We gain a better understanding of a student's ability by looking at a collection of their work rather than a final grade. A learning objective should be clear in order for them to demonstrate a vivid record of what they are able to do. Portfolios demonstrate work in progress because student work is always improving. Teachers can drive their instruction better when student needs are identified from this kind of assessment. Students receive the support they need to become successful learners.
I found three sites most helpful: KidPub authors, Marci Turner's, and Susan Silverman's. All sites showcased student published work and supported classroom instruction. Collaboration within the community is what I found most remarkable. Everyone was learning from one another, and Marci was blogging even before it was invented.
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Hi Margarita,
ePortfolios offer an excellent format for collecting and analyzing learning artifacts. Thank you for the list of websites that showcase published work. Agreed, collaboration makes all the difference. :)
Not only are e-folios (or portfolios) a great way for teachers to assess student's work & improvement over time, but they are also a great source of pride for students. In addition, with a little coaching from the teacher (perhaps in the form of a mini-conference to review work pieces)students are able to see their improvement in an incredibly tangible way and instructors are able to scaffold further learning by showing examples of what could be changed or done better in the future. Although there is not much crossover to NCLB / test prep/ or AIMS with a portfolio production activity, it certainly drives instruction / learning and is good for all involved in the process. Hip hip hooray for e-folios!!
Wow! You have completed all of your readings. I agree that we need to use multiple forms of assessment, and portfolios help us do this. This is especially true for writing. You can see what a student was writing a month ago and what he is writing now. This helps inform the teachers’ direction. The teacher should at point along the way sit down with the student taking a realistic view at there progress and how well they meet standards. Once that is established the teacher and student can then set goals that are in sight and achievable.
Thank you so much for the helpful hints. In addition to what Nicole said, portfolios also allow for teachers to have authentic conferences with parents. They know exactly where their child is excelling and where they need more assistance.
I think this is so true of portoflio assessment. I used to be really torn on this issue, and could see the benefits of grading along the way and grading the final product, but I really think that this is the way to go now. After all, for students, we really do want to assess them on what they have created, not where they started at. Grading on an end product, that a student has had time to work on and polish, seems like the fairest assessment as well.
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