The Magic of the Portfolio Process

Blogging time was put on hold as I was focused on being present for our Graduation Portfolio Roundtables held over the past 5 days. As always, these are the highlight of the year for all involved. For us teachers, it is probably the most gratifying activity of our year. Celebrating the growth of a student along with fellow educators, family members, and outside community members reminds us of the power of our work. For the graduating senior, this is an opportunity to reflect on their journey and be affirmed by the many kind words of others. Parents revel in pride, but also mark this transition of their child through a gateway to adulthood. And invited community members get insight into the educational process and be energized by meeting an adolescent who can renew our hope for the future.

For everyone at the roundtable, this is a special time, where, as one graduate observed, "It's not often you get a format that allows you to truly appreciate someone." We can never do this enough in our lives--I wish every school would dedicate themselves to this most valuable rite of passage.

To briefly explain the Portfolio Roundtable process for those not familiar with what we do (and outlined some in our handbook on the school website): The student collects and selects work representative of our learning realms and writes a reflective letter for each realm, along with an overall cover letter that reflects on their growth and development in their high school years. The roundtable panel consists of their advisor(s), the school director, a board member, other teachers who choose to join, parents, invited peer(s) (and all 11th graders attend one to be more ready for their graduation a year hence), and, importantly, an outside community member who provides perspective from the "real world" that is essential to the integrity of the process.

The basic agenda of the roundtable is an introduction from the advisor followed by the student reading their cover letter. Then there is quiet time for participants to review the student work (which most have already looked through, especially this year with the electronic portfolios shared before the meeting). Next is the discussion time where we ask the graduate questions, often quite probing, to help the student dig even deeper to recognize important lessons. We then have the student leave the room so the panel can decide if the student passes, passes with conditions, or has to present again.

A couple points are notable about this decision making: 1) It seems important we don't grade these or even have honors for "the best" ones. I find it hard to fully explain this--something about each portfolio is unique and personalized and honoring of that student at that moment in time for who they are not compared to anyone else or some standards. Students get the meaningfulness of the portfolio and the absence of a grade allows him or her to find intrinsic value in the outcome. 2) I love having students involved in the decision. Their perspective is often valuable, and more importantly, it lets them "see behind the curtain" and witness the thoughtful, caring, considerate, and serious effort we make to do what's best for students. 3) Having parents in on the decision puts them in a place of granting their child passage into adulthood. They are put in the role of not just being unconditionally loving, but of evaluating, along with the rest of the panel, their child's readiness for graduation and moving on to the next chapter of their life. This can be a powerful moment to realize this recognition of the graduates growing independence. 4) The decision is arrived at collectively, so the perhaps stringent spelling expectation of one panel member is balanced by the sensitive empathy of another. Ultimately, together we're trying to determine what will benefit the student most at this point to be proud of their accomplishments, know they met high expectations, and leave with even deeper self-awareness and positive energy to take into their next phase in life.

The student is invited back in the room (or meeting in the current on-line version) and told the decision and any conditions to pass. Last is time to celebrate the student and hear kind and thoughtful words from the panel (usually tinged with many tears). I am always especially moved by the words of teachers that so well express their love, admiration, and respect for each student. There is really no greater send off we can offer a child than this.

There is so much of the portfolio process I could write about. It is powerful and moving on so many levels and for all involved, even in the google meet version we were forced to use this year. Although slightly different from the in-person mode of past years (maybe most significantly in not being able to hug and share tears of joy at the end), they still are full of the rigor, relevance, and emotion entailed in this process (and the on-line modality did allow participants we could never have join us in person, such as a former Compass teacher in Costa Rica, a parent in California, a homebound grandparent, an alum in another state, and a state agency of education official up in Montpelier).

The nature of the screen filled with a grid of supportive teachers, family, friends, and community members makes me particularly aware of how each student is an amalgam of all these influences and experiences in their life. This is represented visually on the screen and more concretely in their collection of work.



There is much that is impressive in student portfolios, one aspect of which is the enormous breadth of experiences and range of products. In one portfolio, it is not uncommon to see essays, research papers, infographics, soundcloud recordings, films, scripts, travel photos, science labs, math proofs, computer coding, internship reflections, engineered contraptions, paintings and drawings, and more.

As one student observed in his cover letter, “One thing that makes Compass unique is that to learn, we create things.” The amazing range of work each collects reflects the multiple talents fostered in students throughout their high school years.

As always, the idea of this group of people devoting a couple hours just to honor and celebrate a single student is a powerful statement of the worthiness we hold for each individual.

The portfolio asks much of the student to collect work across a range of learning realms, to reflect honestly and deeply, to respond to challenging questions aimed to further expand their horizons, and to find self-worth and meaning from their many experiences leading to this point in life.

I am particularly aware this year of how, ultimately, the portfolio process honors the student for exactly who they are. We do not use this process to compare students or to come up with a grade but rather, we ask students to present their authentic self and to share a wide range of work that reflects the diversity of experiences in their life and the complexity that is the human experience. And the response of the panel is to validate and affirm the student, to truly “see” you for who you are, to pause at this particular moment and celebrate the unique attributes and gifts you bring into our world.

In the end, the portfolio process is a rigorous review of student growth and accomplishments--maybe assessment in the best of terms. At the same time, it is the embodiment of love--the unconditional acceptance and valuing of an individual, direct expressions of respect, appreciation, and admiration, and a collective sense of gratitude for being part of the miraculous growth we see in each student as they reach this noteworthy milestone in their life--bringing closure to one chapter and opening up to a world of possibilities ahead, knowing they are well prepared for whatever comes their way.

On a less prosaic note, I would hope more schools adopted this most valuable of learning opportunities. I'd love to share the details of this process with others, and to make clear we have no special staffing or financial resources that make us uniquely capable of this process. Yes, our small size makes it easier to organize the logistics, but most schools have a similar student-teacher ratio to Compass and could allocate personnel to provide this experience for their students as well. The rewards of this experience for all involved more than justify the commitment to make the graduation roundtables an essential part of our Compass program.