This document discusses portfolios, including what they are, their contents, purposes, types, and how to implement them. It defines a portfolio as a collection of student work gathered for assessment. Portfolios can include creative covers, letters, artifacts, reflections, and goals. They are useful for documenting standards mastery, growth over time, and concepts learned. Types include writing, literacy, best work, unit, and year-long portfolios. Implementing portfolios involves collecting work, students selecting key pieces, and reflecting on their learning process and selections.

1. Chapter 4 Portfolio
ED 450 Assessment &
Evaluation

2. Student Learning Objectives
• Define a portfolio
• List types of portfolios
• Explain why portfolios are useful in the
classroom
• Recognize the portfolio process

3. What is a Portfolio?
• “A portfolio is a collection of student work
gathered for a particular purpose that
exhibits to the students and others the
student’s efforts, progress, or
achievement in one or more areas.”
• It is an ongoing assessment

4. Contents of a Portfolio
• Creative Cover
• Letter to the Reader
• Table of Contents
• Six-Seven Student Artifacts
• Reflections
• Self-Evaluation
• Goal-Setting Page
• Conference Questions (optional)

5. Purpose a Portfolio
1. Document meeting district, state, or national
standards
2. Connect several subject areas to provide an
“integrated” assessment of the student
3. History/Record of student’s growth and
development over extended periods of a
semester, year or clusters of grades
4. Document the key concepts taught by teachers
5. Share at a job interview, promotion or
college entrance review.

6. Types of Portfolios
Writing
Process Folios
Literacy
Best-Work
Unit
Integrated
Year-long
Standards

7. Why Should We Use Portfolios?
• Tools for discussion with • Demonstrations of different
peers, teachers, and parents learning styles, multiple
• Demonstrations of students’ intelligences, cultural diversity
skills and understanding • Options for students to make
• Opportunities for students to critical choices about what
reflect on their work they select for their portfolio
matacognitively • Evidence to examine that
• Chances to examine current traces the development of
goals and set new ones students’ learning
• Documentation of students’ • Connections
development and growth in between prior
abilities, attitudes and knowledge and new
expressions learning

8. REMEMBER!
• “The FINAL PRODUCT is important, but
the PROCESS is equally important and
probably conveys more about how the
student learns.”
• The process of metacognition-thinking
about one’s thinking-helps students
become more self-reflective and
more empowered as stakeholders in
their learning.

9. How to implement Portfolios
Step 1:
Collect everything in a working portfolio
Step 2:
Select key pieces for final portfolio
Step 3:
Reflect on the selections

10. Step 1: Collection Process
• Ways of storage include:
large cardboard boxes,
cereal boxes, file folders,
CD’s, filing cabinets
• Working Portfolios:
Collect or make copies of
student work
• Variety of artifacts:
worksheets,
Videos, pictures, objects,
etc.

11. Step 2: Selection Process
1. WHO should select the items that go into
the final portfolio?
(TEACHERS & STUDENTS)
2. WHAT items should be selected?
(LESS IS MORE)
3. WHEN should these items be
selected?
(beginning, middle and end of the
year)

12. Step 3: Reflection Process
• Create situations which students must
think about their own thinking.
• Students who are aware of their learning
processes, are more likely to establish
goals for their education and are more
deeply engaged.
• Reflections are the heart and
soul of portfolio, but reflections
doesn’t just happen

13. Labeling of work
Best Work
Most Difficult
Most Creative
A Nightmare
First Draft—more to come

14. Reflection Stems
This piece shows I’ve met standard # ___
because…
This piece shows I really understand the
content because…
This piece showcases my ____ intelligence
because…

15. Mirror Page
Description of piece
Piece of Student Work
Reflection on piece

16. “A portfolio without reflections
is a notebook of stuff”