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Portfolios: Assessment Strategies
ow does portfolio assessment wor!"
Advisor# $%ollection&
Twice a month, advisors guide students in collecting artifacts that meet the
criteria outlined for each grade (see "skills checklists" below).
S!ills %hec!list $Selection&
A checklist of essential skills for 9th grade, 10th grade, and one for 11th1!th
grade articulate what is re"uired to com#lete the #ortfolio at each level. $an%
artifacts will satisf% more than one re"uirement.
'e(ection )orm $'e(ection&
&ach artifact submission must be accom#anied b% an "Artifact 'e(ection )orm"
com#leted b% the student. This form guides the student in identif%ing wh% the%
chose the artifact, the essential skills it demonstrates, and how the% can im#rove
these skills, while also #roviding con*rmation of the submission endorsement b%
a teacher. Advisors make sure that the student has su+cientl% com#leted the
re(ection form before a##roving the submission.
*+hi,ition $%onnection&
At the end of the %ear, all seniors #resent their #ortfolios at an all,school
academic e-hibition to which students, sta., #arents, and the greater communit%
are invited. /uries consisting of students, #ast graduates, #arents, communit%
members, and facult% evaluate senior #resentations to ensure that criteria are
met. $embers of the 0uries ask "uestions, engage in dialogue, #rovide feedback,
and deliberate on the merits of the e-hibition.
S!ills chec!lists and re(ection forms
1hen students select artifacts for their #ortfolio, the% will number it and *ll out
the "Artifact 'e(ection )orm". After the% com#lete the form, the% will record that
number ne-t to a##ro#riate disci#line and skills on the skills checklist. 2ne
artifact can #otentiall% satisf% a number of skills.
)or e-am#le, a 10th grade student has decided to select a #ainting #roduced in
art class to #ut in her 10th grade #ortfolio. After talking with her art teacher and
advisor, all agree that the #ainting satis*es the ")ine arts or other elective"
artifact listed under the Knowledgable Person section, the "3nvention" skill listed
under the Complex Thinker section, and the "&-#resses clear ideas visuall%" skill
under the Efective Communicator section, all on the 10th grade 4kills 5hecklist.
4he com#letes her re(ection form, obtains an endorsement from her art teacher,
and numbers it 61. 4he then goes to the 10th grade 4kills 5hecklist and writes
61 ne-t to ")ine arts or other elective" "3nvention," and "&-#resses clear ideas
visuall%." 1hen her 10th grade #ortfolio is com#lete, ever% disci#line should be
re#resented and ever% skill, unless otherwise noted, should be numbered.
The checklists were develo#ed b% 5lear 5reek Amana 7igh 4chool, Ti+n, 3owa,
based on e-am#les from around the countr%8
Portfolio Assessment -.ide
2ne form of authentic assessment being widel% ada#ted in schools toda% is
#ortfolio assessment. 9iane 7art de*nes a #ortfolio as "a container that holds
evidence of an individual:s skills, ideas, interests, and accom#lishments." The
ultimate aim in the use of #ortfolios is to develo# inde#endent, self,directed
learners. ;ong,term #ortfolios #rovide a more accurate #icture of students:
s#eci*c achievements and #rogress and the areas of needed attention.
<ortfolios make it easier to develo# grading schemes that em#hasi=e assessing
individual student growth rather than com#etition with other students. As self,
evaluation is an integral #art of #ortfolio assessment, a highl% com#etitive
climate will #rove counter#roductive. 4tudents will be reluctant to focus u#on
their de*ciencies if the% believe it will #ut them at a disadvantage in the
com#etition for the to# grades. 2ften #ortfolios are used to su##lement, not
re#lace, traditional assessment #rocedures.
1. 'emember, #ortfolios should be develo#ed b% the students, not the
teacher. 4tudents should have freedom in selecting items to include in
their #ortfolios. 3t is advantageous to make the whole #ortfolio #rocess a
collaborative teacher,student e.ort, with the teacher becoming more of a
consultant to the student. The teacher functions more as a coach than a
director.
!. An% item that #rovides evidence of a student:s achievement and growth
can be included in a #ortfolio. 5ommonl% used items include8
a. &-am#les of written work
b. /ournals and logs
c. 4tandardi=ed inventories
d. >ideota#es of student #erformances
e. Audiota#es of #resentations
f. $ind ma#s and notes
g. ?rou# re#orts
h. Tests and "ui==es
i. 5harts, gra#hs
0. ;ists of books read
k. @uestionnaire results
l. <eer reviews
m. 4elf,evaluations
A. &ach item in the #ortfolio should be dated to facilitate the evaluation of
#rogress through the %ear.
B. T%#icall%, teachers hold #eriodic individual conferences with their students
to review their #ortfolios. 9uring this interview it is im#ortant to listen to
the students: assessments of the items in their #ortfolio. The focus of the
discussion should be u#on the #roducts included in the #ortfolio. The
teacher and student work together to set a limited number of ob0ectives
for future work. 4trive to achieve a dialogue, not a lecture.
C. $uch of the value of #ortfolios derives from the students: re(ection on
which items are worth including in their #ortfolios.
D. The #ortfolios ma% be ke#t in folders, *le bo-es, assigned drawers, or
other a##ro#riate containers. 1hatever the storage container, it must be
readil% accessible to the students.
E. <ortfolios are es#eciall% hel#ful at #arent conferences. 7el# the #arent
e-amine the #ortfolio, #ointing out evidence of #rogress and areas of
needed im#rovement.
F. Ge #atient. <ortfolios are a new conce#t to most students and #arents.
There is a learning curve involved in ada#ting to the #rocess. &-#eriment
to determine what works and feel free to modif% as needed.
9. 3n some schools students: #ortfolios are made available to their teachers
the following %ear to aid in diagnosis. A few schools are e-#erimenting
with the develo#ment of a #ermanent #ortfolio that follows the students
throughout their total school e-#erience. (This would be se#arate from
their cumulative record folder.) H#on graduation the students would kee#
their #ortfolios.
10.9evelo# %our own teaching #ortfolio as a means of facilitating %our
#rofessional develo#ment. 3t also can #rove invaluable in tenure
assessments and future 0ob searches. Iour #rofessional #ortfolio might
include videota#es of successful classes, curriculum materials %ou have
develo#ed, course s%llabi, sam#le lesson #lans, #rofessional develo#ment
goals and ob0ectives, worksho# classes attended, #ublications written,
student evaluations, awards, certi*cates, #rofessional a+liations,
#rinci#al:s and su#ervisor:s evaluations, and %our teaching #hiloso#h%.
11.A large three,ring binder is a #ractical wa% to organi=e %our #ortfolio. Hse
tabs to indicate the various categories. Iou might occasionall% share %our
#ortfolio with students to model the #rocesses %ou are urging them to
follow.
7art, 9. (199B). Authentic Assessment: A Handbook or Educators. $enlo <ark,
5AJ Addison,1esle% <ub. 5o.
&-cer#ted from Classroom Teacher!s "urvival #uide.
Portfolios: /#pes
<age 1 of !
A #ortfolio in the conte-t of the classroom is a collection of student work that
evidences master% of a set of skills, a##lied knowledge, and attitudes. The
individual works in a #ortfolio are often referred to as "artifacts."
$ost e.ective #ortfolios also contain a re(ective element, where the student has
in some form contem#lated her or his own strengths and weaknesses as a
learner. <ortfolios can be divided into two grou#s8 process oriented or product
oriented #ortfolios.
Process oriented portfolios
<rocess oriented #ortfolios tell a stor% about the growth of a learner. The%
document the #rocesses of learning and creating, including earlier drafts,
re(ections on the #rocess, and obstacles encountered along the wa%. The% ma%
be organi=ed into skill areas or themes, %et each contains a student:s work from
the beginning, middle, and end of a learning unit. )or e-am#le, there ma% be
three drafts of a short stor%8 a #reliminar% draft, a reworked draft re(ecting
teacher and #eer feedback, and a *nal draft. The student can comment on the
wa%s one is better than the other. 3n this manner, the artifacts can be com#ared
#roviding evidence about how the student:s skills have im#roved. 3n an% number
of wa%s, in writing or #erha#s during a #arent,teacher conference, the student
would re(ect on the learning #rocess8 identif%ing how skills have changed,
celebrating accom#lishments, and establishing #resent and future challenges.
Prod.ct oriented portfolios
<roduct oriented #ortfolios are collections of work a student considers his or her
best. The aim is to document and re(ect on the "ualit% and range of
accom#lishments rather than the #rocess that #roduced them. 3t generall%
re"uires a student to collect all of her work until the end, at which time she must
choose artifacts that re#resent work of the highest "ualit%.
There are an% number of wa%s to facilitate this #rocess. 4tudents can be left
com#letel% to their own devices to choose. A teacher can also establish
#arameters of what a #ortfolio must contain and the "ualit% an artifact must
achieve to be included. )or e-am#le, a math teacher ma% sti#ulate that a
#ortfolio must contain evidence of the abilit% to successfull% a##l% the conce#ts
of mean, median, and mode. The teacher ma% also sti#ulate that these artifacts
must have earned a certain score to be acce#ted into the #ortfolio. 3n this wa%,
#roduct oriented #ortfolios can be "uite e.ective in holding students accountable
for #roducing "ualit% work. )inall%, it is ver% common for each artifact in a
#roduct oriented #ortfolio to be accom#anied b% self,re(ection, usuall% in writing,
on wh% and in what wa%s the artifacts re#resent best work.
Goth kinds of #ortfolios are used at all grade levels. 3t does turn out, however,
that #rocess,folios are more common at the elementar% level. 3t ma% be that
teachers at these levels tend to be more concerned about individual growth than
about determining s#eci*c levels of #erformance. The #rocess,folio ma% also
match elementar% teaching methods more readil%.
4imilarl%, #roduct oriented #ortfolios are more common at the secondar% level.
This is #robabl% due to two factors. )irst, the higher stakes of grade #oint
averages and test scores at these levels has created a more *nal result oriented
learning environment. 4econd, older students generall% have the higher thinking
skills necessar% to choose their best work wisel%, as well as engage in self,
re(ection more dee#l%. Kotwithstanding an% of these #oints, neither t%#e of
#ortfolio is necessaril% better suited for an% grade level. 3t is usuall% a matter of
#reference, teaching st%le, or school culture.
P.,lic e+hi,ition
2ne *nal element common to both kinds of #ortfolios is the #ublic e-hibition.
Gefore a #anel consisting of an% combination of #eers, teachers, #arents, or
other communit% members, students are often asked to formall% #resent all or
#arts of their #ortfolio. 3n some cases, students defend their work, much like a
graduate student might defend a thesis. 3n other cases, grou#s of students
e-hibit their #ortfolios in a more celebrator% manner, much like a museum
e-hibition. 4till other cases have students develo# a #art of their #ortfolio more
in de#th, re(ecting a student:s individual academic or career interests.
7owever a #ortfolio e-hibition is structured, the im#ortance of this element lies
in forging a connection between student and communit%. 1hen a student:s
#ortfolio will be viewed b% others criticall%, it lends the whole #rocess more
validit% and higher stakesJ students will #a% closer attention to "ualit%. 4imilarl%,
it also becomes a wa% to involve the communit%, #articularl% #arents, more
dee#l% in the learning #rocess.
G% Andrew &#stein, 4%na#se ;earning 9esign