A portfolio assessment is a collection of student works that are associated with standards you are required to learn. This collection of work is often gathered over a long period of time to reflect what you have been taught as well as what you have learned.
Each piece in the portfolio is selected because it is an authentic representation of what you have learned and is meant to demonstrate your current knowledge and skills. A portfolio by nature is a storybook capturing a student's progression of learning as they move through the year.
What Goes Into a Portfolio
A portfolio can include classwork, artistic pieces, photographs, and a variety of other media all demonstrating the concepts that you have mastered. Each item that is selected to go in the portfolio is chosen within the parameters of the purpose of the portfolio itself.
Many teachers require their students to write a reflection that correlates with each piece in the portfolio. This practice is advantageous for the student as they self-assess their work and may set goals to improve.
Finally, the reflection helps reinforce the concept for the student and it provides some clarity for anyone reviewing the portfolio. Ultimately, the most authentic portfolios are built when the teacher and student work collaboratively to decide which pieces should be included to demonstrate mastery of a specific learning objective.
The Purpose of Developing a Portfolio
A portfolio assessment is often deemed an authentic form of assessment because it includes authentic samples of a student's work.Many advocates of the portfolio assessment argue that this makes it a superior assessment tool because it is demonstrates learning and growth over an extended period of time.
They believe it is more indicative of what a student's true abilities especially when you compare it to a standardized test that provides a snapshot of what a student can do on a particular day. Ultimately, the teacher guiding the portfolio process helps determine the purpose of the final portfolio.
The portfolio may be used to show growth over time, it may be used to promote a student's abilities, or it may be used to evaluate a student's learning within a specific course. Its purpose may also be a combination of all three areas.
The Pros of Using a Portfolio Assessment
- A portfolio assessment demonstrates learning over the course of time rather than what a student knows a particular day.
- A portfolio assessment provides an opportunity for a student to reflect on their learning, to self assess, and to formulate a deeper understanding of the concepts they are learning beyond a simple surface explanation.
- A portfolio assessment requires a great level of individual interaction between the student and teacher wherein they are always collaborating about the requirements and components going into the portfolio.
The Cons of Using a Portfolio Assessment
- Developing and assessing a portfolio is time-consuming. It takes a lot of effort from both the teacher and the student and is a demanding endeavor in which you can quickly fall behind.
- Portfolio assessments are very subjective in nature. Even if the teacher utilizes a rubric, the individualized nature of a portfolio makes it difficult to remain objective and stick to the rubric. Two students working on the same learning standard may have two totally different approaches thus learning may not be the same.
FAQs
Documentation of student's progress over time: A portfolio documents a student's progress from year to year, providing a comprehensive picture of their development. A portfolio can also be used to document reflections, final projects, or final portfolio reviews, to demonstrate process and growth over time.
Why are portfolio assessments important for students? ›
Portfolios are a rich source of information about student learning. Portfolios are versatile. Portfolio assessments can build students' self-confidence and “self-appraisal” skills through the opportunity they provide for students to reflect on and celebrate their accomplishments.
How portfolio can be used as a tool in assessment? ›
Program portfolios can serve the same purpose as an exit exam: provide evidence of the cumulative effect of the program. Students include items from a single course. Students select items from multiple courses and may be required to submit items from co-curricular activities, internships, employment, etc.
Why are portfolios so powerful as tools for evaluating? ›
Portfolios can provide progressive and coherent snapshots of a learner's knowledge, performance and development at particular points in a course or program. Students may feel that portfolios are fairer than some other assessment methods, because: they require sustained effort over a long period.
How a portfolio can be used as an assessment tool in an early childhood classroom? ›
Early childhood portfolios serve as a collaborative tool between you, the child, and families. They encourage self-reflection from children and feedback for parents, while giving you the opportunity to highlight each child's strengths and the efficacy of your school programs.
What are the strengths of portfolio assessment? ›
ADVANTAGES OF USING PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT
*Allows the evaluators to see the student, group, or community as individual, each unique with its own characteristics, needs, and strengths. *Serves as a cross-section lens, providing a basis for future analysis and planning.
What is the purpose of a portfolio for a student? ›
A student portfolio is a collection of student work compiled over time to showcase a learner's progress, skills, and achievements. This can include project work samples, finished assignments, case studies, and self-reflections. Student portfolios can be digital or physical and tailored to specific subjects or projects.
How can portfolio assessment be used to measure student progress and growth over time? ›
Documentation of student's progress over time: A portfolio documents a student's progress from year to year, providing a comprehensive picture of their development. A portfolio can also be used to document reflections, final projects, or final portfolio reviews, to demonstrate process and growth over time.
What are the key elements of portfolio assessment? ›
Portfolio assessment has five stages:
- Collection of evidence of achievement of learning. outcomes.
- Reflection on learning.
- Evaluation of evidence.
- Defense of evidence.
- Assessment decision.
Portfolios have many proven advantages for both learning and assessment. According to a canonical study, portfolios help students with the following skills: self-reflection, ownership, curation, clarity of thought, intellectual development, personal growth, demonstrated focus, and learning from precedent.
Advantages of Portfolio Analysis in Strategic Management
By implementing portfolio analysis, companies can optimize their decision-making processes, allocate resources effectively, manage risks, align their goals and track performance, and enhance their competitive advantage.
What are three benefits to developing a portfolio? ›
5 Benefits Of Creating An Online Portfolio
- Professional Way To Showcase Your Work. ...
- It's A Great First Impression For Employers. ...
- Increases Your Visibility And Online Presence. ...
- Shows You're More Than Just A Resume. ...
- Flexibility.
Portfolio assessments ask students or teachers to collect work products that show growth over a specific period of time. Examples of work products include collections of student essays, artwork, lab reports or reading logs.
What are examples of student portfolios? ›
Students can write journal entries, fill out self-assessments, or fill in learning logs to be included in their student portfolio. You may also want to include your own notes taken while working with or observing the student, checklists of skills they've become adept at, and even videos that record student progress.
Is a portfolio a formative assessment tool? ›
One of the best tools for formative assessment is the student portfolio, which is a collection of student work that demonstrates their growth, achievements, and challenges.
Is a portfolio a tool or technique? ›
Portfolio is an important tool of continuous and comprehensive evaluation because. it is easy to implement.
What is the portfolio analysis tool? ›
The GRESB Portfolio Analysis Tool lets you examine the performance of your aggregate portfolio against self-selected benchmarks in order to gain valuable insight into your investments, strategy, and overall ESG performance.
