Opportunity Ready is an initiative instated by  Roanoke County schools happening March 17- 18 where students show their collaboration, creative and critical thinking skills. Beginning in ninth grade, teachers encourage students to begin adding things into their Opportunity Ready portfolio.

Students are expected to incorporate meaningful evidence that proves growth. This evidence could be things that they have done inside or outside the school that helped to broaden their knowledge.

Opportunity Ready claims to ensure an increase in student confidence by gathering evidence that shows that graduates have valued skills and creating higher levels of student engagement. The RCPS websites states “being Opportunity Ready means emphasizing deeper learning, real-world application, and personal growth.”

On March 17 and 18, there will be different groups of teachers grading the students on how developed their presentations are. The levels of development start with emerging as the lowest level then developing, proficient, and advanced at the highest levels.

Some students and graduates are not quite as on board as administrators would have hoped for though. John Stamps (12) believes it is good practice for presenting your skills to an audience and compiling lists of things about yourself. However, he also states that “It’s a good idea, but strange to require everyone to do it.”

However, a former student has a much stronger opinion. Lucy Furcron decided last year not to participate in Opportunity Ready because she thought it was distasteful that they originally claimed to withhold graduation from those who did not participate, when in fact they could not. She also expressed little time to work on a portfolio because she was working to get an associate’s degree.

Opportunity Ready could be helpful to some students, helping them facilitate their abilities in public speaking. A list of projects that students have worked on could also prove useful in interviews and on resumes, but some students do not have the time or need to do this requirement.