By Kedina Hoeft, Y12
As of this year, our school has decided to launch a project within Year 12 called the Ecolint Learner Portfolio. The goal of this is to not only track your academic successes but also reward you for your interests and hobbies outside of school.
Dr Hughes gave the current year 12s the opportunity to participate in a test run of this new concept. This is especially beneficial for students looking to apply in America where they are not only focused on your academic performance but also your extracurriculars. Although this learner portfolio is only a prototype, the school is hoping for it to become a success and to be integrated starting in year 9.
The system works by rewarding you with credits or medals for your academic achievements for example your grades. Every grade within a certain markband will reach a certain number of credits. The aim is to gather as many credits as possible. Extracurriculars or hobbies can also earn you certain achievement levels with the according points. You do not have to show exemplary performance in your hobbies to achieve a gold medal, long periods of commitment can also get you the same outcome. For example, you can earn a high rank for being captain of a sports team, by committing to your sport for a year and improving on the goals you set yourself or by achieving high mark bands in assignments (6-7).
This learner portfolio can also make applications to universities much easier. Firstly, you are awarded for the time you invest not only on an academic basis but also an extracurricular standpoint. This system can be rewarding when academic performance tends to be the main focus of student life. Secondly, it will tie all your interests together in one coherent manner. All the things you would want to include in your university application are already ordered and analysed for you. Thirdly, this programme is new at International and IB-orientated schools and can give an advantage to those who decide to join in the early stages of this new programme. It gives you the advantage of standing out from the crowd.
Although this programme is still in its early stages, the school hopes for it to be a success and build a platform that is beneficial to the students, even if you’re not looking to apply to the US.
