As of this year, all students in the Wake County Public School System are required to create a portfolio for themselves, showcasing their work they have done while in school. As a student, when the idea was presented to me on the first day of my homeroom class, I was confused as to what this would mean and why we had to do it. I was unsure what it was for, when or why I would ever use it, and why I was being asked to do this my senior year of high school. And upon asking, only a few of these questions were answered. 

These portfolios are compilations of school work and achievements from a student during their time in school from 6th grade through their senior year of high school. They are meant to benefit the student by making it easier for them to build resumes for job opportunities, and help make the college application process smoother by having one place for all of their achievements. Sounds like a great idea, right? I completely agree. I think these portfolios are a great opportunity for students to have an easier time compiling work for applications to college, or even jobs. It can also just be a central space to keep all their major work, to help things be less clustered. But, what I still don’t understand, and my last remaining unanswered question, is why do I have to participate in this as a senior in high school?

While the new WCPSS portfolios are a great idea, I can’t seem to understand why students who are currently in high school are making them, when they will only be used for a short period of time, and won’t even be able to be used for their intended purpose, since they will only have a limited amount of work saved on them. 

As a senior in high school, I already have all of my accomplishments accessible and listed ready to be implemented as needed for my college and job applications, and while a portfolio like these could have been extremely helpful, the time where I would have used it is now gone, and I will not have any use for the work I am putting into the portfolio. This has the potential of being a successful program, but should be implemented starting in a 6th grade class, so they will have a chance to use it as it is intended, and see if it is actually an effective program.