The end of the school year is upon us and that means that we are all frantically searching for ways to wrap up the year and hit the beach. You may be shelving books, cleaning out binders, or even taking end of year tests. One thing you should be completing before hitting the beach though is creating an annual portfolio. Now, there are two types of portfolios to consider each year. The first is the type that your high school students should be focusing on as a formal overview of their high school foci. You can read about some basic high school portfolios at our blog post linked below. The second is the working portfolio that you use to not just highlight, but show the work completed over this past year. A working portfolio has a couple of goals:
- Show progress : One of the things that a teacher looks for in a portfolio is progress in your child's work. Did your son's handwriting, spelling, writing, and math skills improve as the year progressed?
- Show material : Most states require students complete work in specific areas of study. If your state requires library skills then you need to have something in the portfolio related to library skills.
While it is true that some portfolios are grand affairs, it is also true that some are simple binders. As long as your child's portfolio accurately meets the above goals, you are doing well. So file that paperwork, take a minute to give your child a high-five, and hit the beach!