Capstone Program

Missouri School for the Blind is pleased to offer the MSB Capstone Project: A Core Curriculum Performance Event. MSB’s Capstone Project is a year-long experiential project designed to help students develop skills to complete a multi-step, long-term project. It is designed to transfer complex, abstract core concepts taught in the classroom to the world beyond school. During the MSB Capstone Project each student or group of students will select and research a topic. Students then design a project to be completed over the course of the school term. Capstone provides students with the opportunity to conduct an in-depth exploration into a topic of personal interest. Students apply grade-level core curriculum and Expanded Core Curriculum for the Blind and Visually Impaired objectives beyond the academic classroom. Capstone focuses on educational content and showcases skills and abilities that will be expected of successful students, employees and citizens. The Capstone Project addresses proficiency in core content knowledge, applied learning skills and support systems for all students. MSB staff review assessment data and Missouri Learning Standards to identify challenging and specific objectives for each year’s Capstone Projects. Staff will identify regular checkpoints throughout the year to help students evaluate their progress, facilitate formative evaluation and provide feedback. Teachers use re-teaching, re-direction, direct instruction, and work samples as needed. The implementation of Capstone recognizes the need to insure that all students successfully complete a rigorous high school diploma program. Diplomas gives students access to college or post-secondary training, whether immediately following high school or later if they choose.

Each year, administrators select a broad Capstone topic to serve as the umbrella for all student projects. All individual projects will fall under the broad topic. MSB Capstone Projects have three major components: