Portfolio Assessment

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CHAPTER 18
Portfolio Assessment
Assessment in Special Education, SPED
4131 Professor Dr. Regina Blair  April 27, 2004
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Portfolios
A systematic collection of student work and
related material that depicts a students
activities, accomplishments, and achievements in
one or more school subjects.
Portfolio assessment is an ongoing process.
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Types of Portfolios

• Process Portfolio may include journals,
  reflections, independent work, teacher
  evaluations, self evaluations
• Product Portfolio short, more accessible
  documents at mastery level
• Celebration Portfolio Students use as mementos
  of their favorite learning activities and
  experiences creative and imaginative

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Types of Portfolios (cont.)

• Showcase Portfolio Displays students best work
  takes time
• Big Books Portfolio Project Process elements
  were sloppy, neat, and final copies of a story
• Digital Portfolio May include text, graphics,
  video, and audio components students gain
  computer skills

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Why We Use Portfolio Assessment

• Advantages
• Promotes self-evaluation of student
• Measurement based on genuine samples
• Student and teacher have shared responsibilities
• Students have extensive input in the process
• Cooperative learning

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Why We Use Portfolio Assessment (cont.)

• Disadvantages
• Requires extra time to plan and conduct
• Problems with storage
• Subjective evaluation
• Holding portfolio conferences is difficult

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Using Portfolios with Students Who Have Learning
Problems

• Flexibility gives students opportunities to
  demonstrate achievement
• Alternative to traditional tests and assignments
• Individualized learning activities
• Enhanced motivation
• Promote mastery learning
• Good for students with reading and writing
  deficits

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Portfolio Assessment Process

• Three major steps
• 1. Select portfolio contents, both student and
  teacher selected items
• 2. Portfolio holders should be durable,
  creative, low cost, functional, neat, and stylish
• 3. Typical portfolio contents Table 18-3, pg566

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Portfolio Evaluation Procedures

• When teachers grade portfolios, they must support
  their evaluation with evidence that goes beyond
  their subjective impressions.
• The contents of the portfolio itself are the
  primary document that provides this evidence.
• Portfolio contents should include a series if
  materials that teachers can use to evaluate what
  students have learned and how well they learned
  it.
• Well-design portfolios provide more evidence of
  achievement, and best demonstrate students
  progress over time.
• Portfolios include a variety of measurements, but
  they mostly incorporate the following essential
  measures
• A tracking and evaluation system
• Criteria for evaluating the entire portfolio and
  its contents
• Evidence of students self-assessment
• Evidence of portfolio conferences

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Seven Portfolio Evaluation Procedures

• Developing a Management System
• Scoring Portfolio
• Rubrics
• Reliability Considerations
• Holistic/Analytical Scoring Protocols
• Internal/External Scoring
• Student Self-Assessment

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Developing a Management System

• Because portfolios vary in different ways,
  developing a management system helps portfolios
  be successful.
• Examples
• Reading items in a language portfolio could be
  placed in one section, while written expression
  materials appears in another section.
• Portfolios can reflect thematic units, or
  specific curriculum goals.
• They can appear in chronological order to show
  progress
•  
• However the portfolio is arranged, teachers must
  develop a managing system that enables them to
  keep track of the elements in the portfolio.
• For example, checklist can be a great way to
  help teachers keep track of the elements

• Teachers

• Students

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Scoring Portfolios

• Depends on the type of portfolio, and the reason
  for the
• assessment.
• Teachers set requirements for the number of
  items, and the
• specific materials that go into the portfolio.
• This standardization helps to develop a
  reliable scoring
• system that produces consistent results across
• students.
• However, teachers/students can compromise on the
  items that
• should be submitted into the portfolio.
• This increases the value of the portfolios as
  individual learning tools.
• As well as, the teacher gets a standard to
  grade, and
• students have autonomy.

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Rubrics

• Set of scoring criteria that describe an array of
  possible responses
• It also provides specific qualities, or
  characteristics that occur as different levels
  of performance.
• Most portfolio assessments rely on rubrics, such
  as
• Checklist
• Rating scales
• Observation systems
• The most successful rubrics provide samples of
  student responses that
• illustrate student performance at below
  average, average, and above
• average levels.
• Rubrics can provide consistent and effective
  assessment data with
• trained scorers.
• Popular statewide assessment systems are base on
  rubrics

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Reliability Considerations

• Scoring must be subjective
• Teachers must developed rubrics that identify
  criteria
• and serve as standards, then judge each
  portfolio in reference to these criteria and
  standards.
• Use professional judgment when rating student
  performance.
• Set standards that relate to students learning
  goals.
• Teachers need to be well trained.
• Develop an evaluation scale that list progression
  of performance standards with representative
  examples of work at each level of performance

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Holistic and Analytical Protocols
Most teachers ensure accurate assessment by
developing one scoring protocol for evaluating
all student portfolios. 1.Holistic scoring-
involves evaluating the portfolio in its entirely
and giving a single overall score. (Mostly use
to evaluate larger groups of
portfolios) 2.Analytical scoring- involves
evaluating each piece separately and
combining the individual scores to obtain an
overall score. (Tend to be better in
small-group situations)   There are several
factors to determine what scoring would be
best 1. Purpose of the portfolio 2. The
intended use of the final product 3. The
setting in which the students are developing
their portfolios
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Internal and External Scoring
Internal scoring- relies on scorers who have
direct contract with the portfolio authors this
includes teachers who score the portfolios of
their own students. External scoring- relies
on scorers who have had no contact with the
portfolio authors. 1. To ensure reliability,
external scoring is the best way to achieve
successful scoring. 2. However, it is more time
consuming and increases cost.
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Student Self-Assessment
Student self-assessment- and element that
distinguishes portfolio assessment from
traditional evaluation, is not one specific
procedure it includes various types of
reflections and self-evaluations. It
involves 1. Students reviewing their entire
portfolio 2. Reflect on a series of
revisions 3. Compare two work samples to show
growth in a specific topic 4. Self-evaluate
a single work sample
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Portfolio Conferences

• Consist of meetings in which students review
  learning goals and discuss progress is a key
  element in the portfolio assessment process.
• Most conferences are between students and their
  teachers
• They give students opportunities to consider
  their interests and to access their abilities,
  such as
• Reflective discussion
• Enable students to participate actively in the
  assessment process

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Scheduling Conference Time

• Most difficult challenge in portfolio achievement
• On average portfolio conferences take about 15
  minutes, and teachers should hold four portfolio
  conferences with each student in a typical
  academic year.
• To save time, teachers can incorporate
  student- centered learning activities as part of
  their daily routine.
• Or, ask for assistance (if available) through
  teacher- aide, or parent volunteer.

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Peer, Small-Group and Student-Led Conferences
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Peer Conferences

• Peer Conferences- meetings between two students
  to discuss portfolio goals, activities, and
  progress.
• 1. Good for
• Instructional situations
• For older students

• 2. Works best
• At the end of the school year after students have
  completed individual conferences with their
  
• teachers.

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Small-Group Conferences

• Small-Group Conferences- meetings with three to
  five students.
• 1. Good for
• Reading and writing groups, or other appropriate
  group
• Students to discuss their portfolios with peers
  because they can received great feedback
• 2. Works best for
• Teachers when they find it hard to hold
  individual conferences

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Student-Lead Conferences

• Student-Lead Conferences- allow students to share
  their progress with their parents in structured
  conferences.
• 1. Good for
• Communicating with parents about the learning
  activities of their children
• Students role in explaining their portfolio to
  their parents
• Students to evaluate and reflect upon their
  learning
• Improving communication skills with parents and
  increase student self-reliance