YES Charter’s 8th Grade ePortfolio Winners

Article written by Julia Campbell

 YES Charter Academy’s 8th grade class is assigned an ePortfolio project each year that captures the work being done in their grade and the aspirations they have for their future careers. As YES adds a high school grade each year, they will continue contributing to their ePortfolios providing them with a comprehensive portfolio by graduation to use in higher education and the workforce. A US study done by Pebble Pad’s Gail I. Ring and Clemson University’s Chelsea Waugman and Bob Brackett, “The Value of Career ePortfolios on Job Applicant Performance: Using Data to Determine Effectiveness,” found that “…engaging students in purposeful and iterative dialogue centered on the evidence collected in their ePortfolios positively influences their ability to communicate their accomplishments to a potential employer,” making this a fruitful requirement for students (2017, p. 233). This year, Principal Louise Miller recruited members from the community to judge and score ePortfolios assigned to them. Some of these judges come from the Yuba Watershed Protection & Fire Safe Council, a local journalist that writes for YES, Yuba Water, and more. Each ePortfolio is required to contain the following sections: About Me, Resume, Goals, Aptitude (self-assessment), Social Good/Community Service, Interests: Clubs, Athletics, Organizations, Hobbies, Achieve: Distinctions, Honors, Industry Certifications, Project Based Learning, and a page for each academic and elective class they take. ePortfolio Judge Katie Keith remarked “Your portfolio is a record of who you are now and who you hope to be in the future. I truly enjoyed learning about your education, hobbies, and goals.”. This year, the top three winners received cash prizes kindly provided by Foundation 4 Innovation ranging from $100 to $25. Congratulations to first place winner Mateja McCarter, 2nd place Cecilia Roa Baumler, and Daria Usova for 3rd place.