The Sharon Academy

2007-2008 Independent Study Opportunities

Sample Independent Study Proposal Form

Independent Study Projects are student-designed courses that earn credit. They are one semester projects, generally pass/fail, except under certain conditions (see below), and require the following:

• Proposal: Students will write a one to two page proposal of their independent study, spelling out the student’s idea for the project. (This may look like a course syllabus.)
• Mentor: Students will find a mentor for their independent study, who can be a teacher or community member who is an expert in the topic of the independent study and who assesses student progress. This cannot be a fellow student unless there is also a teacher-mentor. Mentors will meet periodically with the student, but it is the student’s responsibility to initiate and follow up with the meeting schedule. If the mentor is a TSA faculty or staff member, that individual will be the teacher of record for the course. The guidance coordinator, Kimberly Barnhart, will be the teacher of record for all other projects and will coordinate the recording of grades.
• Contract: once the proposal is accepted and a mentor is determined, the contract is built with the aid of the mentor or a member of the guidance team. It will spell out all expectations for of the project. The contract must be completed and approved by Guidance prior to beginning work. Students may complete a contract in the spring for work to be done over the summer. Credit will be given during the fall semester for work done over the summer.
• Journal: students record their work on the project, including documentation of the time spent on the work. This journal may be paper or electronic, but will serve as the documentation of work done on the project. Students will use their journal during meetings with the mentor or guidance coordinator, Kimberly Barnhart, to discuss progress and set goals.
• Goal Setting: students will meet periodically with mentors, setting goals and timelines for work. These meetings will be a minimum of twice per quarter (prior to progress report and quarter grades). The schedule needs to be established ahead of time between the student and mentor.
• Final presentation: presentations will be scheduled at the end of the semester for which credit (or no credit) is given. The presentations will be the vehicle for the students to display what they accomplished during their independent study. This may be an actual presentation in which students talk about their work, or it may be a display of their work. Example: for an independent study course in Photography, the 2008 senior portrait photo display met the “presentation” requirement.
• Reflection: the student will write a 2-page paper in which students will reflect upon what they have learned and how the project went. At the mentor’s discretion, the reflection may be waived in the case of students who are following a regular TSA curriculum with a teacher in that subject area.

• Independent Study Course: Semester-long, 1/2 credit courses with 45 – 60 hours of documented work. These can be renewed for a second semester.  These courses may earn credits in areas of study such as history, English, mathematics, science, foreign language, art or other. The classes will be pass/fail, except when a mentor-teacher and the student agree to a graded assessment.
• Internship: Students who find a local opportunity to intern may earn credit for their internships; provided it is contracted ahead of time and the above requirements are met. These are pass/fail. These have all the same requirements listed above, including a presentation.

Dual Enrollment: Students may earn up to ½ high school credit in the subject area studied should they take a class at CCV, Dartmouth, VTC, online or at another college. (Introduction to College Studies earns 1/4 credit.) Students will receive a letter grade from the college, and a pass/fail grade on their TSA transcript. Students are responsible for any applicable expenses for books, supplies or other costs. Please note: If the course is fulfilling a credit for TSA graduation, some colleges (such as Dartmouth) will not allow it to count as a college credit as well.