Clarification on Senior Projects

The purpose of my column is to respond to the editorial offered by The Times in regards to the recent school board decision of making the culminating project (senior project) voluntary versus compulsory. Opinion and input from all sources is highly valued by the Board and is part of the process for making our schools the best they can be. With that said, this response is not seeking to rebuke the editorial, but rather provide some additional clarification.

During the last ten years the record will show the board has repeatedly supported making our high school one of the more rigorous in the region. Recurrent evaluations of WHS performance also shows our teachers and administrators are committed to creating the best possible learning environment aimed at preparing our students for their post high school choices.

To reassure the community, the board decision to change the senior project was not made in haste or without input or discussion. Additionally, the decision to make a change was not made in one meeting. In the ten years I have served on the board, the senior project has been discussed annually by board members, deliberated in the legislature and with the State Board of Education yearly.

It is accurate that during the board meeting in question, there were several comments on if and how parents and students might react if given a choice about attending a high school where the senior project is a graduation requirement. Based on the declining enrollment issue, this is a prudent question for board members to consider in the overall equation. However, this was not the only input on the subject. During the meeting, when the topic was presented, it included valuable recommendations from high school staff. These recommendations included input that some senior students would benefit more from different types of community involvement or developmental projects. It was also shared that the teachers are willing to take on the challenge of ensuring the senior year would include progressive and meaningful assignments and activities.

Based on the proven competency of our Waitsburg teachers, I for one trust their recommendations and believe if they say they can achieve desired results by making this project voluntary, I will support that effort.

In March of this year, the legislature passed Senate Bill 6552 authorizing a new framework developed by the State Board of Education requiring a 24 credit graduation requirement (Waitsburg already did this 8 year ago), providing flexibility to school districts in meeting the instructional hour requirement, and expanding math and science course equivalencies for Career and Technical Education (CTE) Programs. This bill also made the culminating project voluntary if desired.

As in society where the pace of change is increasing at breakneck speed, the traditional educational processes are changing too. With more and more educational pathways, parents, students, and teachers are requesting more flexibility. SB 6552 embraces a multiple pathway approach providing more student choice in math and science coursetaking decisions, seven combined credits of electives and Personalized Pathway Requirements that allow students to explore or focus on a range of fields of knowledge that interest them, and increased opportunities to earn course equivalency credits in CTE courses.

Yes, the senior project is caught up in the change. It's certainly not dead, and if recommended, could be made compulsory again.

[Editor's Note: Ross Hamann is President of the Waitsburg School Board.]