Our involvement with the C-TAP enhanced our understanding of the power and potential of portfolios and raised the level of the discussion both among teachers and between teachers and students about learning processes and assessment. These projects are not in the basic Far West Laboratory design but are part of the academy requirements. Students begin a C-TAP in the tenth grade, but complete the bulk of their work samples and academy career practice in the eleventh grade. In their Junior Academy English classes, students spend time refining their C-TAPs, and then use them to showcase the knowledge and skills they have mastered and the work they can do. Students present their portfolios to prospective employers when they interview for Academy Summer Internships.
Most students personalize their portfolios.
They often design special covers and add plastic cover sheets and fancy indexes. With student assistance, we developed clearly stated definitions and examples of each of the aspects of industry and then asked them to create portfolio work samples which demonstrated their knowledge, understanding, and application of these specific aspects in the health care industry. We also developed a Work-Based Learning Portfolio requirement for students engaged in direct inquiry into various aspects of the health industry in the context of a medical center and a major health maintenance organization facility. Demonstration of AAI knowledge through the Work-Based Learning Portfolio can take many different forms. For example, a student might use several visits to the Neonatal Intensive Care Department to explore the management structure of a clinical department or how that particular department uses planning.