhere to approved  letter of intent and product plan
• Be a natural extension of the research topic (must be related)
• Requires a minimum of 15 documented hours to complete (8 hours minimum out of this total must be spent face-to-face with your mentor)
• Be tangible (physical or written) or intangible (performance, skill, or experience)
• Must have visual (photographs or videotape) documentation of the experience (at least 5-7 pictures including one with the student and mentor together)
• Product or evidence must be present at Graduation Project presentation
• Product must represent a learning stretch

The Portfolio will follow these guidelines:

• Contain all assignments required to complete the project (See attached list of items in portfolio section)
• Contain all required forms signed by the appropriate person(s)
• Contain the product self-evaluation that explains detailed student reflection of the process
• Be organized according to the portfolio requirements (See attached list)

The Presentation will follow these guidelines:

• Present a 6-9 minute speech on research paper and product
• Maintain a professional demeanor
• Present in front of community/school panel of judges who will score the speech using NC rubrics
• Incorporate a visual aid
• Videotapes used as a visual must not exceed two minutes