Classroom Assessment

A Practical Guide for Educators

by Craig A. Mertler

Chapter 7

Portfolio
Assessments
Introduction
 Portfolio assessments require the accumulation of
evidence gathered over time.
 Many subject areas or specific classroom settings view
assessment of portfolios as having a different focus.
Characteristics of Portfolio
Assessments
 Portfolio assessments: purposeful, organized collection
of student work that can be used to describe efforts,
progress, or achievement.
• The idea of the academic portfolio is derived from an
artist’s or writer’s portfolio.
• Provide a means for students to show what they can
really do; they are considered to be based on the
“real world.”
• Student performances or products are compiled in
an effort to show accomplishments or improvement
over time.
Characteristics of Portfolio
Assessments
 Portfolio assessments (continued)
• Are not simply composed of random work samples,
nor is everything included; they represent a
purposeful collection of work.
• Several features differentiate them from work
sample folders:
 students must be included in the process
 criteria for selection of work must be identified
 criteria for judging value of work must be
developed
 evidence of student reflection must exist
Characteristics of Portfolio
Assessments
 Portfolio assessments (continued)
• Teachers provide guidelines and work
collaboratively with students to identify goals of the
portfolio and work samples to be included.
• Both teacher and student have continuous access to
its contents (much more student-centered than other
forms of classroom assessment).
• Can be adapted to meet individual instructional
needs (each portfolio is treated individually).
• Student reflections provide students with
opportunities to think about how they think.
 Many students are not accustomed to this idea.
Characteristics of Portfolio
Assessments
 Portfolio assessments (continued)
• Are seen by many as a very good method for
showing both methods and thinking used by a
student, as well as the final product.
• Different from other forms of assessment, portfolios
tend to focus on student achievements, not mistakes.
• Portfolios accentuate student strengths.
• Can be an extremely time-consuming endeavor.
 The review process (continual examination of
portfolio along with meetings with individual
students).
Characteristics of Portfolio
Assessments
 Portfolio assessments (continued)
• Three main features of any form of portfolio
assessment:
 collection of student work must have a specific
purpose
 students must be actively involved in the process
of selecting work to be included
 students must actively engage in self-reflection
Uses of Portfolios
 Ideal Format
• Designed to meet two major objectives:
 Portfolio should model personal responsibility in
reflecting on one’s own work.
 Portfolio should document student growth and
development over time.
• Three major components:
 documentation of development of major works
 evidence of range of student work
 student reflections
Uses of Portfolios
 Ideal Format (continued)

Main Characteristics “Ideal” Format Components

1. The collection of student 1. Documentation of the

work must have a development of major
specific purpose. works.
2. Students must be 2. Evidence of the range of
actively involved in the student work.
process of selecting work
to be included in the
portfolio.
3. Students must actively 3. Student reflections.
engage in self-reflection.
Uses of Portfolios
 Documentation Portfolios
• Purpose is to provide an ongoing record of student
progress.
• Emphasis is on accumulation of evidence (e.g., effort,
progress, achievement).
• Focus is holistic.
 Showcase Portfolios
• Purpose is to highlight and display accomplishments.
• Include student’s best or favorite work.
• Samples should demonstrate highest levels of
achievement.
• Student reflection is key in this type of portfolio.
Uses of Portfolios
 Other Variations
• Class Portfolio
 Summary document used to illustrate
accomplishments of an entire class.
 No student reflections included.
 Used to report to parents and administrators.
• Evaluation Portfolio
 Used exclusively to report to the general public
or government agencies (a result of grant
projects, curriculum projects, etc.).
Creating Portfolios
 Issues in the Creation of Portfolios
• Teachers must be clear about the purpose of portfolios.
 Can dictate which type of portfolio is used.
• Criteria to be used to assess work samples must be
specified.
• Work samples must parallel instructional objectives
and instruction that occurred.
• Logistical decisions regarding storage of portfolios.
• Time frame for review should be specified at outset.
• Consider providing assistance with student reflections.
• Care must be taken when scoring portfolios.
Creating Portfolios
 Steps to Guide the Development of Portfolios

Creating Portfolios:
Step-by-Step Procedure

Step 1: Determine the purpose to be served by the

portfolio.
Step 2: Identify the content, concepts, and skills to be
assessed.
Step 3: Identify the approach to organization.
Step 4: Plan for an efficient review process by developing a
time frame.
Step 5: Specify how and when students will be involved.
Step 6: Develop scoring rubrics.
Step 7: Arrange for multiple reviewers to improve
reliability.
Step 8: Plan for the final conference.
Creating Portfolios
 Decisions on Content
• In most situations, students hold primary
responsibility for selecting the content of portfolios
(often in collaboration with the teacher).
• However, the teacher must make clear the specific
criteria to be met by the samples.
• No real limit to what can be included in a portfolio.
 There must be alignment between goals,
objectives for instruction, and the student
products that serve as the basis for assessment.
Validity and Reliability of
Portfolio Assessments
 Validity
• Important concerns:
 Specific student capabilities to be represented by
samples must be determined in advance.
 Selected works must represent the entire domain
of the subject area.
 Scoring rubric must match the work included in
the portfolio.
 Reliability
• Consistency is interpreted as interrater agreement.
• Multiple raters of a sample of portfolios can facilitate
this.
• Since reliability tends to be low, portfolios should
not be used as sole means of assessing student
performance.
Advantages and Limitations of
Portfolio Assessments
 Advantages
• Substantial involvement of students in the process.
• Can show student growth over time, as opposed to
single “snapshot.”
• Foster communication between teachers and
students.
• Require a shift in roles for teachers and students.
 Limitations
• Time-intensive.
• Labor-intensive.
• Logistical issues of storage.
• Weaknesses with respect to validity and reliability.