By the time Aleah Chapin graduates in June 2004, she will have spent somewhere between 300 and 500 hours creating the story of her life, using music, photographs and writings on her personal Web page.
Called an exit portfolio, the project is part of the Bayview School graduation requirement. Her teachers at Bayview School will critique the finished project to measure her qualifications for graduation.
The portfolio is something used in other schools across the state. Some school districts have started requiring all graduating seniors to create portfolios. It is part of Washington’s education reform plan, called the Four Ps. This stands for “Plan, Pathways, Portfolio and Projects.” These, excluding portfolios, will be a requirement for graduation in Washington schools starting in 2008.
At Bayview High School, Chapin and a dozen other seniors create their portfolios online. Their Web pages include information about their personal and creative interests. Their teachers use the sites to assess whether the students have met academic requirements.
Bayview School made portfolios a graduation requirement starting eight years ago. In 1999, students began doing the portfolios online.
Chapin said she enjoys the challenge.
“I have to do this by myself. I can’t depend on anyone else,” she said.
Students at the school attend class four days a week for an hour to work on portfolios with their teacher, Scott Mauk.They also spend time on home computers and extra class time.
Once completed, the portfolios are accessible on the South Whidbey School District Web site.
Visitors to Chapin’s site will learn about her European travel experiences, the importance of her church in her life, her work with theatrical productions, and will see photographs of her paintings and a link to her video.
Another student, Matt Gregory, said he likes being able to work at his own pace. He believes the project will prepare him for the real world. A segment of the project includes writing an essay of personal reflections, goals, citizenship, challenges and skills.
“It is taking a lot of thinking,” he said.
Mauk said the program is a successful tool for teaching and preparing students for life.
“Rather than depending on memorization skills, the portfolio demonstrates a student’s analytical and evaluative abilities,” he said. “It documents their performance and capabilities guides them toward future plans.”
Mauk said it’s a process that includes self-reflection
The portfolio project gives each student a personal Web page to organize their academic lives, from meeting the state’s requirements in reading, writing and math, to planning their careers. It requires students to provide evidence of understanding of their studies — year by year — until they have met the state’s academic standards.
A student’s online Web site is like a three ring binder divided into sections. First, students have to demonstrate how they have met learning requirements. Second, the portfolios must display a collection of personal artifacts such as music, videos, photographs or paintings. There is also the personal essay, called the Passage. It must reveal evidence of growth personal challenges, connection to and the meaning in life, creativity, democratic citizenship, practical skills and personal reflection.
Bayview seniors spend between 300 and 500 hours developing a portfolio as a graduation requirement. Pictured here are Scott Mauk, teacher working with senior Brianna Nielsen.
Bayview School demonstrates portfolio success
