Personal Project

Key Components

• Central Focus: Students choose a topic of personal interest to explore in depth, creating a product or outcome that demonstrates their learning goal.

• Process Journal: Throughout the project, students maintain a record of their progress, reflections, challenges, and decision-making which serves as evidence for their report.

• Report: Students submit a formal written report explaining their process and evaluating their outcome. This report is submitted by Stamford High School and is externally moderated by the International Baccalaureate 

Purpose

The Personal Project allows students to:

• Demonstrate ATL (Approaches to Learning) skills developed throughout the MYP

• Build on prior knowledge and subject-specific learning

• Develop as independent, lifelong learners

• Explore an area of personal interest

• Demonstrate self-motivation and organization

Assessment Criteria

The Personal Project is assessed against three criteria:

1. Planning: Planning the project, selecting sources, and gathering information; Developing criteria for the product/outcome and creating a plan of action. Explaining a goal and context for the project, identifying prior learning and subject-specific knowledge, and demonstrating research skills.

2. Applying Skills: Creating the product/outcome and demonstrating ATL skills such as thinking skills, communication, and self-management. Creating a product in response to the goal, context and criteria, and demonstrating thinking skills, communication and social skills.

3. Reflecting: Evaluating the quality of the product/outcome against their criteria and reflecting on how completing the project has extended their knowledge and understanding.Evaluating the quality of the product against their criteria, reflecting on how completing the project has extended their knowledge and understanding, and explaining the impact of the project on themselves as an IB learner.

Each criterion is equally weighted and assessed on a scale of 0-8, with a maximum total of 24 points possible. The students’ process journal is used as evidence for all three criteria, and the report is where students explain and evaluate their process and product against these three criteria

Project Supervision

Each student is assigned a Stamford High School teacher supervisor who guides them through the process, providing advice and ensuring they meet requirements. Supervisors share similar interests and are trained by the Personal Project Coordinator.

Timeline

The project typically takes several months to complete, with structured checkpoints throughout the process, including proposal submission, progress meetings, and project showcase. Students and families will be provided with a detailed timeline in the fall of 10th grade.