Assessment in schools often feels like judging a book by its cover – it never quite captures the whole story. Especially when every student is a unique individual with their own stories and strengths. One might even wonder if reducing people in their early, and most formative years, to letters and numbers has given rise to the self-help industry that in 2022 was valued at $13.2 billion dollars, with a compound annual growth rate of 5.6 percent! If you’ve ever been in a webinar with Tony Robbins, Gary Vaynerchuk, or Dean Graziosi you know that the number one thing most people are looking to hear someone say is:
“You’re good enough. You can do this. You are capable of more than you’ve been told."
What if students grew up hearing these messages? What if they were no longer confined to one-dimensional test scores or grades, but instead were confident in recognizing and articulating their strengths and skills? In an age where artificial intelligence is pervasive, the real differentiators are human skills like empathy, critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and the ability to apply insights in emotionally intelligent ways.
In fact these skills are so important that in a recent article about Redefining Work, LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky shared that 72 percent of U.S. executives said that they value soft skills more than AI skills.
A Portfolio is a Story, Not Just a Score
The traditional way of assessment has often reduced our students to mere numbers and letters. Think of it like watching a movie with the sound off and then being asked to write a review—it's incomplete and unjust. Instead, a portfolio allows us to turn up the volume, to listen and look deeply at a student's journey.
Imagine if every student introduced themselves by saying:
Hi! I’m ____ and I’m working on _____.
Instead of:
Hi, I’m a freshman and I go to [insert school name].
How does a student begin crafting this narrative? It starts with self-awareness.
Self-awareness is the foundation upon which everything else is built. We’re all great at something, but we can’t be great at everything; we each have a story in our heads of how we operate within the world. In the book, Life is in the Transitions: Navigating Change at Any Age, author Bruce Feiler shares, “Life is the story you tell yourself. But how you tell that story — are you a hero, victim, lover, warrior, caretaker, believer — matters even more.”
Try This: The 30-Day Challenge
When we help learners become aware of the stories they tell themselves about what they can and cannot do, we can help them change the beliefs inside their heads. To do this, it’s essential that they first identify their strengths and identify how they have leveraged these strengths throughout their lives. Consider having students take the Sparketype, a free assessment created by Jonathan Fields to learn what energizes you and what drains you.
Once students have identified what energizes them and what drains them, invite them to reflect each day with three journal questions:
- What sparked me today?
- What drained me today?
- What did I learn about myself today?
P.S. You can try this too!
Designing Projects that are a Passport to Opportunities
When traveling, your passport is more than just a piece of paper; it's your gateway to explore new worlds and cultures. Likewise, a portfolio isn't just a folder of assignments; it's your passport to boundless opportunities—academic, professional, and personal. It opens doors to new avenues, letting you showcase the skills and experiences that define you, far beyond the limiting scope of grades and test scores.
The journey from traditional, standards-based instruction to dynamic, portfolio-ready projects isn’t just about adding more tech or flashy tools. It’s a deeper shift in how we view education. Instead of merely transmitting knowledge, it’s about creating spaces where students actively engage, explore, and showcase their learning. One major roadblock for many educators is the time and effort this transition demands. However, with AI tools like ChatGPT today, educators have a thought partner, a helper, to make this shift smoother and more intuitive.
The SPARK Framework by Designing Schools helps design prompts that encourage you to first think about the problem you want to solve, or the opportunity you are interested in to align goals and outcomes. As Don Norman says: A brilliant solution to the wrong problem can be worse than no solution at all: solve the correct problem.
Let’s look at two examples of using the SPARK (Situation, Task, Action, Result, Kismet) method to turn a traditional standard into a portfolio ready project.
Situation: Hey ChatGPT, I teach middle school science in California and I need your help coming up with ideas. We’re diving into the NGSS standard MS-ESS3-3: “Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.”
Problem: I’ve typically used textbook readings and diagrams. But as AI reshapes our world, I’m passionate about equipping my students with skills that make them standout thinkers and problem solvers.
Aspiration: Every headline about climate change reinforces my commitment. Using design thinking and UDL, I dream of guiding my students to craft real-world environmental solutions. I want them to feel they’re contributing meaningfully, even in a tech-driven age.
Result: My dream outcome? By semester’s end, I hope to see every student proudly showcase their environmental solutions in their portfolios. These projects won’t just be badges of academic achievement; they’ll be proof of their readiness to tackle future challenges, making them invaluable assets when they think about their next educational and career steps.
Let ChatGPT share responses then it’s time for the last part of the SPARK – Kismet:
Kismet (the surprise): What is something I haven’t considered that will enhance this experience?
In another example:
Situation: Hey ChatGPT, I teach high school Social Students in California and I need your help coming up with ideas. Our focus is on standard 11.1 from the California History-Social Science Content Standards, which discusses the nation’s foundational events.
Problem: While I’ve traditionally had students do essays and presentations, the present-day challenges, from AI ethics to debates about democracy, make me want our historical teachings to resonate more deeply. I want my students to see the bridge between then and now, especially as they prepare for a future where AI plays a significant role.
Aspiration: Each debate on democracy and human rights emphasizes the need to understand our roots. I envision a project where students craft digital campaigns that bring the Declaration of Independence into today’s context. It’s about making history tangible, especially in our algorithm-influenced world.
Result: My ultimate goal is that I hope to see these reinterpretations become more than just classroom projects. I want them to spark broader discussions and find a prominent place in each student’s portfolio. But beyond the project itself, these portfolios will highlight their critical thinking, adaptability, and their knack for drawing contemporary insights from historical contexts. As the world evolves, these are the skills colleges and future workplaces are hungry for. And with these portfolio pieces, our students are not just showcasing work, but essential skills that set them up for success in the future.
Let ChatGPT share responses then it’s time for the last part of the SPARK:
Kismet (the surprise): What is something I haven’t considered that will enhance this experience?
Design Your Future, One Project at a Time
I tested this idea last month when I facilitated a workshop for high school students from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) hosted by the Iovine and Young Academy at the University of Southern California (USC). Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young (Dr. Dre) created a department that offers Bachelors and Masters degrees at the intersection of human-centered design, technology, entrepreneurship, and communication. Last year they launched the Iovine and Young Academy for high school students as part of LAUSD. Each summer the school hosts an innovation camp for high school students. In my workshop the goal was to help students create a portfolio showcasing their work and the process they engaged in during their time in the summer camp.
Last year Canva launched websites, so we decided to use that to have students create their portfolios. Not only is Canva free for students and educators, its intuitive interface and templates made it easy for students to see what was possible. The workshop was designed around the four competencies we share at Designing Schools when helping students create portfolios – self awareness, goal setting, professional networks, and public speaking. Ultimately we want students to be able to showcase their work, and articulate their strengths, goals and experiences with confidence. At Designing Schools we teach students that at its core, a portfolio is a relationship building tool. After just 3 hours together, students had a rough draft of a portfolio.
Like a GPS, portfolios provide both a snapshot of where you are and a map to where you want to go. They are fluid and adaptable, evolving as you learn and grow. In this world, an effective portfolio is like a well-packed suitcase, filled not just with necessities but also with curiosities and dreams. It’s time we help our students unpack their full potential.