Portfolio Assessment in Education

Podcast

Play an AI-generated podcast conversation about this lesson

Questions and Answers

What is one of the benefits of using portfolios in education?

It is only useful for measuring student progress in mathematics

It is a more time-consuming method of assessment

It allows for solely quantitative evaluations of student learning

It provides a way to showcase students' best work and accomplishments (correct)

Which of the following is a disadvantage of using portfolios in education?

It provides a comprehensive view of student learning

It is only useful for measuring student progress in language arts

It may be seen as less reliable or fair than quantitative evaluations (correct)

It allows for communication between teachers and parents

What is the primary focus of a showcase portfolio?

To provide a comprehensive view of student learning

To facilitate communication between teachers and parents

To exhibit the best performance of the student (correct)

To document student progress over time

What is the purpose of the equity principle in portfolio assessment?

To allow students to demonstrate their learning styles and multiple intelligences Signup and view all the answers

What is the main difference between a working portfolio and a showcase portfolio?

A working portfolio contains work in progress, while a showcase portfolio contains only finished work Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the learning principle in portfolio assessment?

To enable students to become active and thoughtful learners Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of a portfolio in student assessment?

To measure the growth of a student's performance over time Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the benefits of using portfolios in education, according to the content principle?

It reflects the subject matter that is important for students to learn Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of a portfolio, according to Paulson, Paulson, and Meyer?

It is a collection of student work that exhibits student's efforts, progress, and achievements Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential challenge of using portfolios in education?

It is difficult to develop individualized criteria Signup and view all the answers

Who is involved in the selection of contents for a portfolio?

The student and the teacher Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of a portfolio, according to the National Education Association?

Student work and reflection on that work Signup and view all the answers

What is a portfolio more than, according to Vavrus?

A container full of student work Signup and view all the answers

What is the ultimate goal of a portfolio, according to the content?

To monitor growth of the student's knowledge, skills, and attitudes in a specific subject area Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Definition and Purpose of a Portfolio

A portfolio is a purposeful collection of student work that exhibits efforts, progress, and achievements in one or more areas.
It requires student participation in selecting contents, criteria for selection, and criteria for judging merit, as well as evidence of student self-reflection.

Characteristics of a Portfolio

A portfolio is a systematic and organized collection of evidence used to monitor growth of a student's knowledge, skills, and attitudes in a specific subject area.
It is a record of learning that focuses on the student's work and reflection on that work.
Material is collected through a collaborative effort between the student and staff members and is indicative of progress toward essential outcomes.

Benefits of Portfolios

Can provide both formative and summative opportunities for monitoring progress.
Communicates concrete information about what is expected of students in terms of content and quality of performance.
Allows students to document aspects of learning that do not show up well in traditional assessments.
Useful to showcase periodic or end-of-year accomplishments of students.
Facilitates communication between teachers and parents regarding their child's achievement and progress.
Can be used to facilitate national competency testing and grant high school credit.

Advantages of Portfolios

Serves as a cross-section lens, providing a basis for future analysis and planning.
Serves as a concrete vehicle for communication, providing on-going communication or exchanges of information.
Offers the possibility of assessing the more complex and important aspects of a learning area or subject matter.
Covers a broad scope of knowledge and information from many different people involved in the assessment of student's learning and achievement.

Disadvantages of Portfolios

May be seen as less reliable or fair compared to quantitative evaluations such as test scores.
Developing individualized criteria can be difficult or unfamiliar at first.
If goals and criteria aren't clear, the portfolio can be just a miscellaneous collection of artifacts that do not show patterns of growth and achievement.
Data from portfolio assessments can be difficult to analyze or aggregate to show change.

Principles of Portfolios

Content principle: portfolios should reflect the subject matter that is important for students to learn.
Learning principle: portfolios should enable students to become active and thoughtful learners.
Equity principle: portfolios should allow students to demonstrate their learning styles and multiple intelligences.

Types of Portfolios

Working portfolio (teacher-student portfolio): contains work in progress and finished samples of work to reflect on process by students and teachers.
Showcase portfolio (best works portfolio or display portfolio): focuses on the student's best and most creative work, exhibiting the best performance of the student.
Progress portfolio (teacher alternative assessment portfolio): contains examples of students' work with the same objectives and criteria as the teacher's assessment.

Studying That Suits You

Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.

Description

A quiz about portfolio assessment, its purpose, and how it measures student growth over time. Learn about the criteria for selection and judging merit in portfolios.