Parts of a Whole

Chapter 11- Portfolio Assessment

Summary: When using a portfolio of student learning, students, parents and teacher are able to see student work compared to past work rather than compared to that of a classmate. There are ways to choose what should go into a portfolio, such as allowing students to pick from their work and also choosing work that is aligned with learning outcomes. When the portfolio is being developed, it is important to share the progress being made with all parties involved and utilizing it to build on strengths and weaknesses. In order to maintain a stable system throughout to demonstrate progress, the teacher can use a rating scale to mark progress made and a holistic score for the final project.

Reflection: I am a huge fan or portfolios because in my school that I teach at, we do not give many grades to students. Instead, we test them three times throughout the year on a specific set of skills and we are able to see their progress in these areas. It is important thought that I keep an ongoing set of examples that show their writing, math skills, letters, etc. so that their parents can see progress, the students can see progress, and I know where they are and how they will best benefit in certain areas. I think portfolios will be an essential tool in my new classroom this year, especially in their writing.