Question: What must a teacher consider before using portfolio assessment in a middle school classroom and what are the benefits for teachers and students?
Being responsive to young adolescent development requires that authentic assessment be used in middle school classrooms. If middle schools are for young adolescents, the main purpose of assessment in these schools should be not only to respond to student work and encourage academic growth, but to assist student in maintaining progress toward becoming self-directed learners. The variety of educational experiences in a middle school promote the use of multiple modes of assessment. A variety of strategies and instruments can be used to develop a complete view of student progress. However, when choosing an assessment option one should always base the decision on sound principles of assessment. The first principle is that assessment is a continuous process. A second principle of assessment is that it is multidimensional , using a range of formal and informal assessment measures. The third principle of assessment is that it should be collaborative. Finally, the main principle of assessment is that it be authentic, that is bound to tasks which have real purposes and relate to daily life.
Portfolio assessment is currently one mode of assessment that teachers are using at the middle school level. Portfolio assessment captures students’ change over time, promotes self and peer assessment, and allows students to display individual talents in a personalized context. This report will attempt to define what is meant by the term portfolio assessment, investigate the various contents of a portfolio, and examine the benefits of using portfolios in the middle school.
A portfolio is basically a container of evidence with the contents varying depending on its purpose. The contents of a portfolio can range from a complete record of learning, containing many samples of a student’s work and anecdotal records (typically referred to as a working portfolio), to a demonstration of excellence, containing only a selection of a student’s best work (typically referred to as a showcase portfolio). A portfolio contains collected evidence with a purpose. In the case of middle school students, the purpose is to show what they know and are able to do. The purpose includes the knowledge, skills, and values that the student developing the portfolio is demonstrating and the intended use of the portfolio.
In addition to consideration of purposes for a portfolio, the evidence of work that will be included in a portfolio must be determined. One way to consider evidence is by type: artifacts, reproductions, and productions. Artifacts are documents that are normally produced in the school such as tests, book reports, projects, writing samples, etc. Reproductions are documents about typical events in the life of young adolescents, but events which are not usually captured. Examples of reproductions include videotaped presentations of skits, photographs of projects or models, etc. Finally, there are at least two types of productions: reflections and captions. The reflective statement in a portfolio provides students with an opportunity to think about, articulate, and share what they have learned from the process of putting together their portfolios. This type of statement typically is written by students at the end of a semester or school year. Captions are statements attached to each document that describe what it is, why it is evidence, and what is it evidence of. The captions transform the documents, the "stuff" of the portfolio, into evidence. A final question regarding evidence of work is that of who makes the decisions about what to include in a portfolio. Typically, a combination of prescribed (teacher required) evidence and elected (student selected) evidence produces portfolio that are rich enough and have enough in common to make inferences and evaluate, yet are individual enough to capture the students’ personal strengths.
What are the benefits to teachers and students in the middle school who use portfolios as part of the process of assessment in the classroom? According to Goerss (1993), the portfolio development process requires students to work together creating their individual portfolios. This process promotes both peer and self evaluation and also requires that students and teachers work together. Goerss (1993) also found that students are able to see progress, in a concrete manner, by examining the contents of their portfolios. Portfolios give students responsibility, choices, and allow them to provide assistance to teachers in evaluating student performance. Sanborn and Sanborn (1994) found that collecting data and organizing a portfolio requires students to clarify and evaluate their own thinking, while giving teachers another tool for understanding student achievement, knowledge, and attitudes. Collins and Dana (1993) found that portfolios were very helpful in parent conferences because they give parents a "living example" of a student’s work.
Collins, A. and Dana, T.M. (1993). Using portfolios with middle grades students. Middle School Journal. 25(2), 14-19.
Goerss, K.V. (1993). Portfolio assessment: A work in progress. Middle School Journal. 25(2), 20-24.
Lines, C. (1994). Authentic assessment at the middle level. Middle School Journal. 25(4), 39-41.
Sanborn, J. and Sanborn, E. (1994). A conversation on portfolios. Middle School Journal. 26(1), 26-29.