What is a Passage Portfolio Presentation?
A Passage Portfolio Presentation is the culminating academic experience for every 8th grade scholar at Lillie May Carroll Jackson Charter School. Each scholar reflects on her full middle school journey — academics, character, habits of mind — builds a portfolio website of her best work, and presents to a panel of community members, educators, and family.
Scholars must score at least 2.5 out of 4.0 on all three rubrics — Academic, Character, and Presentation — to pass. It is real stakes and real joy. Panelists are not judges. They are witnesses, supporters, and providers of kind, specific, meaningful feedback.
“The PPP is not about proving readiness to the school or to a panel of adults. It is about each scholar proving to herself that she is ready. That is the most important thing on the list.”
LMCJ has partnered with EL Education (formerly Expeditionary Learning) since the school’s founding. The PPP model grows directly from EL’s commitment to student-led work, high-quality craftsmanship, and authentic community engagement. Our first PPP class graduated in 2018. Members of that class are now graduating from college.
Why this model works — and why it matters especially for girls
The prefrontal cortex — where reasoning, planning, and identity form — is still actively developing through adolescence. Middle schoolers need learning that feels purposeful. Connecting work to community and future deepens engagement in ways that last.
Neural pathways formed now are used for the rest of their lives. LMCJ is deliberate about what scholars practice — reflection, ownership, vulnerability in front of a supportive audience.
PPPs give purpose to 3–4 years of middle school. By 8th grade, scholars can see, name, and own their own growth.
Research from Georgetown Law’s Center on Poverty and Inequality — Girlhood Interrupted — documents what many educators know: girls are too often treated as more adult, more culpable, and less deserving of protection than their peers.
The effect is harsher treatment, fewer second chances, and less access to the grace of simply being a child.
PPPs are an act of resistance. We insist that our scholars get to be young, get to be celebrated, and get to narrate their own story — in their own voice, to a village that is rooting for them.
PPPs are not an 8th grade add-on. They are the culmination of a four-year design.
Every touchpoint below is intentional. The same community members who serve as Career Day speakers sometimes return as PPP panelists. The portfolio website a scholar starts in 5th grade becomes what she presents in 8th. Nothing is accidental.
🌱 Lillie Seeds Ceremony
Scholars receive a lily from an older student outdoors. They meet their crew and crew leader — a relationship that lasts up to four years. Their first lesson includes watching a PPP. The message is clear from day one: this is what you are working toward.
📋 Scholar-Led Conferences
Scholars build and present their SLC portfolio website three times per year to family and teachers. Artifacts are gathered continuously from 5th grade onward. The PPP portfolio website is built on this foundation.
💼 Career Day
50+ Baltimore professionals come to LMCJ, with intentional focus on women in leadership. Scholars write thank-you notes in crew. These relationships seed the community that shows up for PPPs.
🎤 Panels
College, career, and alumnae panels throughout the year. Scholars learn to listen actively, ask strong questions, and envision futures for themselves. Being in an audience is practice for being on the stage.
🤝 Mock Interviews
Community members conduct formal one-on-one interviews with scholars. This is their first experience presenting themselves to an authentic outside audience. The same volunteers sometimes return as PPP panelists in the spring — building continuity and trust.
🌸 Passage Portfolio Presentation
Everything converges. From January through late April, scholars complete eight reflections — one per week in Transitions class and across content areas. They finalize their portfolio website, meet weekly with their PPP Advisor, and rehearse in front of their crew. Then they present to the world.
Scaffolding — meeting every scholar where she is
Every scholar completes the same reflections and meets the same standard. But not every scholar needs the same support to get there. LMCJ uses three tiered drafting sheets, and scholars self-select — or are supported by their PPP Advisor and Crew Leader in choosing.
The standard does not change. The path to get there is differentiated.
“I got it.”
Open-ended drafting sheet — minimal prompts, maximum voice. Scholars who are strong reflective writers choose this path.
“I need a little help.”
Guided sheet with sentence starters and structured sections. Scholars organize their thinking step by step while still developing their own ideas.
“I need more help.”
Highly structured templates with detailed prompts, space for shorter responses, and close PPP Advisor support throughout the process.
Sisterhood is not accidental at LMCJ. It is structural.
For girls navigating systems that too often misread them, sisterhood is not a nice-to-have. It is a buffer against adultification, a source of identity affirmation, and a daily reminder that you are seen. You cannot replicate a meaningful PPP without the relational infrastructure that makes vulnerability feel safe.
Crew
The same crew leader and crew sisters for up to four years. A crew leader knows a scholar across all of middle school — and that continuity shows in every PPP. It is the foundational relationship that makes everything else possible.
Blooming Lily Circles
Structured circle gatherings that center girl voice, joy, and collective reflection throughout the school year. Not therapy, not class time — intentional community care built into the school calendar. These circles build the trust that makes deep reflection possible.
Scholar Assistant
A crew sister chosen to be present at every PPP. She manages the technology and provides moral support. This is not a formality — no scholar should ever be alone in her most vulnerable moment. The Scholar Assistant is sisterhood made structural.
Lillie May for Life
LMCJ alumnae return as panelists, mentors, and scholarship recipients. When an alumna sits on a PPP panel, she tells the scholar: this community is real, it lasts, and it includes you. The sisterhood does not end at graduation.
What makes this model work — and what is hard
We are not selling a program. We are sharing a practice. Here is an honest look at both sides.
What Makes It Work
Authentic audience with real stakes — scholars know this matters
Multi-year, multi-subject integration — not a one-time project
Crew as the relational backbone — trust is built before vulnerability is asked
Community recruited with intention and care — not just a warm body in a chair
Scaffolded materials that meet scholars where they are without lowering the bar
Reflection practiced from day one of 5th grade — not invented in 8th
What Is Hard
Scheduling 8+ time slots across two days is logistically complex
Panelist no-shows happen — always recruit more than you need
Reflection quality varies widely — coaching takes significant, sustained time
Rubric calibration requires ongoing staff norming — don’t do this once
You cannot have a meaningful PPP without relational infrastructure built first
This is not a program you buy. It is a culture you build — over years
You don’t have to build it all at once.
Here are three entry points for schools at different stages. Start where you are. The most important thing is not the rubric or the calendar — it is building the relationships first.
Just Starting
One Reflection + One Panel Event
Pick one reflection type — a letter to the world, or an academic reflection — and one community panel event per year. Give students a real audience for real work. That is the seed.
Building
Add a PPP Advisor + Creation Calendar
Assign one staff member as a PPP Advisor. Build a weekly creation calendar from January through April. Add community volunteers to the panel. Now you have a system.
Scaling
Build the Full Multi-Year Architecture
Crew or advisory. Blooming Lily Circles or equivalent. SLC portfolios starting in 5th grade. The PPP as the culmination of a journey that begins day one. Now you have a culture.
Join a free Preview PD session and see the model up close.
Three free virtual sessions — open to educators and practitioners. 50 minutes. An honest, behind-the-scenes look at how this all works and what it takes.
Have Questions? Get in Touch
Want to learn more about adapting the PPP model for your school? Reach out and we will connect you with the right person.
info@lilliemay.org
These sessions are made possible by a grant from the Maryland Alliance of Public Charter Schools (MAPCS) Collaborative Technical Assistance Project.
Resources & Reference Materials
These materials are available to any practitioner who wants to explore the PPP model in more depth — the creation schedule scholars follow, sample portfolio sites, crew leader guidance, and the complete panelist handbook.
PPP Creation Schedule
The week-by-week schedule scholars follow from January through PPP Day — including the three drafting sheet levels and the full rehearsal process.
Sample PPP Portfolio Sites
See examples of the portfolio websites scholars build and present. Helpful for understanding the scope and depth of work your scholars would be expected to produce.
Full PPP Handbook
The complete handbook — crew leader guidance, scholar assistant information, volunteer panelist signup, and all supporting documents in one organized place.
