1. Portfolios: A Useful Resource For All Cynthia Cuellar Astrid Fossum Beth Schefelker The Milwaukee Mathematics Partnership (MMP), an initiative of the Milwaukee Partnership Academy (MPA), is supported with funding from the National Science Foundation under Grant No. EHR-0314898

2. Objectives: To deepen our understanding of the essential characteristics of portfolios. To explore portfolio types and their purpose. To gain insights about the benefits of a portfolio system.

3. What are Portfolios? “A portfolio is more than just a container full of stuff. It’s a systematic and organized collection of evidence used by the teacher and student to monitor growth of student’s knowledge, skills, and attitudes in a specific subject area.” Vavrus 1990

4. Common Characteristics: Portfolios consist of a collection of student work. Collections are purposeful rather than random. Portfolios include the opportunity for students to comment or reflect on their work.

5. Types of Portfolios Working Portfolios Display, Showcase, or Best Works Portfolios Assessment Portfolios

6. Working Portfolio (formative) Display, Showcase, Best Works Portfolios Assessment Portfolio (summative) Purpose  Intentional collection of work guided by learning objectives  Diagnose student needs  Design future instruction  Demonstrate highest level of achievement  Way for students to showcase themselves  May document student effort with respects to objectives  Document what student has learned on specific objective  Assessment task specifies student performance, criteria and outcome  Student reflections focus on extent they believe entries demonstrate mastery of objectives Audience  Primary audience is student, with emphasis on self reflection  Teacher provides guidance  For very young children, teacher is primary audience with student participation  Important individuals the student chooses to share the portfolio with  Current teachers, future teachers, and potential employers  Primary audience is student, since they select best works  Classroom teacher analyze if objectives of unit mastered  School district and state; documentation of student learning and permitting student to move to next level or diploma  Secondary audience is student Process  Pieces collected relate to objective of units; may show less than complete understanding  Document student progress toward objectives  Student and teacher should review portfolio, set short-term objectives, define the next steps in learning and guide future instruction  Students select pieces that define them as learners  Illustrates what students believe to be important about their learning, what they value  Teacher provides guidance in the selection process  Determine decision (e.g. high stakes, promotion) to be made based on portfolio  Define criteria for task and performance standard for each criteria  Determine and train who will evaluate, score, and make final decisions based on performance examples Types of Portfolios

7. Exploring Portfolio Types: Using the Types of Portfolios grid, work in triads. Each triad member will read one portfolio column and highlight important ideas. Triad members will share the big ideas from each portfolio type.

8. Exploring Portfolio Types: Each table will receive an envelope of work samples. Discuss the work samples, one at a time. Decide as a table group which type of portfolio is the best fit for the sample. Use the letter on each sample to help you record your groups decision on the grid.

9. Reflection Questions: How did the sorting activity help clarify your understanding of the different portfolio types? Thinking about one piece of work, what factors determined the placement?

10. Benefits of Portfolios: “The magic of portfolios lies not in the portfolios themselves, but in the process used in creating them and the school culture in which documented learning is valued.” Danielson and Abrutyn, 1997

11. Chapter 3: Benefits of Portfolios In triads, each person reads one of three labeled sections. Highlight important ideas in your chosen section of the reading. Each group member will share the section they read within the triad.

12. Focused reflection and discussion: Consolidating Information Use the Focused Reading Guide to answer the questions: – Here’s what we learned about benefits of portfolios? – So what connections can be made to the work of the MMP?

13. Portfolios can serve to: Engage students in learning content; Assist students as they learn the skills of reflection and self-evaluation; Document student learning in areas that do not lend themselves to traditional assessment; Facilitate communication with parents.

14. Summary Individually complete the last column on the Focused Reading Guide. – Now what does this mean for your as a Math Leader in your building and as a teacher of mathematics?

15. Objectives To deepen our understanding of the essential characteristics of portfolios. To explore portfolio types and their purpose. To gain insights about the benefits of a portfolio system.