Batavia High School Course Syllabus
Field Experience — Work-Based Learning
Course Name
Field Experience (Work-Based Learning)
Teachers
Course Description
A work-based learning course where students complete a minimum of 60 supervised hours of real professional work. Placement-track students earn those hours at a local business or organization aligned to one of seven career clusters. Enterprise-track students earn them operating their own business or working for a school enterprise. All students first complete a hands-on bootcamp covering professional identity, interview preparation, and workplace readiness. The course emphasizes the Illinois Essential Employability Skills, real-world application of classroom learning, and career exploration through direct workplace experience.
Required Materials
Laptop/Chromebook access for weekly logs & reflections, professional attire appropriate to your work (varies by site), and a fully signed Training Agreement on file before Day 1. Placement track: reliable transportation to and from your placement site. Enterprise track: a signed remote work agreement and a named client or advisor who will complete feedback forms.
Prerequisite
Junior or Senior standing, teacher/counselor approval, and a completed application and interview process.
Website Information
Coming soon — a student portal for bootcamp, the weekly hours log, weekly reflection, and your dashboard. We will get every student logged in once it is live; until then your teachers will provide submission instructions in class.
Course Fee
None
Grading / Assessments
Types of assessments: Bootcamp activity deliverables (resume, self-assessments, mock interview or client pitch, checklists), weekly timesheets, weekly reflections, employer or advisor evaluations, and the capstone (elevator pitch, trade show presentation, and portfolio).
Your grade has four categories, each worth 25%. Every graded item in the course — every activity, every timesheet, every reflection, every evaluation — is scored on the same 4-point scale.
1. Bootcamp25%
Each of the 16 bootcamp activities gets its own score. This category is finished in the first few weeks of the course, so you will have a real grade before you ever start work.
2. Weekly Tasks25%
Every week you submit a timesheet and a reflection, and each one gets its own score — "Week 1 Timesheet" and "Week 1 Reflection" are two separate grades. This is where the largest number of grades in the course lives.
3. Capstone25%
Three separate scores, weighted equally — each worth about 8% of your final grade.
4. Employer Feedback25%
At minimum a midterm and a final evaluation, each scoring you on the 10 Illinois Essential Employability Skills. Because there are only two, each one is worth about 12% of your final grade — these are the highest-stakes single items in the course.
The scale. Every graded item is worth 4 points, and your percentage is simply the points you earned out of 4 — nothing is curved or translated. A 3 means you performed to the standard a paying employer expects. A 4 means you went beyond it.
"No Evidence" is not a score. If nothing was submitted, the item is entered as Incomplete rather than a 1 — a 1 means the work was seen and fell well short, while Incomplete means nothing arrived yet. An Incomplete can be submitted late for partial credit any time before the quarter closes, and only becomes a zero if it is still missing at that point.
How the two tracks are graded. Identical categories, weights, and scale. Placement-track students are evaluated by their site supervisor. Enterprise-track students are evaluated through a Quarterly Review Board — they present their work to a panel of adults and are scored on the same 10 employability skills — plus at least one client or advisor feedback form per period. Review Boards: Oct 15, Dec 16, Mar 11, with the fourth merging into the May capstone.
Special Course Policies
A fully signed Training Agreement (student, parent/guardian, employer, and school coordinator) must be on file before a student's first day of work — no exceptions. Performance or conduct violations are addressed per the Training Agreement and may result in removal from the program.
Documentation Gate — you must be current to work
Your weekly hours log and weekly reflection are due Sunday at 11:59 PM. If they are not submitted, you do not go to work that week until they are complete.
Placement track: not current, not on the schedule.
You report to class and finish your log and reflection instead of reporting to your placement site.
Enterprise track: not current, not remote.
Working off campus is a privilege earned by being current. If you are behind, you report to class on your A day until you are caught up. Bulldog Media students also lose equipment and studio access until current.
This is not a rule invented for school. Every contractor, freelancer, and hourly employee in the world gets paid by submitting their documentation on time. Repeated failure to stay current escalates to contact home, a written improvement plan, and ultimately a review of your Training Agreement.
Students with a transportation barrier, or an IEP or 504 accommodation that affects submission, should talk to the teacher — those are handled as accommodations before the gate is ever applied. A ride that falls through is an attendance problem to solve, not a compliance violation.
📄 View the Training Agreement (Google Doc)
BPS Homework Policy
6:290 — policy.bps101.net
BPS Grading Policy
6:280 — policy.bps101.net
BHS Academic Dishonesty Policy
Standard BHS Academic Dishonesty Policy applies to all bootcamp deliverables and reflections.
Essential Learnings / Units
- Phase 1 — Professional Identity & Course Launch
- Phase 2 — Interview Prep
- Phase 3 — Workplace Readiness
- Phase 4 — Launch
- The Work — a minimum of 60 supervised hours, at a placement site or in your own enterprise
- The Capstone — Elevator Pitch, Trade Show & Portfolio (Placement: December · Enterprise: May)
Learner Profile / BARK Chart
While students are graded on their academic achievement, students and parents also receive feedback on classroom and workplace behaviors and responsibility. While these behaviors are not directly graded, we believe constructive feedback should be given — both in the classroom and from your placement supervisor.
Extra Learning & Help Opportunities
Students can always come in before or after school for extra help with bootcamp deliverables, resume feedback, or interview practice. Communicate with your teacher to find a time that works for both of you.
Student Expectations for This Course
Treat your placement like a real job from Day 1 — punctuality, professional conduct, and follow-through matter as much there as any grade does here. Complete your weekly hours log and reflection on time every week. Communicate proactively with your teacher about scheduling conflicts, concerns, or issues at your placement — don't wait until it's a problem.
Characteristics of Successful Students in This Course
Reliable — shows up on time, every time. Communicates proactively rather than waiting to be asked. Takes initiative at their placement instead of waiting for direction. Treats feedback as a growth tool, not criticism. Takes ownership of their own professional appearance and conduct.
Teacher Expectations for This Course
I will help you find and succeed in a placement that fits your interests, and prepare you to walk in on Day 1 ready to perform like an employee, not just a visitor. I'll challenge you to take this seriously — because employers, your placement supervisor, and your future self will.
Remediation Statement
A missed weekly hours log or reflection is entered as Incomplete and can be submitted late for 85% credit at any point before the quarter closes. An Incomplete that is still missing when the quarter closes becomes a zero — so nothing is ever unrecoverable until the term ends. Incomplete bootcamp deliverables can be resubmitted for credit. Workplace performance concerns are addressed through direct communication with the employer or advisor and a written improvement plan, per the Training Agreement — not through grade remediation alone.