Civic Readiness Capstone Project
Participation in government and in our communities is fundamental to the success of American democracy. Students choose to complete the Civic Readiness Capstone project to demonstrate their readiness to make a positive difference in the public life of their communities through the applied combination of civic knowledge, skills and actions, mindset, and experiences.Ìý Through this project, students will apply knowledge and skills they have learned through their P-12 Social Studies education, as well as other subject areas.Ìý
In this Civic Readiness Capstone project, students will:
- Identify a civic issue (problem) facing them, their school, or their community.
- Analyze a civic issue (problem), evaluate alternative solutions, design and/or execute a solution for this problem.
- Take informed action to address the civic issue.
- Reflect on what they have learned about their school or community from the Capstone project.
- Make a presentation about their Civic Readiness Capstone project.
1Based on the 91°µÍøÆƽâ°æ Social Studies Practices, Grades 9-12, the 91°µÍøÆƽâ°æ Performance Level Descriptors for the GlobalÌýHistory & Geography II and the U.S. History & Government Regents exam, the NYSED Definition of Civic Readiness, and the
High School Civic Readiness Capstone projects completed for the Seal of Civic Readiness include these essential elements based on the definition of Civic Readiness:
|
Essential Elements |
Civic Knowledge |
Civic Skills |
Civic Mindset |
|---|---|---|---|
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Examine Community |
Demonstrate an understanding of the structure and function of government and democracy at the appropriate level, and how to participate therein. Identify, describe, and evaluate the relationships between people, places, regions, and environments by using geographic tools to place them in a spatial context.
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Define and frame questions about events and the world in which we live, form hypotheses as potential answers to these questions, use evidence to answer these questions, and consider and analyze counter-hypotheses. |
Identify opportunities for and the role of the individual in social and political participation in the school, local, and/or state community.Ìý |
|
Identify Issues |
Integrate alternate, divergent, or contradictory perspectives or ideas. Describe the impact of individual and collective histories in shaping contemporary issues. Ìý |
Analyze a civic issue (problem) in the community
Integrate evidence from multiple disciplines into Capstone Project. |
Reflect on how different cultures have values, norms and beliefs that shape how they understand their communities and the problems they face. |
|
Conduct Research |
Describe how the issue affects the daily lives and shapes the perspectives of similar and different stakeholder groups.Ìý
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Analyze and evaluate news, media, social media and other sources of information for accuracy, bias, reliability, and credibility.Ìý |
Ìý |
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Analysis |
Analyze a civic issue (problem) in the community, describe past attempts to address the issue, generate and evaluate alternative solutions to a civic problem. |
Weigh appropriate evidence from multiple disciplines to support claims, which may include political science, history, natural sciences, economics, geography, and sociology. |
Reflect on how personal attitudes and beliefs are different and the same from those of other cultures and communities. Integrate what can be learned through engagement with diversity into the Capstone Project. |
|
Develop Strategies and Solutions |
Design and/or execute a solution for this problem. |
Evaluate the feasibility of proposed actions to address the community or civic issue.ÌýÌý
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Analyze factors that influenced the perspectives of stakeholders involved in the civic issue central to the Capstone Project. Integrate alternate, divergent, or contradictory perspectives or ideas. |
|
Take Informed Action |
Ìý |
Design and implement a Capstone Project that engages the school and/or out-of-school community.
|
Ìý |
|
Communicate |
Ìý |
Communicate in a civic context, showing the ability to express ideas, discuss, persuade, debate, negotiate, build consensus and compromise to organize and conduct civic action. Strategically use different forms of communication to persuade/advocate and express ideas. Demonstrate respect for the rights of others in discussions and debates; respectfully disagree with other viewpoints. |
Ìý |
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Reflection |
Ìý |
Ìý |
Analyze Capstone Project experience, reflecting on the process that was implemented, challenges faced, project limitations, successes, future civic actions and transferable skills.Ìý Demonstrate and reflect on a sense of self as an active participant in society, willing to contribute to solving local and/or national problems. |
Middle School Capstone Projects include these Essential Elements based on the Definition of Civic Readiness:​​
|
Essential Elements |
Civic Knowledge |
Civic Skills |
Civic Mindset |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Examine Community |
Identify situations in which social actions are required. |
Participate in activities that focus on a classroom, school, community, state, or national issue or problem with the support of the classroom teacher. |
Identify opportunities for and the role of the individual in social and political participation in the school, local, and/or state community. |
|
Identify Issues |
Ìý |
With the support of the classroom teacher,Ìý identify a civic issue (problem) in the community.
|
Identify rights and responsibilities as a citizen of the community and the state. |
|
Conduct Research |
Describe how the issue affects the daily lives and shapes the perspectives of similar and different stakeholder groups.Ìý
|
Analyze and evaluate news, media, social media and other sources of information for accuracy, bias, reliability, and credibility.Ìý |
Ìý |
|
Analysis |
Ìý |
With the support of the classroom teacher, evaluate alternative solutions to address the community problem. |
Ìý |
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Develop Strategies and Solutions |
Ìý |
With the support of the classroom teacher, identify or develop solution(s) in the form of a public policy.
Communicate in a civic context, showing the ability to express ideas, discuss, and persuade when presenting ideas. |
Ìý Ìý |
|
Take Action |
Ìý |
With the supportÌý of the classroom teacher,
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Demonstrate respect for the rights of others in discussions and classroom debates; respectfully disagree with other viewpoints. Work to influence those in positions of power to strive for extensions of freedom, social justice, and human rights. |
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Communicate |
Ìý |
Participate in persuading, negotiating, and compromising in the resolution of differences and conflict; introduce and examine the elements of debate. Demonstrate respect for the rights of others in discussions and debates; respectfully disagree with other viewpoints. |
Ìý |
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Reflection |
Ìý |
Ìý |
Analyze the experience, reflecting on the process that was implemented, challenges faced, successes, and future civic actions. |
Based on the 91°µÍøÆƽâ°æ Social Studies Practices, Grades K-12
- Asset map: Asset Mapping is a tool that relies on a core belief of asset-based community development; namely, that good things exist in communities and that those things can be highlighted and encouraged — these are assets suited to advancing those communities.Ìý There are six categories of community assets: physical, economic, stories, local residents, local associations, local institutions. For more information about asset mapping, visitÌý.
- Communication methods include in-person/face-to-face, print, digital (i.e., social media)
- Perspective(s): outlook, point of view, position on or towards an issue
- Stakeholder: a member of a particular status group that holds a specific self-interest in regard to a particular social problem or public policy
