Board previews digital student portfolios tied to new "portrait of a graduate"

Shoreham-Wading River's board heard a multi-part presentation on Aug. 26 about a new district "portrait of a graduate" and a digital-portfolio system the administration plans to phase in for incoming ninth graders.

Mister Meinster described the eight traits the community identified — adaptability, civic-mindedness, critical thinking, effective communication, empathy, growth mindset, resilience and responsibility — and said the portfolio will provide students a place to curate artifacts demonstrating those traits over a multi-year journey.

Presenters said the district selected Canva for the platform because it integrates with district systems and can keep student portfolios private until graduation. "It's not 1 slide," a presenter explained of the portfolio format; students will add multiple slides or pages over time and use rubrics for self-reflection and summative evaluation in their senior year.

The plan calls for required portfolio work beginning in ninth-grade home base, regular check-ins with a home-base advisor, and staff training so advisers can support students and use portfolios to identify academic or social-emotional concerns. Administrators said the first cohort will pilot the process and the district will consider making the portfolio a graduation requirement for subsequent classes only after reviewing outcomes.

Board members asked about professional development, how the summative proficiency bar will be defined, and how the district will avoid turning the portfolio into a "check-the-box" exercise. Presenters emphasized student ownership and self-reflection, and said exemplars and guidance will be provided to advisers rather than distributed to students as prescriptive templates.

The board did not vote on this item but requested follow-up on training and the crosswalk between curriculum and the eight traits.