THE SENIOR PORTFOLIO AND EXIT INTERVIEW

As students begin to transition from our classrooms to life beyond high school, the opportunity exists to provide them with a culminating experience that will put to practical use the personal, cognitive and communication skills that they have developed.

The Senior Portfolio and Exit Interview experience is designed to have the graduating students reflect on their high school experience and personally assess their attainment of the basic educational criteria set forth as Academy goals.

During this exercise the seniors should see the transition to their new stage in life. The required and optional parts of the process will allow them to see themselves as part of the community; to take part in a practical activity that will test their abilities in the non-teacher world of adults; and to culminate their four years of high school in a designed process for closure that presents a meaningful challenge.

There are several components to the program. All seniors must meet the existing Coe-Brown graduation requirements. These include the accumulation of the credits necessary for graduation and the meeting of a pre-set level of math and English skills competency as demonstrated on a standardized achievement test.

All potential graduates will assemble personal portfolios that contain both required and optional materials. Examples of required materials include the completion of a personal resume' ready to present to any prospective employer and the assembling of a group of materials that document one or more areas of the student's personal expertise. All students will also complete an Exit Survey that polls their options about the Academy and its programs. This questionnaire has been developed by the Academy Advisory Council.

In another section of the process students will select and complete a specified number of items from a list of activities. Among the items on this list are community service projects, involvement in school and/or community organizations or teams, and college and job world preparation activities.

As a culminating activity all seniors will present their portfolio during an exit interview. It is planned that a number of committees consisting of representatives of the Academy staff, Board of Trustees, alumni, vocational and Academic Advisory councils, and community members will be set-up to conduct these interviews. During the interviews the students will be asked about their high school experiences and they will have the opportunity to present written, video, audio or physical evidence about their individual strengths and interests that were developed during their high school career.