Portfolio AssessmentA 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 timeConsciously 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 self assessment and goal setting.

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 ConsPros

◦Students revisit and reflect on their growth

◦Limited number of pieces of evidence can certify student learning

◦Focus on self-improvementCons

◦Scoring that is timely and reliable.◦Time consuming reflection

process/sharing

Uses of PortfoliosShowcase for student’s best work, as

chosen by student or by teacherShowcase for students’ interestShowcase for students’ growthEvidence of self-assessment Complete collection of student work

for documentation and archivingA 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 CRITICALReflection 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.

ConferencingTeacher – studentTeacher – student –parentStudent –studentStudent – class

Assessment of Portfolioscan 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