The Minnesota Learning Project

GRADUATION COMPETENCY

Run Your Life

Can a graduate actually use what public education taught to manage a realistic adult life?

The idea

A high-school diploma should represent more than attendance and accumulated credits. Each student receives a realistic adult profile with income, benefits, debt, housing options, transportation needs, insurance choices, and starting savings. The student must construct a viable adult life and explain the decisions.

What the student must do

  • Calculate gross and net pay and interpret payroll deductions.
  • Complete a simulated federal and Minnesota tax return.
  • Build monthly and annual budgets.
  • Compare housing and transportation options.
  • Evaluate credit, interest, insurance, and retirement choices.
  • Plan groceries, meals, and routine household expenses.
  • Read contracts, leases, policies, and instructions.
  • Prepare a resume and complete a simulated interview.
  • Navigate a realistic healthcare decision.
  • Identify the correct government entity for common public issues.

Then reality changes

After the initial plan is complete, the scenario changes: a vehicle fails, rent increases, employment changes, healthcare costs shift, or an unexpected opportunity appears. The student must adapt. Adult competence is not simply making a plan; it is revising one when reality changes.

Scoring

CompetencyWeight
Reading & comprehension20%
Quantitative reasoning25%
Evidence & judgment20%
Practical execution20%
Communication15%

TECHNICAL POLICY STANDARD

MLP-POL-07 — Graduation Competency

The authoritative policy requirement is preserved in the canonical Policy Standards. Run Your Life is the proposed applied assessment model for demonstrating the graduation competencies required by MLP-POL-07.

See how the capstone fits into Measurement & Accountability or return to Grades 9–12.