1. Chapter 9: Portfolio Assessment
Lecture by: Chris Ross

2. Understanding the Need for Alternative Assessment & Reporting Systems
Using Alternative Assessments Appropriately
Used to present a child’s profile of progress

3. Understanding the Need for Alternative Assessment & Reporting Systems
Limitations of Letter Grades & Report Cards
Letter grades can reward students for correct answers and discourage risk taking/experimentation
Letter grades only measure achievement
Reports are changing to be more meaningful and felxible

4. Portfolio Assessment Purposes for Portfolio Assessment
Using portfolios for assessment and evaluation
Uses for self-assessment and reflection
Uses as a reporting progress mechanism

5. Organizing Portfolios
Types of Portfolios
Working portfolio. Collect examples of student work for future evaluation
Evaluative portfolio. Teacher is able to make assessment of the student’s progress both formative and summative.
Showcase portfolio. Exhibit the child’s bets work.
Archival portfolio. Follow students from one year to the next.

6. Organizing Portfolios
Organizing Portfolios Using Developmental Approach
Meisels and Steel (1991) Suggest:
Art Activities (Fine-Motor Skills)
Movement (Gross-Motor Development)
Math & Science (Concept Development)
Language & Literacy
Personal & Social Development

7. Organizing Portfolios
Organizing Portfolios Using a Subject-Area Approach
Batzel (1992) Recommends:
Required test & accountability measures
Samples across curriculum
Teacher observations & measures
Inventories and other forms
Additional items

8. Setting Up Portfolios Steps in getting Started What is the purpose?
How will it be organized?
Where will it be stored?
What will go in the portfolio?

9. Setting Up Portfolios Collecting & Organizing the Material
Periodically during a grading period, pieces will be selected for the portfolio
Sometimes materials might get replaced over time as new materials are added depending on the portfolio’s purpose.

10. Setting Up Portfolios Selecting Portfolio Assessments
Try to keep a balance between process and product.
Process being work that reflects their developmental/cognitive skills. Product being the mastery of the skill
There should be traditional assessments available.

11. Setting Up Portfolios Analyzing Portfolio Assessments
Periodically parents, teachers and students will review the portfolio to view a student’s progress
The teacher must analyze the information that is in the portfolio to prepare.
Teachers can use the portfolio to reflect with a student about their development and their interests

12. Setting Up Portfolios Strategies for Developing Successful Portfolios
Buschman (1193) suggests teachers who begin the process do the following:
Start small & emphasize quality, not quantity
Use photographs, drawings and reflect descriptions to document projects that don’t fit inside the portfolio
Make sure each portfolio has a table of contents
Be sure students date all their work
Select a few work samples yourself
Give parents the opportunity to review their child’s portfolio.

13. Advantages & Disadvantages of Portfolios to Report Student Progress
Provide evaluation above and beyond letter grades
Include input from the child
Organizing and maintaining
Accountability and grading portfolios
Is there validity
Advantages
Disadvantages

14. Developing Quality Portfolio Assessments
Herman, Aschbacher & Winters (1992) provide six suggestions to help:
How representative is the work included in the portfolio of what students can really do?
Do the portfolio pieces represent coached work? Independent work? Group work? Are they identified as to the amount of support students received?
Do the evaluation criteria for each piece and the portfolio as a whole represent the most relevant or useful dimensions of student work?
How well do portfolio pieces match important instructional targets or authentic tasks?
Do tasks or some part of them require extraneous abilities?
Is there a method for ensuring that portfolios are reviewed consistently and criteria applied accurately?

15. Developing Quality Portfolio Assessments
Hanson & Gilkerson (1999) propose meaning portfolios:
Be clearly linked with instructional objectives
Be an ongoing assessment system
Avoid becoming a teacher-manufactured document
Be performance based; emphasize purposeful learning; be ongoing in all cultural contexts of home, school and community.

16. Strategies for Reporting Student Progress
Writing a Narrative Report
Horn-Wingerd (1992) described a narrative report as having:
Descriptions of examples of the child’s behavior
Examples of what the child can do
Concerns the teacher may have about the child’s progress
Goals and plans for the child in the future

17. Strategies for Reporting Student Progress
Writing a Narrative Report
Horm-Wingerd (1992) suggest the following procedure when writing narrative reports:
Open with an overall statement describing the child’s progress in a broad development area since the last report or conference
Give a specific example of behavior to serve as your global description of change and to help parents understand exactly what you are describing
State your plans
If appropriate, note what the parents can do at home to facilitate their child’s development.

18. Model Assessment & Reporting Systems
Project Spectrum
Work Sampling System
Preschool Child Observation Record
Teacher-Designed Systems