Portfolio Assessment A collection of a student’s work specifically selected to tell a story about the student
What is a portfolio? Place to collect student performances over time Consciously selected examples of work that is selected to show growth Could be a collection of many different student performances OR can be single performance by different students
Are Portfolios Assessments? Some suggest that portfolios are not really assessments at all because they are just collections of previously completed assessments. But, if we consider assessing as gathering of information about someone or something for a purpose, then a portfolio is a type of assessment.
Are Portfolios Authentic Assessments? In portfolio assignments, students are asked to reflect on their work, to engage in selfassessment and goalsetting. Those are two of the most authentic skills students need to develop to successfully manage in the real world.
Purposes Why might you use a portfolio assignment? Portfolios typically are created for one of the following three purposes: ◦ to show growth (process of learning) ◦ to showcase current abilities (product of learning) ◦ to evaluate cumulative achievement (progress of learning).
Pros and Cons Pros ◦ Students revisit and reflect on their growth ◦ Limited number of pieces of evidence can certify student learning ◦ Focus on self-improvement Cons ◦ Scoring that is timely and reliable. ◦ Time consuming reflection process/sharing
Uses of Portfolios Showcase for student’s best work, as chosen by student or by teacher Showcase for students’ interest Showcase for students’ growth Evidence of self-assessment Complete collection of student work for documentation and archiving A constantly changing sample of work chosen by student (could change in response to different exhibitions or needs like applying to college)
Questions to consider: 1. Purpose: What is the purpose(s) of the portfolio? 2. Audience: For what audience(s) will the portfolio be created? 3. Content: What samples of student work will be included? 4. Process: What processes (e.g., selection of work to be included, reflection on work, conferencing) will be engaged in during the development of the portfolio? 5. Management: How will time and materials be managed in the development of the portfolio? 6. Communication: How and when will the portfolio be shared with pertinent audiences? 7. Evaluation: If the portfolio is to be used for evaluation, when and how should it be evaluated?
Student Reflection CRITICAL Reflection on Samples of Work Simply selecting samples of work as described above can produce meaningful stories about students, and others can benefit from "reading" these stories. But the students themselves are missing significant benefits of the portfolio process if they are not asked to reflect upon the quality and growth of their work.
Conferencing Teacher – student Teacher – student –parent Student –student Student – class
Assessment of Portfolios can be done by either teachers or students or both Conversations about student work enhances student learning and moves students forward Three-Way Conferences
Evaluation: How and when should it be evaluated? How and when evaluation is addressed varies according to purpose Consider Evaluation vs. Grading Evaluation refers to the act of making a judgment about something. Grading takes that process one step further by assigning a grade to that judgment.
What to Grade ? Nothing. Some teachers choose not to grade the portfolio because they have already assigned grades to the contents selected for inclusion. The metacognitive and organizational elements. Process skills like reflection, goal setting, self-assessment may part of the standards. Completion. Some portfolios are graded simply on whether or not the portfolio was completed. Everything. Other teachers evaluate the entire package: the selected samples of student work as well as the reflection, organization and presentation of the portfolio.
How to Grade/Assess: Rubrics A great deal of personal judgment goes into assessing a complex product such as a portfolio so a rubrics ensures there is a shared vision of success. If multiple evaluators are involved, a rubrics provides details for levels of quality.
Evaluating competencies