CHAPTER 15: Portfolio Assessment Assessing Students with Special Needs Fifth Edition John J. Venn University of North Florida © 2014, 2007, 2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Overview Definition Types of portfolios Selecting contents Managing portfolios Scoring protocols Holding student conferences

Overview Portfolio instruction and assessment is a reflective teaching and learning process. Student self-evaluation is an essential element. Many students with disabilities need to learn self-evaluation skills.

Definitions Portfolio Purposeful collection of student work and related material Portfolio Assessment Ongoing process that captures and evaluates many different learning activities and accomplishments

Types of Portfolios Process Product Celebration Digital Documents the learning process (e.g. from rough draft to final product) Major and more dynamic type Preferred by most teachers for use in their classrooms as instructional tools Product Focuses on accomplishments and best work at the mastery level Celebration Features student’s favorite learning experiences and creative development Digital Multimedia portfolios stored on a computer, removable media, an Internet cloud, or a website

Contents Selecting contents is a first step in the process May Include a variety of elements: student work, conference records, and student reflections May also include student selected items

Management Managing portfolios is time consuming Management is part of the instruction and assessment process Teachers should have a well-developed management system, often some type of checklist Students may also have a self-management checklist to help them keep up with their portfolio materials

Scoring Holistic Scoring Evaluating the portfolio in its entirety and giving a single overall score Preferable with large groups and with external scorers Analytic Scoring evaluating each piece separately and combining the individual scores to obtain an overall score Helps evaluate specific strengths and weaknesses

Portfolio Assessment Conferences Meetings to review goals and progress Teacher’s meet individually with each student Provide Reflective discussion Active student participation in goal setting and monitoring progress Helps student’s learn how to gauge their learning

Summary An innovative approach to measuring student performance Links assessment directly with classroom learning Requires careful planning and record keeping Management tools and scoring protocols Includes Conferences Promotes student self-evaluation and reflection Encourages active student participation