Rite Of Passage Experience

	Rite of Passage Experience
Eighth grade students appear before a panel of adults, including teachers, administrators, and community members to present self-selected parts of their portfolios. They explain to the panel what they have learned about themselves as learners and as individuals throughout their middle school experience.
These conferences take place during two days at the end of the school year. At this time each student comes with his or her family for a 15 minute appointment with the panel. This presentation is considered a final exit exam from middle school. Included in the discussion with the panel are insights into each one’s academic growth and learning styles, personal growth , and a time for questions from the panel.

	The purpose of the Rite of Passage Experience (ROPE) is for each eighth grader to reflect on his or her learning from grades 6—8 and to present himself or herself as a student ready to go to high school. It consists of two parts: a 12 minute presentation of a portfolio created by the student which includes class work collected throughout middle school and a brief “chat” with a panel of teachers, community members, and administrators. All eighth graders are required to participate in this final exit experience. Students must examine artifacts of work accumulated throughout the three years of middle school from each content area. After analyzing their work, they must draw conclusions about themselves as thinkers and learners. They also look at how they have changed as individuals. For each area they must write a reflection on their findings. Selected papers are chosen to provide evidence for their portfolios.


Portfolio Section I: Academic Growth	Problem Solving: In this section of the portfolio students provide examples of how they have grown in their ability to solve problems They write an INTRODUCTION which explains how they use a problem-solving process and how the problems they solve have grown more complex. Communication: Students communicate in all content areas. In the INTRODUCTION to this section they discuss their growth in reading, writing, and speaking. They also describe the kinds of reading strategies they use to comprehend text. The Creation of Products: In this section students show examples of their ability to take information and create a product that demonstrates their learning.


Portfolio Section II: Personal Change and Growth	This section is a personal creation in which the student shows personal change which has taken place during the three years of middle school. It includes a REFLECTION and artifacts of pictures, certificates, and other examples of activities both in and outside of school.