One of the best ways to collaborate with classroom teachers is to employ
Portfolio Assessment as a strategy. There are a number of advantages
for the SLP:
– Focuses in on authentic tasks and activities
in the classroom
– Forces a consideration of meaning-making operationalized
in the language of the classroom.
– Provides a real and tangible collaboration opportunity
with
the teacher
– Results in a focus on relevant meaning-making activities
– Creates its own "triangulation of effort"
– Chronicles a "living" curriculum
– Captures a reflective instruction
– Highlights performance-based activities over the year
– Provides student data for educational decision-making
and
intervention
A description: Portfolio assessment has its origins in
the language arts field. Based upon the idea of artists keeping portfolios
of their representative and/or best work, a number of individuals have
suggested adaptations for academic/language assessment.
* A portfolio is a collection of materials/information
that has been
systematically collected over time and that reflects the work of
the specific student.
* The procedure used to plan, collect, and analyze multiple
sources
of data in the portfolio for predetermined reasons is Portfolio
Assessment.
The composition of a portfolio may vary. Typically, it is a collection of a student's formal and informal work product (e.g., written assignments, math homework) but portfolios may contain many other items.
What to include
-- Many types of materials may be included in Portfolios
-- Depends upon the topic area and the meaning-making
skills
-- Examples:
General
Material
* Teacher Progress reports
* Chart of progress along a curricular continuum
* Literature logs
- Numbers of books/stories
- Types of books/stories
- Verbatim/written reactions to the books/stories
- Things the child likes best/worst
* Journal notes
* Peer comments
* Parent Comments
* Teacher comments
* Monthly teacher reviews
* Scripts that he has control over
Dynamic
Time Comparison Data
* Three pieces of fiction writing
* Three pieces of non-fiction writing
* Three literature circle responses
* Three math samples
* Three Science pieces
* Three samples of collaborative interactions during group projects
* Taped Readings
* Number of times he volunteered answers in the classroom
For example, the portfolio may contain audio and video taped recordings of student projects, in-class reports and work and all manner of homework assignments. Commonly, observational reports by teachers and parents, anecdotal notes, lists of books read, charts or graphs of work over a time period and lists of activities that the student is involved in both during and after school may be included. All this information is relevant to a student's progress in a descriptive and authentic assessment process. It is best if both the teacher/clinician and the student decide what should be contained in the portfolio.
Portfolios for assessment purposes are best employed to conduct analyses of performance change-over-time and for diagnostic interventions. They are less effective for making quick decisions about placement.
One real advantage of portfolios is that this assessment process involves the student and allows the student to both show and observe progress over time. Instead of emphasizing what the student cannot do, the portfolio provides and opportunity for the student to show what he/she can do without time constraints.
The following are characteristics of Portfolio Assessment:
– They must have some focus on various aspect of meaning-
making in the classroom so the Portfolios should be
comprehensive
Formal/Informal
Process/Product
Student/Teacher/Objective Input Academic/Social
– The determination of what to collect, when, and how
should be
predetermined.
– The predetermined process of assessment should be systematic
with
regard to data collection methods, data collection schedule, analysis
and criteria for judgments.
– The material collected should be informative
(meaningful
and relevant).
–
The material/process should be tailored to the needs of the
individual
–
The activities and situations used to collect the data should
be authentic.
The following process may be used to initiate Portfolio Assessment:
– Identify the purpose and focus of the
Assessment
* What is the purpose?
* Measure change over time
* Assess the effectiveness of certain teaching strategies
* Resolve certain deferred diagnostic decisions
* Determine placement
– Where will the data be collected (Contexts)?
– What meaning-making skills or goals will be the focus?
– Plan Portfolio Data Collection Strategy
* What content is desired?
* What data collection procedures will be used?
* When and how often will the data be collected?
– Determine the Analysis procedure
* How will the analysis be conducted?
* What reference Points or Criteria will be used?
-- Performance Across Time
-- Mastery of Skills
-- Relative Group Standing
* What to focus on in the data
General Foci
– Strengths
– Changes or Growth
– Questions/Concerns
– Evaluative Comments
– Student Self-evaluation
– Goals from the curriculum
– Goals you initially establish (meaning-making skills)
– Schedule Responsibilities
* Who collects what data when?
–
Look for Patterns in the data and conduct verification activities
If the classroom teacher does not currently use portfolios, the following suggestions can help you and the teacher get started with portfolios:
-- Must remember not to be prescriptionistic.
There is no set way or set
content within the portfolio.
They typically evolve over time.
-- Several issues should be considered in getting started:
* Establish Ownership of the Portfolio.
- Establish and maintain Portfolios so that they remain the
student's property.
- Student should select at least some of the work and their
reflections on their selections should be noted
- Students should have access to their Portfolios
- This will benefit the students with self-awareness and
ability to reflect on their work
- This will benefit the teachers by giving them insight
into the students' awareness of their performance
and their work.
* Save Work Samples.
- Need a mechanism to keep work that can then be
evaluated and placed by students.
- Keep "writing folder", "math folder", "project
folder" and transfer into "Best Work Folder"
at set times.
- Designate a place to keep work and then work
from that data base selecting what goes into
the Portfolio.
- Designate a set routine or time frame and allow
the student to select several pieces to go into
the Portfolio.
* Determine the kinds of Elements that might go
into a Portfolio
- This changes over time and across grades
- There are no sets of elements that are always essential
- Provide both process and product elements
Process Elements
reveals how students go about reading
and writing
emphasis is on strategies used and the student's
awareness of the strategies used.
focus can be on individual differences in terms of
strategies and progress over time.
can increase the student's self-awareness and
thoughtful reflection of where to "go from here".
don't want to over-emphasize process so that
products are never completed.
Product Elements
Provide examples of the student's responses to what
they read
reveal the student's ability to use reading and writing
to communicate with others
- Examples of elements that might go into a Portfolio:
Projects, surveys, reports, and units from reading
and writing.
Favorite poems, songs, letters, comments.
Interesting thoughts to remember
Finished samples that illustrate wide writing
Examples of writing across the curriculum
Literature extensions
Scripts for drama---Visual arts---Written forms
Webs---Charts---Time lines---Murals
Student record of books read and attempted
Audio tape of reading
Writing responses to literary components
Writing illustrating critical thinking about reading
Notes from individual reading/writing conferences
Items that are evidence of development of style
Organization -- Voice -- Sense of Audience
Choice of Words -- Clarity
Writing that shows growth in usage of traits
Growing ability to self-correct, punctuation,
spelling, grammar, appropriate form, legibility.
Samples in which ideas are modified from first
draft to final product.
Unedited first draft
Evidence of effort
Improvement noted on pieces
Completed assignments
Personal involvement noted
Self-evaluations
Writing that illustrates evidence of topic generation
* Determine the Features of the items in the Portfolio
that
might be focused on during the Process.
- Breadth of Reading Experiences
Reads across content areas while working on
projects – Reads stories -- Reads poems, songs,
variety of other materials
- Types of writing
Reports -- Essays -- Letters -- Journals -- Reflections
- Uses Reading and Writing
To solve problems -- To pursue projects --
To communicate with others -- To influence or affect
others -- To engage in "lived-through" experiences --
To Enjoy -- To make new connections and discoveries
-- To check on ideas -- To learn about people and places
-- To learn how things work -- To gather one's own
thoughts -- To improve self -- To reflect on own life
- Strategies
Planning -- Constructing Ideas -- Reflecting -- Dealing
with Difficulties -- Sharing
- Response to academic tasks
Explores new possibilities --Writes about a variety of
story elements -- Expresses in-depth ideas --Relates
readings to personal experiences -- Summarizes readings
-- Synthesizes from a variety of sources -- Compares and
contrasts
- Incorporates Stylistics
Strong Voice -- Appropriate Voice -- Attention to
audience -- Careful word choice
- Development or change of skills
Logical Paragraphs -- Organization -- Depth of thought
-- Coherent Story Line -- Clear focus -- Use of Paragraphs
-- Well-formed Sentences -- Variety of Sentences
-- Effective Beginning- Mid-End
- Using Conventions
Appropriate Spelling -- Proper Capitalization
Correct Punctuation -- Legible Handwriting
- Self-Evaluation
Thoughtful analysis of efforts, achievement, and
shifts/improvements -- Makes comparisons --
Assesses improvements -- Sets Future goals
- Reading and Writing Fluency
Reads with appropriate expression -- Uses strategies
effectively and efficiently -- Adjusts reading to meet
different demands of texts and purposes -- Effectively
reads and reworks own writing
* Encourage Parents to become a Part of the Process
- Anticipate that parents may be concerned with a change in
procedure for sending work home and /or for changing
evaluative approach.
- Inform them via letter or note and encourage them to take part.
- Weekly newsletters, share portfolio during open house, set a
procedure for sending work home & returned the next day.
* Introduce the Portfolio Idea to the Class.
- Use examples from your own work
- Provide a mini-lesson for Portfolios
- Be prepared to demonstrate and spend time in conference
at first
- Explain to Students that they are to choose pieces that
represent their strengths, interests, versatility, and effort,
and trace their development.