Local business people, community leaders, alumni, parents and parishioners were at St. Mary School May 21 to interview 30 graduating eighth-graders as their culminating Student Learning Portfolio projects. The project was developed by SMS junior high science teacher Georgia Stern and Cecile Mantecon, a former SMS junior high teacher, with set objectives including: Encourage student accountability, promote student self-awareness and reflection of learning skills with an opportunity to construct a portfolio reflecting evidence of achievement and growth, along with an opportunity to be exposed to the formal interview process. Students were required to perform an initial self-assessment and subsequent periodic self-evaluation throughout the year. In order for students to recognize their achievement of Student Learning Expectations, they collected, organized and presented evidence of the achievement in the formal interviews. A binder was presented at the formal interview, containing their reflections, evidence, answers to questions and the final self-assessment. Photo submitted by Kelly Barabzette.
