Work Experience
Lincoln High School Semester Elective open to Juniors and Seniors
1/2 credit/semester, 1 credit/year
Ms. Armstrong (Office: Room 130)
“Find a job you love, and you won’t have to work another day in your life”
Course Outline
Work Experience provides students with career exploration experiences and the opportunity to develop employability skills so they are better prepared to enter the workforce and/or continue their preparation for future careers through education or training.
Students must have a legitimate job (i.e. on-the-payroll) to be in the class.
Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from work.
All “new” students must attend the orientation program that is taught at the beginning of the semester. The approximately ten-day orientation lays the foundation for the program and the completion of the Career Portfolio. Students present their portfolio during the Mock Interviews.
Following completion of the program orientation, students have one hour of release time per day.
Monthly meetings (scheduled during WIN), mock interviews, and independent projects completed between monthly meetings are required.
Good school attendance is required to participate and remain in the Work Experience program. (See detailed attendance policy below)
Students must submit weekly timesheets to account for their time not in school.
90 hours of documented work time is required to receive credit.
Timesheets are worth 10 points each week.
Students missing two or more timesheets will not be released for 7th hour.
Unemployment for any reason (I.e. quit, fired, laid off) may impact the student’s grade if a new job is not secured in a timely fashion. Students are, after all, receiving credit for WORK EXPERIENCE. Notify Ms. Armstrong immediately to work out a plan together to move forward.
Work Experience Attendance Policy
Good school attendance is a requirement to be in the Work Experience program.
An unexcused absence is defined as being absent from part or all of a school day without permission or a valid reason.
Three (3) unexcused absences will result in a conference with the student and loss of 7th hour release that day.
Five (5) unexcused absences will result in a conference with the student and notification to the parent/guardian and employer.
Seven (7) unexcused absences will result in removal from the class (grade of F and no credit).
Grading Scale Grades are weighted based on the below categories:
90 – 100 A Assignments= 20%
80 – 89 B Monthly Meetings= 20%
70 – 79 C Projects= 20%
60 – 69 D Weekly Timesheets= 20%
59 – 0 F Employer Evaluations= 20%
*Extra credit opportunities are offered throughout the course of the semester i.e. college visits, business tours, job shadows.
Work Experience Teacher Contacts
1. Letters to the parent(s) and students provide a reminder of class activities. A schedule with details for the semester is included with the first letter.
2. Students must submit timesheets to the teacher WEEKLY.
3. Students must attend their monthly scheduled meetings with the teacher.
4. All students prepare exam materials/projects in advance and have an individual 15-minute semester exam conference with the teacher.
5. Employer correspondence includes an introductory letter shared at the beginning of each semester. Plaques and thank you cards are delivered to all employers at the end of the school year. 100 points of each quarter’s grade are based on the worksite evaluation completed by the employer.
6. Employers and teacher communicate about employment opportunities, work-site concerns, job shadowing opportunities, and class projects. The teacher also solicits employers to participate in the Work Experience and Youth Apprenticeship Mock Interviews. Additional contacts are made as necessary through phone calls, e-mails, casual visits, and/or conferences.
Student Outcomes
1. Work Experience students will develop a foundation of skills and knowledge necessary to be successful in the workplace and become contributing members of society.
2. The students will develop and practice interviewing skills.
3. The students will understand the relevance of their Career Portfolio, especially as they update their resume for future employment.
4. Students will be able to make more informed decisions regarding their college and/or career direction.
5. Students will realize the importance of being life-long learners as their careers evolve in our technological world and global society.