Literacy Portfolios in the Elementary Classroom Presented by Edmund C. Garrison (North Bergen ELA District Supervisor)

“ Inspect what you expect!” Devoting time to what you care about the most…establishing and remaining true to your priorities

What is a literacy portfolio? A literacy portfolio is a collection of artifacts which demonstrates a student’s growth in reading and writing.

Literacy Portfolios and Teacher Evaluation The Christie Administration released proposals for evaluation of educators on Wednesday, March 3, 2013 (Please refer to The Record, March 4, 2013 article “State Pushing New Educator Evaluations”). Christie’s proposal stated, “An additional 15 percent [of teacher evaluation] would be based on one or two student achieved measures that teachers set with principals; these goals could be tied to progress in other tests, for example, or portfolios of student work.”

Beliefs About Literacy Portfolios: Improving learning and teaching is at the heart of the portfolio process. Teachers talk about portfolios with a variety of audiences. The portfolio process is woven into daily classroom life. The portfolio process celebrates student accomplishments by thoughtfully describing the learner.

Purposes for Literacy Portfolios: To make decisions about grouping and placement. To prepare for parent conferences. To analyze the strength and needs of particular students. As a basis for formal reporting (i.e. I &RS). As a basis for assigning grades. As a basis for letters on progress.

What does a literacy portfolio contain in grades 1-8? In Chapter Six: “Using Assessment to Inform Teaching,” from their seminal work on literacy, Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for All Children (Heinemann, 1996), authors Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell wrote that it is a good idea to have a literacy folder for each child that contains the following items (86): Observation Survey. (Observation Survey test forms and summary of information.) Running record forms. (A sampling of running records taken for each child over time with complete information as to accuracy, self-correction, and analysis of cue use.) Anecdotal records. (Taken during Guided Reading) Record of fluency assessment. (A summary sheet that describes the assessment, shows the rubric, and records the child’s score along with any observations.) Other assessments of literacy. (Informal writing and spelling assessments, and similar items.)

How does the portfolio look in kindergarten? In addition to the portfolio components for grades 1-8, kindergarten portfolios include: Concepts of Print Letter-sound recognition assessment Phonics Self-portraits Word Recognition Comprehension

North Bergen K-8 Grade Portfolio Contents: A one-page “ELA Student Assessment Profile.” Copies of Macmillan/McGraw Hill/Glencoe assessment results: -Placement -Fluency -Benchmarks Copies of DIBELS, NBSAS, District Tests, NJASK, ELLS Two writing samples: Published works which demonstrate the following… -Genre accomplishments -Control of conventions -Understanding of the writing process -Best work

Further Important Information: These portfolios will follow our students from year-to-year. However, the portfolios should be “cleaned out/purged” at the end of each year except for the “Student Profile Sheet” and two writing samples (with assessment rubrics). Do not put student portfolios in permanent record folders.

“Portfolios don’t change evaluation per se; they only open up the possibilities. If you don’t look with new eyes, you see the same old thing.” --Jerry Harste

Final Thoughts: According to Fountas and Pinnell (74-76), assessment is a valuable tool when it is used to inform teaching. Assessment has several essential attributes: It uses accessible information, most of which can be collected as an integral part of teaching. It provides systematic observations that will provide a continually updated profile of the child’s current ways of responding. It provides reliable information about the progress of children. It provides valid information about what children know and can do. It is multidimensional. It provides feedback to improve the instructional program and the curriculum. It identifies and directs steps to meet the needs of students who do not achieve despite excellent classroom instruction. It involves children and parents in the process.

Final Thoughts (Continued) By keeping a literacy portfolio for each student, we are providing ourselves with a means of supporting the theories of teaching and learning that are the foundation of our instructional decisions. As Fountas and Pinnell conclude, “The primary purpose of assessment is to gather data to inform teaching. If assessment does not result in improved teaching, then its value in school diminishes greatly” (73).

Thank you! What questions and suggestions do you have?