Published: November 22, 2009 05:05 am      

Passport program will lead to brighter future for students and school system

Education has never been more important for young people as they face an ever-evolving job market.

We’re talking about more than the ability to correctly answer questions on tests.

For high school students preparing to enter the work force or moving on to vocational training or higher education, it’s critical that they demonstrate an ability to actually apply what they have learned.

Four years ago, in an attempt to meet this objective, the Marion County Schools administration came up with the Passport program, a graduation requirement for this year’s senior class.

Last year, the students completed a 12-page research paper on their career choice. This year, they’re meeting with mentors to learn more about their career field and creating their projects. The students actually have to create something, meaning a model, a demonstration, a video or a slideshow presentation. They also have to keep a portfolio of their work.

Heath Daniels, for example, is a student at North Marion High and the Marion County Technical Center who wants to be a coal miner. Last year, he did a research paper on the history of coal mining. This year, he found a mentor — a retired coal miner — and is working on a project he hopes could be used to make the mines a safer place to work.

The entire senior project will be judged in the spring by a panel of judges. Students will receive a simple grade of “pass” or “fail.” If students don’t get a pass, they’ll have to correct the weaknesses in their projects and present to the judges again.

Passport is designed as a program to help students, not serve as a barrier to graduation.

“Some states have been doing this for more than a decade,” said East Fairmont High School language arts teacher Wendy DeVault, who is coordinating the program at that school. “I think (students) are just afraid of what they don’t know.”

Students must make plenty of personal decisions as part of Passport, another preparation for what they’ll face as they move on in life.

“Lots of the project is self-directed and that’s the point,” DeVault said. “Students must take responsibility for their learning. We can help, but that’s not the purpose.”

Marion County Technical Center counselor Sabrina Judy knows some students are questioning why they are being asked to do more than past graduates. However, she believes they’ll see the worth in the years ahead.

If students are continuing on to college, it’s the same type of project-based learning they’ll have to complete to graduate, she explained. If they’re heading to technical school or into the job market, the projects can be used to show potential employers what the student is capable of doing.

Education personnel are learning as well.

Fairmont Senior librarian Lisa Medina is coordinating the projects at that school. She said the biggest challenge so far has been students who want to go into health careers. Because of insurance and privacy concerns, finding mentors for those students proved to be a challenge. Instead, those students have teamed up and are creating a documentary on the health care field and health care reform,

Each school is looking for judges. In some cases, the schools are still looking for mentors for students.

“The teachers and school administrators wanted to add rigor in the junior and senior year, and this program is the outgrowth of that,” Superintendent of Schools Tom Deadrick said. “We understand this year’s projects won’t be as sophisticated as what we will see in future years. We know we’ll get better with time.”

Marion County can take pride in knowing the pioneering efforts capped during the 2009-10 academic year will lead to a brighter future for both students and the school system.