ALEX HIRSCH, KELLY HOOD, JESSICA CHRISTMAS, KELSEY ALLEN, KATIE SHRIVER

Portfolios in the ClassroomBy Beth Schipper and Joanne Rossi

WHAT IS A PORTFOLIO?

Chapter One

What is a Portfolio?

“A purposeful collection of student work that exhibits processes, strategies, progress, achievement, and effort over time. Each entry in the portfolio includes a student self-assessment reflection that is based on specific criteria.”

…continued

Demonstrates learning over timeSamples should be taken at various points in

the year Serve as a record of the students overall

learning

The Heart and Soul

“Self-assessment and reflection is the heart and soul of the portfolio.”

Authenticity:They mirror classroom instruction and the pieces

are chosen by the individual student Each portfolio is an individual story of the learner Students are not compared to others or compete

with others; they simply compete against their own record of achievement.

Benefits of Portfolios

Track and assess student learning, growth, and development

Parents gain a sense of what it is the students are learning and how they are applying their knowledge

Increases student ownership, responsibility, and efforts

Students use critical thinking skills as they evaluate and synthesize their work

Increases self-esteem, confidence, and motivation

HOW DO WE LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR PORTFOLIOS?

Chapter Two

Laying the Groundwork

Students should be involved in assessment Talk about learning, describe it, and reflect on it

Make the criteria clear to the students Articulate “A work” so that they will know what

constitutes an A Have regular discussions of the criteria that

makes literary classics “good” The criteria should be written down and

displayed where children can see and use them often Charting

Charting

Simple and Straightforward; Involves naming and writing down on chart paper the important strategies, steps, or characteristics of a process to serve as a reminder of your instruction

Can be used for all subject areas, not just reading and writing

Advantages of Charting: Measures instructional

effectiveness Give teachers diagnostic

information Valuable reference during

class Lays valuable

groundwork for student involvement in the self-assessment process

Provides teachers with a progressive record of their instruction

Guidelines for Successful Charting

Chart only the most important strategies and processes

Set aside time so that students can copy the charts in a special section of their journal

Vary the charts to keep students involved

Use charting for reviews during evaluation periods

Other Strategies

Strategy 1: Model assessment talk by indentifying specific aspects of the student’s learning Give students positive feedback on their current work Instead of saying “Nice Job!” you can say “Tom, I see

three supporting details in that paragraph. Great Job!” Helps students understand what you value

Strategy 2: Fill in your own knowledge gaps Clarifying the elements of excellent writing and

making the evaluation process simpler Educate ourselves by reading professional books,

attending workshops, etc

HOW DO WE COLLECT BASELINE DATA?

Chapter Three

Baseline Data

Important to carry out initial reading and writing assessment within the first two months of school

First component in the portfolio preparation process

Serves as a starting point from which we can measure a child’s progress

Collecting Baseline Data in Reading

During September and October give a diagnostic reading performance test Miscue analysis and

running record – record entire process and select passages from graded texts

Student can read aloud and retells story in own words

Ask students various questions to gauge comprehension

•Analyze oLook for signs of the

student’s strengths and strategies used oAlso note problem

areas and strategies that student needs to learn

Collecting Baseline Data in Writing

First few days of school have student write a story or a paragraph – something they know a lot about

Analyze to determine which developmental writing skills they have already mastered

Schedule a conference Look for strengths over

weaknesses

Portfolio Management

Keep copy of baselines in folder – can staple right to front for easy access

Student Interest Surveys and InventoriesAsk questions to narrow focus of portfolio –

Will the be for reading and writing? Just for reading?

Gather all projects and assignments into work folder each week (no more than 5-10 items in at a time)

HOW DO STUDENTS SELECT PIECES FOR THEIR PORTFOLIO?

*HOW DO WE INTRODUCE PORTFOLIOS?*WHAT STEPS DO WE TAKE?

*ARE PORTFOLIOS WORTH THE TIME?

Chapter Four

How do we introduce portfolios?

Just before parent conferencesUse “real world” examples & reasons for

creating portfolios- i.e. artists, photographers, architects

Portfolio shows not only exemplary work; but also progression of skill/development over time

Step 1: Portfolio Charting

*Allow students to reflect on attributes of good readers and

writers as a class through portfolio charting.*Create a chart and record student responses

verbatim:“What do good readers do?”“What makes a good writer?”*Responses provide criteria students will use to make

selections for their portfolios and write their self-assessments.

*Leave chart posted in room over several weeks for students to refer back to when writing and editing.

Step 2: Modeling the Selection Process

Select student sample to model processDisplay sample on projector and help

students to identify characteristics of expert writers in reference to chart

Use Post-it notes to point out connections to the traits/criteria chart, attach to paper

Goal: to guide students to the realization that they demonstrate the traits of proficient readers and writers!

Step 3: Making Selections and Writing Self-Assessment Reflections

Steps 2 and 3 occur on the same day

Three possible components to the self-assessment: -I chose this because… -I learned… -My goals are…

For grades 1 and 2: -Next, I want to learn...

WHAT IS INVOLVED IN THE CONFERENCES?

Chapter Five

Step 1

Letter of Introductiono Introduce the reader to the creator of the portfolio and describe its significanceo Design cover

Examples, can be creative or standard:“Doing the project has made me realize …. I have been (what they did)…. In my portfolio, I included (list of items)….”“What you will find in this portfolio are…”“You are about to embark on a journey through my progression on what I have learned in this class. As you travel you will find…(new strategies learned, knowledge learned, etc.)”

Step 2

Explain purpose to students Focus on what has been accomplished, NOT on weaknesses

or errors Different from peer editing conference Focuses on the portfolio’s record of learning over time

Go over ground rules: Let your partner hold his/her own portfolio Give POSITIVE feedback first and suggestions for

improvement afterward Ask questions instead of judging Respect the other person’s efforts

Step 3

Model1. Teacher asks for volunteer to role-play a discussion of

student’s portfolio Why did you choose your first piece? What other kinds of pieces have you selected for your portfolio? What do you think you learned? Did you discover that you learned any new strategies?

2. Give students tips on how to fill out Peer Portfolio Conference Form

Show example in book

3. Ask for two more volunteers who have already looked at each other’s portfolio and can discuss them knowledgeably

Step 4

Peer Conferences Good peer conference interactions develop over time Better for teacher to choose partners for the first round As students learn what is expected, they can choose

their own partners-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monitor first conference attempts If they don’t go well, teacher needs to stop there and

initiate more modeling Goal is for peers to listen to reader’s view about his

learning and point out the positive aspects of growth and progress

Step 5

Teacher/student conferences Take place in corner of room (rest of class will be

working on other things) Teacher LISTENS while student talks Self-assessments should not be judged as right or

wrong Questions to prompt student if she/he does not know

where to start: What would you like to share? What kinds of pieces have you selected for your portfolio? What will a reader learn about you from your portfolio? What new learning does your portfolio show? ..etc

Teacher must reflect on each conference WORTH IT! Show Portfolio Conference Notes

Tips for Teacher/Student Conferences

During the conference, if student does not recognize strengths, it would be a great opportunity for the teacher to tell them “I’ve noticed other new

developments, processes, strategies, that you are developing, Dud you know that you are beginning to … and …. ? Look at the portfolio charts. You are…!”

Open classroom policy Students who present special

problems: Give student think time! Direct student to evidence of

change by comparing current work to work from preceding September student will be able to recognize something positive

Be sure to point out each item that shows growth and avoid comparisons with others

ESL students: Have records of spoken and

written language Provide running assessments

Managing

Have sign-up list for when students are prepared to have their conference with you

Provide activities for the rest of the class to be working on when you are with a student (*Activity Choice Board!) list of items in book

Pace your time accordinglyAlternatives if lack of time:

Travel chair conferences (5 min, 1 aspect of portfolio talked about)

Confer with half, write other half a letter in response to their written reflections (brief, but personal)

Step 6

Goal Setting 1st by student 2nd by teacher Fill in Portfolio

Conference Notes together BE SPECIFIC!

Could also be beneficial for teacher in terms of lessons, reading groups, and writing groups

Step 7

Involve parents! Portfolios take the mystery out of assessment for

parents. They support the report card, giving hard-copy evidence of a child’s performance, and capturing the essence of your instruction by their authenticity

Send a letter with the portfolio the first time it goes home Sample on page 76

Focus on POSITIVE aspects of student’s work

Record Keeping

Good record keeping is a crucial part of this process.Can use:

Notes taken during conferences Notes taken during shared book discussions Anecdotal records of observations made over time Checklists of developmental milestones Baseline information forms from September Your grade book

A “B” grade does not tell which criteria was met and which were not, but the grades may tell you something about the student’s effort and whether or not he or she is turning in assignments

Each student can be assigned a different record-keeping task and the responsibilities can rotate

Pros and Cons

HOW CAN WE CELEBRATE PORTFOLIOS?

Chapter Six

Celebrating Portfolios

Portfolio Party! A celebration to acknowledge the students hard

work and progress throughout the year Guests are invited, so that students can share

their portfolios with them