On September 10, 2020, the State Board of Education (SBE) adopted criteria and guidelines for awarding a State Seal of Civic Engagement. In addition, EGUSD has established a set of guidelines that fit each of the five criteria. Please pull down the arrow on the right of each criteria to see the EGUSD specific guidelines.
Please see the Application Page for more specifics about how students will demonstrate they meet each of the criteria.
EGUSD Guidelines:
Student should be on track to graduate based on each student’s unique graduation plan (in alignment with state and local graduation requirements).
Upload a PDF of a current grade report or transcript that shows all of your coursework.
EGUSD Guidelines:
Earning a passing grade in US History and American Government or equivalent:
Equivalent AP/IB course
Interdisciplinary coursework may also include civic aspects of government, law, history, culture, international governments, economics, and current events
Other coursework as approved by admin for students out of state/country
OR
Online course/credit recovery on relevant content
EGUSD Guidelines: Two Options
Students may complete a Civic Action Project as part of a class or as an extracurricular project.
To qualify for the seal, your project must address the following components:
Identify a Core Issue: Choose a civic issue or problem in your community or larger society that concerns you, and plan a course of action to make a positive difference.
Conduct Background Research: Before taking action, research what is already being done to solve the problem. Look into current laws, policies, and initiatives from government officials (at the school, local, state, or federal level), as well as efforts by non-profits, community organizations, and advocacy groups.
Engage with Systems of Power: Interact directly with decision-makers, public processes, or governance systems—such as school administrators, civic leaders, government agencies, elected officials, or non-profit organizations. Use this engagement to understand democratic procedures, apply your civic knowledge, and inform your actions.
Document and Measure Impact: Provide specific, tangible evidence of the actions you took. Clearly demonstrate how your efforts made a difference and created a positive, broad impact on your community or larger society.
⚠️ Please Note: Successfully completing a class assignment does not automatically guarantee that the project meets the criteria for the California State Seal of Civic Engagement.
2. Internship Guidelines & Requirements
Students may complete an internship at a government or non-profit agency (participating in Elk Grove Civic Summer qualifies).
To qualify for the Seal, your internship reflection must address the following components:
Identify the Core Issue: While you will be assigned general work or projects, you must identify the specific community, regional, or statewide issue your agency (or specific department) addresses, and explain why this work is needed.
Conduct Background Research: Investigate the issue to understand why it is a problem and what is already being done to resolve it. Look into existing policies, procedures, bills, laws, or other agencies working on the same issue, and connect this research directly to your daily internship tasks.
Reflect on Stakeholder Engagement: Describe what you learned from firsthand interactions with stakeholders, community members, civic leaders, and decision-makers.
Document and Measure Your Impact: Provide specific, tangible evidence of the work you accomplished. Explain how your specific work contributed to addressing the issue, and how the agency's overall efforts impact the community.
Students will be able to describe their civic project or internship and submit evidence that their efforts meet these criteria. The goal of the evidence is to clearly and effectively demonstrate to reviewers who do not know the student or their work, that they conducted the project, what the project was, how it addressed a civic issue or problem, and the impact it had.
EGUSD Guidelines:
Students will complete a self-reflection that will articulate and describe the following:
What new insights did you What new insights did you gain about your community, decision making processes, the issue you addressed, or how to make change? What might you have done differently or could you do in the future to create a deeper and more lasting change?
What did you learn about yourself? What civic knowledge and or skills did you learn and/or use? How did you personally grow from this experience?
Students will select one or two adults who can speak to the student's civic engagement activities that reflect civic-mindedness and a commitment to positively impact the classroom, school, community, and/or society. The adult reference will do so by filling in a Google Form.
Or
Students may list participation in an activity, club, or organization that demonstrates their civic-mindedness.