Spring Updates: Portfolio Defense Season, Deeper Learning Conference, and More!

A Community for High-Quality Performance Assessment System Leaders

March 27th, 2025

IN THIS ISSUE:

Announcements & Upcoming Events:

It's Conference Season!

Guest Blog:

“The Blueprint

to Defenses"

Resource Corner:

World of Work Week with Envision Academy Interns

Greetings, friends of ELP! As the season changes from Winter to Spring and the earth is green and growing, it’s a pleasant reminder that it is also portfolio-defense season—a time when students are reflecting on their growth, proudly showcasing their learning, and stepping into new challenges. The energy of this season feels like the perfect backdrop for the exciting work we’re doing at ELP.

I’ll be spending a lot of time in San Diego in the upcoming weeks at this year’s Deeper Learning Conference and ASU+GSV Summit. I’m particularly proud of our Envision-led session line up at this year’s Deeper Learning Conference, kicking off April 2nd. This year's theme–Reimagine Schools, Redefine Student Learning–could not be more important in these complicated times. Read on to discover more about our sessions and we hope to see you there!

If you can’t make it to San Diego next month, we’d love to have you join us virtually at our upcoming ELP Educators’ Exchange. On April 24th, in honor of Spring being defense season, I’ll be hosting a dialogue with longtime thought partner, Buffy Cushman-Patz, founder of the school SEEQS in Hawaii, home of some of the best quality portfolio-defenses in the country. Join us for a conversation as we discuss the virtues and challenges of portfolio-defense.

This issue also features a Guest Blog from Duane Robertson, CTE Coordinator for Antelope Valley High School District. Their work is close to our hearts, as they’re embedding portfolio-defenses into their CTE pathway to better prepare students for the future. Read his post to learn about AVHSD’s initiative, from planning to overcoming challenges and measuring success.

And there’s more: a recap, resources, and inspiring student quotes from the week that ELPers had interns through the World of Work (WOW) program in partnership with our Oakland school, Envision Academy.

I look forward to seeing many of you next month in San Diego: please say hi!

Justin Wells, Chief Program Officer

Announcements & Upcoming Events

Deeper Learning Conference 2025

We hope to see you in sunny San Diego this April 2-4th at the Deeper Learning Conference!

Click the images to learn more about the Envision facilitated sessions!

Join us for the April Educators' Exchange!

In celebration of Spring as defense season, Justin Wells will be hosting an open event with longtime ELP partner, Buffy Cushman-Patz of SEEQS in Hawaii.

Join us for an insightful conversation as we explore the virtues, challenges, and best practices of portfolio defense, and how this powerful process can drive student growth and mastery. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from experienced educators and engage in a thought-provoking discussion!

Let us know you're coming by grabbing a free ticket.

Join Ruth Chung Wei at AERA!

The American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting gathers education researchers for a showcase of groundbreaking, innovative studies in an array of areas.

Learn about our session: Centering the Voices of Disabled Learners.

Guest Blog: “The Blueprint to Defenses" by Duane Robertson of AVHSD

AVUHSD’s integration of Portfolio Defenses into CTE pathways has empowered students with vital communication, critical thinking, and collaboration skills, transforming their learning experience.

Explore how this innovative approach is shaping the future of education and empowering students to excel beyond the classroom in the full blog post, written by Duane Robertson, Coordinator of CTE for the Antelope Valley Union High School District.

Click here to read.

Resource Corner: World of Work Week with Envision Academy Interns

Every year, 11th grade students at Envision Academy (EA), Envision's Oakland 6-12 grade school, complete a week-long internship as part of their Work-Based Learning experience, known as World of Work ("WoW").

The Envision Learning Partners team recently used this as an opportunity to collaborate on a project that showcased the power of student voice with a group of three EA interns. This experience served as a powerful reminder of the impact student-driven initiatives have on everyone involved.

Click here to learn more, including inspiring quotes from the student interns, a video of the EA culminating internship exhibition, and resources that might spark you to implement this program at your own school or district.