Project Achievement

Junior Project Achievement guidelines

Junior (7th & 8th Graders) Portfolio Rules:

Preparation of this portfolio is the responsibility of the 4-H’er and not the Extension Office.

The portfolio is a presentation of a 4-H’ers work over the last twelve months. The year begins with January 1 and ends December 31. Youth may include information from previous years in the background information portion of the portfolio ONLY.

The Portfolio may be handwritten or typed. It should contain two pages of 4-H accomplishments, and one page of supporting material. This certification cover complete with proper signatures must be stapled to the front of the portfolio. All pages of the portfolio should contain information on one side only of 8 ½ x 11 inch paper. The back side of all pages must be blank.

The two accomplishment pages should maintain a minimum of one-half inch margins on all four sides. Paper should be white with black ink or type. No art work pictures, or clip art are allowed on these pages. Computer-generated bullets may be used to highlight information.

Supporting material may be any color with any clip art or additional decorations. Pages should lay flat without shingling. Layering of supporting material is allowed and material may go to the edges of the paper. (No margin is required.)

4-H’ers Background 5%
May include any information about the 4-H’er including the 4-H’ers family, activities, and reasons for joining 4-H or selecting this project

Main Project Work 25%
Includes activities in the project area that portfolio is submitted. These activities may include articles made or prepared, animals cared for, size and scope of project. Also, included are learning experiences in the project area including workshops, tours, interviews, books and pamphlets read, etc. Honors and awards in the main project may also be included.

Main Project Sharing and Helping Experiences 20%
Includes activities where the 4-H’er shared the information learned in their project area or helped someone else in that area. Sharing activities include demonstrations, exhibits, talks, and news articles written. Helping activities include such activities as leading a project club, teaching a class, assisting another 4-H’er in the project, or working on a community service project.

Other Leadership and Teen Leadership Activities 15%
These are activities not related to the main project in which the 4-H’er had a leadership role. Activities may include holding office, serving on committees, serving as a teen leader for an activity or assisting a fellow 4-H’er.

Other Community Service and Citizenship Activities 15%
Again, these activities are not related to the main project. Community service and citizenship activities should include activities where a 4-H’er as an individual or part of a group provides a service or completes a project for the betterment of the community. Examples include work with the elderly, disabled, or youth at risk, beautification projects, or other service activities.

Other 4-H Activities 10%
These activities are those not listed elsewhere in the portfolio but are 4-H related. Participation in county, district, region or state 4-H events, 4-H judging teams not related to the main project and 4-H awards and recognition may be included.

Other Activities and Information 5%
4-H’ers may include information about school, community or church activities or any other activities that have not been listed elsewhere.

Supporting Material 5%
Supporting material includes pictures, news articles, letters and others pieces of information that support what has been reported in the portfolio. Items may overlap but must lay flat on the page.

The portfolio score will be 40% of the 4-H’ers final score. At district competition, judges will evaluate the information written in the portfolio only.

Senior Project Achievement guidelines

Senior (9th - 12th Graders) Portfolio Rules

Preparation of this portfolio is the responsibility of the 4-H’er and not the Extension Office.

The Portfolio may be handwritten or typed. It should contain a one-page cover letter, two pages of 4-H accomplishments, and two pages of supporting material. The portfolio cover and certification page, complete with proper signatures, must be included as the first page. All pages of the portfolio should contain information on one side only of 8 ½ x 11 inch paper. The backside of all pages must be blank.

The cover letter and two accomplishment pages should maintain a minimum of one-half-inch margins on all four sides. Paper should be white with black ink or type. No artwork, pictures, or clip art are allowed on these pages. Computer-generated bullets may be used to highlight information.

The cover letter is a tool of introduction. There are no rules to its content. The letter should be addressed “Dear Project Judge” and signed by the 4-H’er. The cover letter can address any information or time. It may also address future goals.

The two-page outline of accomplishments is a presentation of a 4-H’ers work over the last twelve months. The year begins with January 1 and ends December 31.

The portfolio is equally judged on project work (50%) and other activities (50%). Judges give specific points based on the following: Work in Main Project (25%), Sharing & Helping in Main Project (25%), Other Leadership Activities (15%), Other Citizenship & Community Service(15%),Other Activities (10%), Supporting Materials (5%), and Reliability and Layout (5%). These values are assessed using the cover letter and accomplishment pages as well as the supporting material.

Main Project Work (25 points)
Includes activities in the project area that the portfolio is submitted. These activities may include articles made or prepared, animals cared for, acres tended, size of the project, etc. Also, includes learning experiences in the project area such as workshops, tours, interviews, books and pamphlets read, etc. Honors and awards in the main project may also be included.

Main Project Sharing and Helping Experiences (25 points)
Includes activities where the 4-H’er shared the information learned in the main project area or helped someone else in that area. Sharing activities include (but are not limited to) demonstrations, exhibits, talks, and news articles written. Helping activities include such activities as leading a project club, teaching a class, assisting another 4-H’er in the project, or working on a community service project.

Other Leadership and Teen Leadership Activities (15 points)
These are activities not related to the main project in which the 4-H’er had a leadership role. Activities may include (but are not limited to) offices held, committees served on, serving as a teen leader for an activity or assisting a fellow 4-H’er.

Other Community Service and Citizenship Activities (15 points)
Again, these activities are not related to the main project. Community service and citizenship activities should include (but are not limited to) activities where a 4-H’er as an individual or part of a group provides a service or completes a project for the betterment of the community. Examples include work with the elderly, beautification projects, assisting the disabled or youth at risk.

Other Activities (10 points)
These activities are those not listed elsewhere in the portfolio. Participation in county, district, region or state events, judging teams not related to the main project and awards and recognition may be included. A 4-H’er may include activities (learning, sharing, & helping) in a second 4-H program. Information about school, community or church activities or any other activities that have not been listed elsewhere may also be included.

Supporting Materials (5 points)
Up to two pages in the portfolio can be devoted to supporting materials that further emphasize the work completed. This documentation may include photos, news articles, letters, and other pieces of information that support what has been reported for the calendar year. In this section, items may overlap, but they must lay flat on the page. Shingling is not allowed. (Shingling is a process where one item opens to view another.)

Reliability and Layout (5 points)
This section is for portfolio completeness. All sections are present in the portfolio including: cover letter, project work, helping and sharing experiences, leadership, citizenship and civic engagement, other activities, and supporting materials. This section considers the completeness of the total portfolio. The cover letter is used as a tool of introduction and may include any information about the youth and project. Correctness of spelling and grammar is considered in this section.

District Competition Scoring

At district competition, the portfolio score will be 50% of the 4-H’er’s final score, and judges will evaluate the information written in the portfolio only.

Overall Score break down at district:

100 points – Presentation Judge 1
100 points – Presentation Judge 2
100 points – Portfolio Judge 1
100 points – Portfolio Judge 2
400 points total possible

State Competition Scoring

At state competition, the portfolio will be evaluated in a discussion session with the judges. The written information from the portfolio will comprise 100 points per judge. (There are two portfolio judges at the state competition.) In addition to evaluating the written information, interview judges will have the opportunity to discuss the activities with each competing youth. The interview score will comprise 15 points per judge. The total of 30 possible interview points are given based on confidence, clarity, creativity, and general appearance as demonstrated during the State Project Achievement interview.

100 points – Presentation Judge 1
100 points – Presentation Judge 2
100 points – Portfolio Judge 1
100 points – Portfolio Judge 2
15 points – Interview Judge 1
15 points – Interview Judge 2
430 points total possible