Stragglers

Arghh. The approval process continues. At our school, we have decided that the approval process is the key to success in the Senior Project. It’s where the great topics are celebrated and the “not so great” (you know what I mean) topics are refined. We are now six weeks into the process and still have kids who have not yet been approved. Every year, we tweak the approval checklist to add depth and rigor. What that means is that every year the process gets longer and longer. The first draft of the research paper was due this week and we still have those few poor little stragglers who either can’t seem to get it together or can’t decide what they want to do.

Senior Project on a block schedule is a bear. Eighteen weeks to begin thinking about a topic, think some more about a topic, continue to mull about the topic, finally decide about the topic, propose the topic, change your mind about the topic, and think about the topic some more. Then, to catch up with your class, try to make up the zeroes you have missed, and turn in something deep and meaningful?

We do have benchmarks in place throughout the curriculum (mostly in English classes), and we have been requiring Senior Project since 1998, so I can’t see where this project should be a surprise for most folks. Admittedly, many students who have to resubmit just didn’t give enough detail or didn’t attach the appropriate forms. Small potatoes. Those are easy to fix. What worries me is the kids who just have no idea and can’t seem to get going. They are the kids who will just chuck it and go to summer school (missing their graduation). Not good.
I’m looking for any good suggestions to help our approval process move along a little more smoothly in a block semester. Let me know what you do that works. I’m sure there is an obvious solution that I am just missing in my sleep-deprived stupor