The Portfolio Program

The Canterbury Portfolio Program

Canterbury's Ten Skills

The Structure

Feedback and Program Integration

Portfolio Year Two

The Products: Match and Win

21st Century Education

A New Educational Landscape

• Skills and Values
• What are students learning? vs. What are student being taught?
• What can students do? vs. What can they regurgitate?

A New Model: Demonstrations of Learning (Bassett)

• Marry skills with content
• Develop the multiple intelligences
• Connect thought to action
• Exemplify 21st C. skills and values

The Big Shift

A.

Mentor Support

C.

The Written Work

• Introduction
• Why the skill is important
• Why this product demonstrates the skill
• Explain the process that went into the creation of that product
• The various digital product(s)
• Panel of administrators read and grade
• 50% grade on products

Feedback

• Surveys: Teachers, mentors, parents, students
• Overall positive with needs in areas
• More robust mentor training and expectations
• More, varied, and ongoing feedback loop on written work and presentation expectations
• Better timing for presentations and grading feedback
• More explicit learning goals and outcomes

1. Skill 2: Demonstrate Proficiency in a Foreign Language

2. Skill 4: Demonstrate caring for self and others.

3. Skill 10: Reflect on experiences of failure that helped lead to an eventual success.

1. Solve a real-world problem using concepts from math and/or science.

2. Demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language.

3. Clearly and concisely outline a position on a topic and be able to explain and compellingly persuade others of its implications through writing.

4. Demonstrate a commitment to care for self and others.

5. Participate in and demonstrate your role as a member of a team.

6. Demonstrate knowledge of your faith as it has developed in your life.

7. Demonstrate an understanding of ethical issues surrounding new technologies.

8. Explore an understanding of either justice, integrity, mercy, or compassion through the arts or literature.

9. Exercise Leadership.

10. Reflect on experiences of failure that helped lead to an eventual success.

Adaptations

• Mentor Handbook (all middle school teachers are mentors)
• Pre-grading
• Shortened presentation schedule and grading is held to last day
• Weekly portfolio classes
• Digital syllabus with learning goals, outcomes, and exemplars
• Google Apps integration

Portfolio Class Support

The Presentation

• Panel of administrators and parents invited
• 20 minutes for presentation and Q&A
• A selection four products to highlight
• 50% grade on presentation

Program Integration --> Backward Design

• A Leadership program with an 8th grade curriculum aimed at fulfilling Skills 4 and 9
• Teacher focus on units demonstrating skills
• Student focus on creating experiences to demonstrate skills

The Canterbury Shift

The Genesis of the Portfolio Program

Why a Portfolio?

• Looking for an alternative to end of year exams for 8th grade
• Ingrain meaningful reflection into learning
• Students benefit from awareness of strategies and processes in writing, problem solving, analyzing so they bring it into new contexts
• Opportunity for digital format

Our Start: Demonstrations Task Force

• Context: DRSLs, Bassett, MS Vision
• Charge: ten skills a Canterbury graduate should demonstrate

B.

Answer Key: Skill 2: A, Skill 4: C, Skill 10: B