Entrepreneurship Experience Capstone A Framework for South Dakota Schools

A Little About South Dakota…

A Look at How the Entrepreneurship Experience Capstone Evolved in South Dakota

Building the South Dakota Framework Invited key people from schools Those who had implemented “Senior Experiences” Those who had implemented Entrepreneurship courses Discussed what was needed to implement Entrepreneurship Experiences Information Forms Structure

Entrepreneurship Experiences in South Dakota Compiled everyone’s ideas and information Conducted research Northwestern School District Hanson School District McCook School District Wessington Springs School District Todd County School District Rapid City Stevens Other States

Building the Framework….. Adopted a mission statement for the project “Building South Dakota’s Future: One Step at a Time” Developed “Entrepreneurship Experience Capstone: A Framework for South Dakota Schools” Continued with the research process Developed a draft of the Framework Developed promotional materials that schools could use/adapt

Entrepreneurship Experience Capstone in South Dakota Capstone Projects are part of the Governor’s 2010 Education Initiative. The Entrepreneurship Experience is part of the new HS 2025 Initiative. Pilot schools are testing the Framework this year. Statewide training sessions are planned for Spring 2010 Included as a part of the new proposed new high school graduation requirements.

Learning About …… the Entrepreneurship Experience Capstone What are Entrepreneurship Experiences? Why a South Dakota Framework? Is this required for all South Dakota schools? Why implement Entrepreneurship Experiences? How do we implement Entrepreneurship Experiences? Where does this fit in the high school curriculum?

The Entrepreneurship Experience Capstone… is a high school capstone project that requires students to research a selected business and prepare and defend an authentic business plan. States, school districts, and high schools focusing on restructuring, raising high school standards, and actively engaging all Seniors in a challenging and relevant educational program incorporate Capstone Experiences such as an Entrepreneurship Project.

Rationale for Entrepreneurship Experiences Provide authentic and experiential learning Provide relevant learning experiences Increased high school rigor Increased awareness of business opportunities available to your people in our state. Creation of new businesses in the state

Entrepreneurship Experience Three Phases Business Plan Portfolio/journal Presentation

Elements of a High Quality Entrepreneurship Experience Program Clear and Aligned Purpose Explicit, Rigorous Criteria Student-Directed Learning and Youth Engagement Clear Scaffolding of Skills Authentic Project Business Involvement Authentic Audience

Elements of a High Quality Entrepreneurship Experience Program Coordination and Comprehensive Communication Adequate Staffing and Supervision Business partner Parent Involvement Professional Development Celebration and Recognition

Exemplary Program Criteria All students have access to Entrepreneurship Experience programs based on their Personal Learning Plan and chosen career pathway. High school junior and senior students spend a semester to one year learning all aspects and gaining hands-on experience in a business enterprise. Partnerships with community businesses and organizations are a component of the Entrepreneurship Experience program.

Exemplary Program Criteria The school district has the structure in place to offer and operate the Entrepreneurship Experience program. Entrepreneurship Experience students learn career selection, job and entrepreneurship skills. Teachers participate in professional development to assist them in implementation of the defined criteria for Entrepreneurship Experience programs.

Using the Entrepreneurship Experience Framework The Entrepreneurship Experience Framework is intended to be a “menu” for school districts to use in designing a local Entrepreneurship Capstone program. The Framework will soon be available in Microsoft Word on the South Dakota Department of Education’s webpage.

Implementing the Entrepreneurship Experience Capstone Organize Plan Design Implement Evaluate

Step One: Organizing As planning gets underway, reflect on these questions: What are our goals for the Entrepreneurship Capstone? Does the administration support the program? Does the staff support the program? Who are key people that should be involved? What is our timeline?

Entrepreneurship Capstone Options Project imbedded in a core subject Project offered as a stand-alone course Project offered as a semester course Project offered as a year long course Project could be a requirement for high school graduation Project is assigned a letter grade Project is graded by pass/fail Project could be partnered with Senior Experiences

Step Three: Designing This step involves identifying and tailoring the components for your school. This is the “big picture” piece.

Roles and Responsibilities Student It is the responsibility of the student to meet all guidelines and timelines for the Entrepreneurship Capstone. Faculty Advisor All professional staff members are available as advisors. Advisors should limit their advisees to no more than five to be able to work effectively with each one.

Roles and Responsibilities Business/CTE Teachers The CTE teacher is responsible for monitoring the business plan phase of the Project. Most often this function is handled by the Business teacher. Business Mentor Each student may have a Business Mentor who has expertise/experience with the topic. The Mentor must commit to working with the student for 15 hours.

Roles and Responsibilities Steering Committee The Steering Committee provides overall direction to the program. Committee members should include representation from the following: administrators, teachers, parents, students, and business/community members. This Committee could also be combined with the Senior Experience committee. Project Coordinator Schools should have one person designated as the Coordinator. This could be a paid position with release time provided.

Documents and Forms Initial Documents and Forms Implementation Process Guidelines Letter to Students Letter to Parents Parent Permission Form Agreement Form (Student-Parent-Faculty Advisor-Mentor) Timeline

The Three Project Phases How will these components fit together? Business Plan Portfolio Presentation Could an Internship be part of the Entrepreneurship Experience?

Documents andForms Entrepreneurship Experience Roles and Responsibilities Entrepreneurship Experience Roles Faculty Advisory Guidelines/Agreement Form Choosing a Mentor Role of a Mentor Mentor Agreement Form Mentor’s Logs Mentor Verification Forms Role of Steering Committee  

Documents and Forms Business Selection Business Selection Guidelines Project Proposal Project Approval Form Letters of Intent Project Change Form

Promotion and Marketing How will you promote the Entrepreneurship Experience to stakeholders? Students Parents School Staff Administration School Board Community/Business Members

The Business Plan What are the guidelines for your school?

Business Selection The business plan should be prepared for a business relating to the student(s) career cluster focus or an area of interest.

The Portfolio Items to include: Cover Sheet/Title Page Project Proposal Contract Table of Contents Letter to Judges Journal Entries Project Overview/Letter of Intent Project Reflection (s) Business Plan Draft Mentoring Log Presentation PowerPoint

The Journal Each weekly entry should cover the following: Describe what was done on the Entrepreneurship Project that week. Write a personal reaction or evaluation of what was done that week.

Business Plan Components Executive Summary Business Description Organization and Management Market Analysis Marketing and Sales Strategies Service or Product Line Funding Request Financials Appendix

The Presentation The Entrepreneurship Experience Presentation is the culminating event, which must include the entire learning experience. It should reflect elements of the portfolio and business plan. 8-10 minute overview of the business plan 5-10 minute question and answer session Use of multi-media Visuals such as blueprints, photos or graphs Portfolio

Step Four: Implementing When you reach this step, you have already done the hardest work! A phased in implementation has hopefully been identified in your plan. Staff development is a critical component in this phase.

Step Five: Evaluating Results In this phase, you will need to frame your evaluation based on your goals for the Program and student outcomes.

Program and Student Evaluation Program Evaluation – should be a yearly event. What worked well?? What didn’t? What are we going to change for next year? Student Evaluation – How are we going to evaluate student results? What rubrics should we use? Should one phase count more than the other?

Next Steps Continue revising and adding information Project website Meet the needs of schools Sharing “Best Practices” Project website Offer the Entrepreneurship Capstone online to schools/students Continue with statewide professional development

Contact Information Gerald Gramm – gerald.gramm@state.sd.us 700 Governors Dr. Pierre, SD 57501 Office – (605) 773-4673 Cell – (605) 999-3710 Marsha Kucker – mkucker@edec.org High Schools That Work State Director office – (605) 367-7680 cell – (605) 280-0650