Portfolio Assessment
Introduction
Portfolios are becoming an important means of assessment in many schools. In some cases, they are used as a basic or sole, method of performance assessment. In others, they provide another useful tool in the teachers’ assessment kit.
A portfolio is a collection of student work that has been selected and organized to show student learning progress (development portfolio) or to show samples of the students’ best work (showcase portfolio). A common practice is to use a developmental portfolio throughout an instructional program and the showcase portfolio at the end. Thus, the showcase portfolio provides a collection of work that indicates the student’s final level of performance. Portfolio is the collection of evidences of students’ work over a period of time. It could be day-to-day work or selection of the learner’s best piece of work. Painters and commercial artists often use Portfolios to demonstrate their skills and quality work before the selection committees.
Defining Portfolio Assessment
What is a portfolio?
A student portfolio is a systematic collection of student work and related material that depicts a student's activities, accomplishments, and achievements in one or more school subjects. The collection should include evidence of student reflection and self-evaluation, guidelines for selecting the portfolio contents, and criteria for judging the quality of the work. The goal is to help students assemble portfolios that illustrate their talents, represent their writing capabilities, and tell their stories of school achievement... (Venn, 2000, pp. 530-531)
Two Types of Portfolios:
Process and product portfolios represent the two major types of portfolios. A process portfolio documents the stages of learning and provides a progressive record of student growth. A product portfolio demonstrates mastery of a learning task or a set of learning objectives and contains only the best work... Teachers use process portfolios to help students identify learning goals, document progress over time, and demonstrate learning mastery... In general, teachers prefer to use process portfolios because they are ideal for documenting the stages that students go through as they learn and progress (Venn, 2000, p. 533).
Steps in the Portfolio Assessment Process
First, the teacher and the student need to clearly identify the portfolio contents, which are samples of student work, reflections, teacher observations, and conference records. Second, the teacher should develop evaluation procedures for keeping track of the portfolio contents and for grading the portfolio... Third, the teacher needs a plan for holding portfolio conferences, which are formal and informal meetings in which students review their work and discuss their progress. Because they encourage reflective teaching and learning, these conference are an essential part of the portfolio assessment process (Venn, 2000, p. 540).
What a Student Portfolio Can Show
1. Learning progress over time
2. Student’s current best work
3. Comparison of best work to past work
4. Development of self-assessment skills
5. Development of reflective learning
6. Individual’s level and pace of work
7. Clear evidence of learning to parents and others
8. The amount of teacher-student collaboration involved
Advantages of Portfolio
Provides a cumulative record of growth and development of a skill or competence in an area over a period of time.
Enables a student to demonstrate to others, his/her learning and progress.
Student becomes an active participant in the learning and assessment process.
Concern regarding Portfolio
Selected work to be put into the Portfolio, should have a specific reason.
Not all papers/items of work are to be included. This will become unmanageable.
Suggestions for implementation of Portfolio
Student should be encouraged to participate in selection of Portfolio contents as well as in developing the criteria for selection of the contents.
Continuous updating of the Portfolio as the child grows.
Careful structuring of Portfolio material accompanied by a reflective account.
Clear labelling and numbering of content for easy reference.
Portfolio can include
Photographs: Provides an insight into the child’s emotional, social and psychological aspects of development
Paintings and other examples of artistic endeavour: Provides evidence of a learner’s abilities, thoughts and attitudes
Audio-Video Recordings: Specific situation or over a time span to cover important processes and aspects that can be recorded and analyzed later
Self Assessment Sheets: Portfolio to provide evidence of the learner’s self evaluation
Peer Assessment Sheets: Excellent for assessing in team and group based activities, social projects and peer related behaviour. Can be incorporated into the learner’s Portfolio to provide evidence of the learner’s social Life skills
Parent Assessment Sheets: Can be incorporated into the learner’s Portfolio to provide evidence of evaluation done by the parent
Evaluating Student’s Portfolio Performance
Students’ performance can be evaluated through portfolio assessment. These are the general criteria for evaluating the portfolio structure of students.
1. Has the purpose of the portfolio been clearly stated?
2. Does the portfolio provide evidence of various types of student learning?
3. Does the portfolio include evidence of complex learning in realistic settings?
4. Does the portfolio include enough entries in each area to make valid judgments?
5. Does the portfolio include students’ self-evaluation and their reflections on what was learned?
6. Does the portfolio enable one to determine learning progress and current level of learning?
7. Does the portfolio provide clear evidence of learning to users of the portfolio?
8. Does the portfolio provide for student participation and responsibility?
9. Does the portfolio provide guidelines for the student participation?
10. Does the portfolio present the entries in a well organized and useful manner?
11. Does the portfolio include assessments based on clearly stated criteria of successful performance?
12. Does the portfolio provide for greater interaction between instruction and assessment?
Conclusion
In sum, portfolio assessment provides more authentic and valid assessment of students’ achievement and comprehensive views of students’ performances in contexts, and encourages students to develop independent and self-directed learners, and enhances communication among teacher, student and parents.
Introduction
Portfolios are becoming an important means of assessment in many schools. In some cases, they are used as a basic or sole, method of performance assessment. In others, they provide another useful tool in the teachers’ assessment kit.
A portfolio is a collection of student work that has been selected and organized to show student learning progress (development portfolio) or to show samples of the students’ best work (showcase portfolio). A common practice is to use a developmental portfolio throughout an instructional program and the showcase portfolio at the end. Thus, the showcase portfolio provides a collection of work that indicates the student’s final level of performance. Portfolio is the collection of evidences of students’ work over a period of time. It could be day-to-day work or selection of the learner’s best piece of work. Painters and commercial artists often use Portfolios to demonstrate their skills and quality work before the selection committees.
Defining Portfolio Assessment
What is a portfolio?
A student portfolio is a systematic collection of student work and related material that depicts a student's activities, accomplishments, and achievements in one or more school subjects. The collection should include evidence of student reflection and self-evaluation, guidelines for selecting the portfolio contents, and criteria for judging the quality of the work. The goal is to help students assemble portfolios that illustrate their talents, represent their writing capabilities, and tell their stories of school achievement... (Venn, 2000, pp. 530-531)
Two Types of Portfolios:
Process and product portfolios represent the two major types of portfolios. A process portfolio documents the stages of learning and provides a progressive record of student growth. A product portfolio demonstrates mastery of a learning task or a set of learning objectives and contains only the best work... Teachers use process portfolios to help students identify learning goals, document progress over time, and demonstrate learning mastery... In general, teachers prefer to use process portfolios because they are ideal for documenting the stages that students go through as they learn and progress (Venn, 2000, p. 533).
Steps in the Portfolio Assessment Process
First, the teacher and the student need to clearly identify the portfolio contents, which are samples of student work, reflections, teacher observations, and conference records. Second, the teacher should develop evaluation procedures for keeping track of the portfolio contents and for grading the portfolio... Third, the teacher needs a plan for holding portfolio conferences, which are formal and informal meetings in which students review their work and discuss their progress. Because they encourage reflective teaching and learning, these conference are an essential part of the portfolio assessment process (Venn, 2000, p. 540).
What a Student Portfolio Can Show
1. Learning progress over time
2. Student’s current best work
3. Comparison of best work to past work
4. Development of self-assessment skills
5. Development of reflective learning
6. Individual’s level and pace of work
7. Clear evidence of learning to parents and others
8. The amount of teacher-student collaboration involved
Advantages of Portfolio
Provides a cumulative record of growth and development of a skill or competence in an area over a period of time.
Enables a student to demonstrate to others, his/her learning and progress.
Student becomes an active participant in the learning and assessment process.
Concern regarding Portfolio
Selected work to be put into the Portfolio, should have a specific reason.
Not all papers/items of work are to be included. This will become unmanageable.
Suggestions for implementation of Portfolio
Student should be encouraged to participate in selection of Portfolio contents as well as in developing the criteria for selection of the contents.
Continuous updating of the Portfolio as the child grows.
Careful structuring of Portfolio material accompanied by a reflective account.
Clear labelling and numbering of content for easy reference.
Portfolio can include
Photographs: Provides an insight into the child’s emotional, social and psychological aspects of development
Paintings and other examples of artistic endeavour: Provides evidence of a learner’s abilities, thoughts and attitudes
Audio-Video Recordings: Specific situation or over a time span to cover important processes and aspects that can be recorded and analyzed later
Self Assessment Sheets: Portfolio to provide evidence of the learner’s self evaluation
Peer Assessment Sheets: Excellent for assessing in team and group based activities, social projects and peer related behaviour. Can be incorporated into the learner’s Portfolio to provide evidence of the learner’s social Life skills
Parent Assessment Sheets: Can be incorporated into the learner’s Portfolio to provide evidence of evaluation done by the parent
Evaluating Student’s Portfolio Performance
Students’ performance can be evaluated through portfolio assessment. These are the general criteria for evaluating the portfolio structure of students.
1. Has the purpose of the portfolio been clearly stated?
2. Does the portfolio provide evidence of various types of student learning?
3. Does the portfolio include evidence of complex learning in realistic settings?
4. Does the portfolio include enough entries in each area to make valid judgments?
5. Does the portfolio include students’ self-evaluation and their reflections on what was learned?
6. Does the portfolio enable one to determine learning progress and current level of learning?
7. Does the portfolio provide clear evidence of learning to users of the portfolio?
8. Does the portfolio provide for student participation and responsibility?
9. Does the portfolio provide guidelines for the student participation?
10. Does the portfolio present the entries in a well organized and useful manner?
11. Does the portfolio include assessments based on clearly stated criteria of successful performance?
12. Does the portfolio provide for greater interaction between instruction and assessment?
Conclusion
In sum, portfolio assessment provides more authentic and valid assessment of students’ achievement and comprehensive views of students’ performances in contexts, and encourages students to develop independent and self-directed learners, and enhances communication among teacher, student and parents.
