What is the Graduation Project?

The North Carolina Graduation Project is one of the components of North Carolina’s high school exit standards. It is a performance-based exit assessment that provides students the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned over their entire educational journey. The Graduation Project allows our young men and women the opportunity to apply real-world skills they will need as they transition to a profession or continue their education in the 21st century.

What are the components of the Graduation Project?

The North Carolina Graduation Project consists of four components:

• A research paper on a topic of the student’s choosing. This research should enhance the knowledge required from the product work. The paper demonstrates research and writing skills.
• A product created to extend the individual learning related to research paper. The product can take one of three approaches: career-oriented, hobby/self-fulfillment, or altruistic/humanitarian.
• A portfolio to document tasks, organize forms and documentation, and record reflective thinking and insights. This notebook is a physical recording of the Graduation Project journey.
• An oral presentation of the student’s research product to a review panel.

What is the 2008-2009 Pilot?

The class of 2010 will be the first graduating class to complete the new high school exit standards. To assist our students in this first time endeavor, Catawba County Schools will conduct a required pilot of the Graduation Project during the 2008-2009 academic year.  The class of 2010 will complete a modified process for the Graduation Project during the junior year.  The students can use this banked data from their junior year to develop the entire process that is required for their senior year.  During their junior year, they will write a 3-5 page research paper, which can be used in completing the 6-10 page requirement their senior year. They will complete a minimum of 5 hours on their junior-year product for possible use in completing the minimum 15-hour senior year product. The junior-year portfolio remains the same as the senior requirement. The oral presentation during their junior year will be 5 minutes compared to the 8-10 minutes required in their senior year. Please note these quantity changes for the 2008-2009 Pilot on all forms/documents posted on this website.