PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT METHODS

A portfolio is a purposeful collection of student work that exhibits the student’s efforts, progress and achievements in one or more areas.

The collection must include student participation in selecting contents, the criteria for selection, the criteria for judging merit and evidence of student self-reflection. (Paulson, Paulson, Meyer 1991)

Portfolio assessment is one of the several authentic and non-traditional assessment techniques in education.

The use of portfolio assessment that became popular in the early to late 1980’s in response to the growing clamor for more “reasonable” and authentic means of assessing students’ growth and development in school.

1. Features and Principles of Portfolio Assessment

2. Purposes of Portfolio Assessment3. Essential Elements of the Portfolio4. Stages in Implementing Portfolio

Assessment5. Types of Portfolio6. Assessing and Evaluating the

Portfolios7. Student-Teacher Conferences

Features and Principles of Portfolio Assessment

a. A portfolio is a form of assessment that students do together with their teachers.

b. A portfolio represents a selection of what the students believe are the best included from among the possible collection of things related to the concept being studied.

c. A portfolio provides samples of the student’s work which show growth over time.

d. The criteria for selecting and assessing the portfolio contents must be clear to the teacher and the students at the outset of the process.

Features and Principles of Portfolio Assessment

Purposes of Portfolio

1. Portfolio assessment matches assessment to teaching.

2. Portfolio assessment has clear goals. In fact, they are decided on at the beginning of instruction and are clear to teacher and students alike.

Purposes of Portfolio

3. Portfolio assessment gives a profile of learners’ abilities in terms of depth, breadth, and growth.

4. Portfolio assessment is a tool for assessing a variety of skills not normally testable in a single setting for traditional testing.

Purposes of Portfolio

5. Portfolio assessment develops awareness of students’ own learning.

6. Portfolio assessment caters to individuals in a heterogeneous class.

7.Portfolio assessment develops social skills. Students interact with other students in the development of their own portfolios.

Purposes of Portfolio

8. Portfolio assessment develops independent and active learners.

9. Portfolio assessment can improve motivation for learning and this achievement.

10. Portfolio assessment provides opportunity for student-teacher dialogue.

Every portfolio must contain the following essential elements:

1. Cover letter “About the author” and “What my portfolio shows about my progress as a learner” (written at the end, but put at the beginning).

Essential Elements of Portfolio

2. Table of Contents with numbered pages3. Entries – both core (items students have to include) and optional (items of student’s choice).

The core elements be required for each student and will provide a common base from which to make decisions on assessment. The optional items will allow the folder to represent the uniqueness of each student

Essential Elements of Portfolio

Essential Elements of Portfolio4. Dates on all entries, to facilitate proof of growth over time.

5. Drafts of aural/oral and written products and revised versions.

Essential Elements of Portfolio6. Reflection can appear at different stages in the learning process (for formative and/or summative purposes) and at the lower levels can be written in the mother tongue or by students who find it difficult to express themselves in English.

Students can choose to reflect upon some or all of the following: What did I learn from it? What did I do well?Why (based on the agreed teacher-student

assessment criteria) did I choose this item? What do I want to improve in the item? How do I feel about my performance?What were the problem areas?

Essential Elements of Portfolio

Stages in Implementing Portfolio Assessment

Stage 1: Identifying teaching goals to assess through portfolio

It is very important at this stage to be very clear about what the teacher hopes to achieve in teaching. These goals will guide the selection and assessment of students’ work for the portfolio

Stage 2: Introducing the idea of portfolio assessment to your class

Portfolio assessment is a new thing for many students who are used to traditional testing. For this reason, it is important for the teacher to introduce the concept to the class.

Stages in Implementing Portfolio Assessment

Stages in Implementing Portfolio Assessment

Stage 3: Specification of Portfolio Content

Specify what and how much have to be included in the portfolio – both core and options (it is important to include options as these enable self-expression and independence). Specify for each entry how it will be assessed.

Stages in Implementing Portfolio Assessment

Stage 4: Giving clear and detailed guidelines for portfolio presentation

There is a tendency for students to present as many evidence of learning as they can when left on their own. The teacher must therefore set clear guidelines and detailed information on how the portfolios will be presented.

Stages in Implementing Portfolio Assessment

Stage 5: Informing key school officials, parents and other stakeholders

Do not attempt to use the portfolio assessment method without notifying your department head, dean or principal. This will serve as a precaution in case students will later complain about your new assessment procedure.

Stages in Implementing Portfolio Assessment

Stage 6: Development of the Portfolio

Types of Portfolios

a. Documentation Portfolio As the name implies, this approach

involves a collection of work over time showing growth and improvement reflecting students' learning of identified outcomes. This portfolio is also called “growth portfolio” in the literature. It can include everything from brainstorming activities to drafts to finished products.

b. Process PortfolioIt demonstrates all facets or

phrases of the learning process. As such, these portfolios contain an extensive number of reflective journal, think logs and other related forms of metacognitive processing.

Types of Portfolios

c. Showcase Portfolio It only shows the best of the

students’ outputs and products. As such, this type of portfolio is best used for summative evaluation of students’ mastery of key curriculum outcomes.

Types of Portfolios