Assessment of Learning 2 Page 1 of 11

Portfolio Assessment Methods

MODULE 7

OVERVIEW
A portfolio is a purposeful collection of student work that exhibits the student's efforts, progress
and achievements in one or more areas. The collection must include student participation in selecting
contents, the criteria for selection, the criteria for judging merit and evidence of student self-
reflection.(Paulson, Paulson, Meyer 1991). Within the context of this definition, a portfolio continually
grows and accumulates as the student progresses in the particular learning task. Each addition to the
portfolio is carefully planned and selected by the student and demonstrates his progress. In fact, the overall
purpose of creating a portfolio is to enable the student to demonstrate to others his/her learning progress.
The greatest value of portfolios is that, in building them, students become active participants in the learning
process and its assessment. In sharp contrast, students do not have any control or influence in traditional
testing i.e. the teacher decides on the items to be included in the test. The sense of "ownership" on the part
of the students that goes with portfolio assessment makes it quite attractive to learners, in general.
This Chapter concentrates on the topic called portfolio assessment methods. Portfolio assessment
is one of the several authentic and non- traditional assessment techniques in education. The use of portfolio
assessment that became popular in the early to late 1980's in response to the growing clamor for more
"reasonable" and authentic means of assessing students' growth and development in school. One area of
application of portfolio assessment, for instance, may be in the accreditation of experiences towards a
degree (see for example CHED's Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program
(ETEEAP). In this modality, experiences of managers or workers are accredited towards a Bachelor's
degree (or higher) depending on the portfolio presented by the students to a panel of expert evaluators.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this module, the students should be able to:

a. Define portfolio assessment in terms of its purpose, principles, types, development and evaluation
b. Enumerate and discuss the various types of portfolios
c. Discuss the importance of student-teacher conferences in light of portfolio assessment
d. Create sample portfolio
e. Construct an assessment of a portfolio

LEARNING EXPERIENCES & SELF-ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES (SAA)

Activity
Let’s Do these: Direction: Look at the Picture.

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Analysis

Guided Questions: 1. How was your observation??

2. Did you keep your quizzes?
3. What will happen to the learners in the 21th century?
4. Do you believe that the future learners must be passionate in developing
their own learning?

Abstraction

Let’s Discuss:
1. Features and Principles of Portfolio Assessment
Portfolio assessment possesses several features and essential characteristics which are enumerated
below:
a. A portfolio is a form of assessment that students do together with their teachers. The teacher’s guide
the students in the planning, execution and evaluation of the contents of the portfolio. Together, they
formulate the overall objectives for constructing the portfolio. As such, students and teachers interact
in every step of the process in developing a portfolio.
b. A portfolio represents a selection of what the students believe are best included from among the
possible collection of things related to the concept being studied. It is the teachers' responsibility to
assist the students in actually choosing from among a possible set of choices to be included in the
portfolio. However, the final selection should be done by what the students themselves since the
portfolio represents what the students believe are important considerations.
c. A portfolio provides samples of the student's work which show growth over time. By reflecting on
their own learning (self-assessment), students begin to identify the strengths and weaknesses in their
work. These weaknesses then become improvement goals.
d. The criteria for selecting and assessing the portfolio contents must be clear to the teacher and the
students at the outset of the process. If the criteria are not clear at the beginning, then there is a tendency
to include unessential components in the portfolio and to include those which happen to be available
at the time the portfolio is prepared. At each step of the process, the students need to refer to the agreed
set of criteria for the construction and development of the portfolio.

2. Purposes of Portfolio Assessment

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Why should we resort to portfolio assessment methods? portfolio assessment has several purposes
and rationale for its use. First, portfolio assessment matches assessment to teaching. The final outputs to
be assessed are products of classroom discussions and classroom work and are not simple diversions from
the tedium of classroom activities. Unlike test items which mainly measure cognitive skills, portfolio
assessment can assess other components of the students' formed abilities based on classroom discussions.
Second, portfolio assessment has clear goals. In fact, they are decided on at the beginning of instruction
and are clear to teacher and students alike. In cognitive testing, the objectives are set at the beginning but
the actual items may or may not reflect achievement of such objectives. In portfolio assessment, however,
the students control the items to be included and therefore are assured that the goals are achieved.
Third, portfolio assessment gives a profile of learners' abilities in terms of depth, breadth, and growth. In
terms of depth, portfolio assessment enables the students to demonstrate quality work done without pressure
and constraints of time present in traditional testing through the help of resources such as reference materials
and the help of other students. In terms of breadth, portfolio assessment can show a wide range of skills to
be demonstrated in the final output. Finally, in terms of growth, portfolio assessment shows efforts to
improve and develop and clearly demonstrates students' progress over time.
Fourth, portfolio assessment is a tool for assessing a variety of skills not normally testable in a single
setting for traditional testing. The portfolio can show written, oral and graphic outputs of students in a
variety of ways which demonstrate skills developed by the
Fifth, portfolio assessment develops awareness of students. Students have to reflect on their own progress
and the students. of their work in relation to known goals. This is achieved at of process since the students
continually refer to the Set of goals and objectives set at the beginning.
Sixth, portfolio assessment caters to individuals in a heterogeneous class. portfolio assessment is open-
ended so that students can demonstrate their abilities on their own level and caters to differential learning
styles and expression of varying strengths.
Seventh, portfolio assessment develops social skills. Students interact with other students in the
development of their own portfolios. Sometimes, they are assessed on work done in groups or in pairs so
that they necessarily have to interact and collaborate to complete the tasks.
Eighth, portfolio assessment develops independent and active learners. Students must select and justify
portfolio choices; monitor progress and set learning goals. Traditional testing cannot achieve this
educational objective no matter how skillfully the tests are constructed.
Ninth, portfolio assessment can improve motivation for learning and thus achievement. When students are
empowered to prove their own achievement and worth, they become highly motivated to pursue the learning
tasks. It is when they lose this feeling of empowerment that they feel inadequate and become less motivated
as in traditional classroom testing.
Tenth, portfolio assessment provides opportunity for student- teacher dialogue. It enables the teacher to get
to know every student. Moreover, portfolio assessment promotes joint goal-setting and negotiation of
grades which can never happen in traditional testing.
3. Essential Elements of the Portfolio
Every portfolio must contain the following essential elements:
l. Cover Letter "About the author" and "What my portfolio shows about my progress as a learner" (written
at the end, but put at the beginning). The cover letter summarizes the evidence of a student's learning and
progress.
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2. Table of Contents with numbered pages.

3. Entries - both core (items students have to include) and optional (items of student's choice). The core
elements will be required for each student and will provide a common base from which to make decisions
on assessment. The optional items will allow the folder to represent the uniqueness of each student. Students
can choose to include "best" pieces of work, but also a piece of work which gave trouble or one that was
less successful, and give reasons why.
4. Dates on all entries, to facilitate proof of growth over time. Drafts of aural/oral and written products and
revised versions; i.e., first drafts and corrected/revised versions.
5. Reflections can appear at different stages in the learning process (for formative and/or summative
purposes.) and at the lower levels can be written in the mother tongue or by students who find it difficult to
express themselves in English.
For each item - a brief rationale for choosing the item should be included. This can relate to students'
performance, to their feelings regarding their progress and/or themselves as learners. Students can choose
to reflect upon some or all of the following:

• What did I learn from it?

• What did I do well?
• Why (based on the agreed teacher-student assessment criteria) did I choose this item?
• What do I want to improve in the item?
• How do I feel about my performance?
• What were the problem areas?
4. Stages in Implementing Portfolio Assessment
The following constitute the stages in the implementation of portfolio assessment in classrooms:
stage 1. Identifying teaching goals to assess through portfolio
The usual first step of organizing portfolio assessment is to establish the teaching goals. It is very
important at this stage to be very clear about what the teacher hopes to achieve in teaching. These goals
Will guide the selection and assessment of students' work for portfolio in order to do this, the teacher should
ask himself the "What do 1 want the students to learn?" and choose several goals to focus on; for example,
general goals such as improvement in fluency 01 speech or independent reading, and specific goals such as
scanning a text or telling a story. The Enhanced Basic Education Curriculum (K to 12) contains many
examples of goals (called "benchmarks") that show progress towards the overall standards of a subject
matter to be learned. It is often suggested that this stage be done together with the students asking them
what they want and what they need to learn in the particular subject matter.
Stage 2. Introducing the idea of portfolio assessment to your class
Portfolio assessment is a new thing for many students who are used to traditional testing. For this
reason, it is important for the teacher to introduce the concept to the class. Perhaps, he can start by
explaining the meaning of the word "portfolio" from portare (carry) and foglio (sheet of paper). If you can
invite artists or achitects to come and visit your class bringing with them their own set of portfolios, then
this will help convey the principle of a portfolio as a selection of a student's work, showing progress in
different areas or skills. It is also a good idea to show the students examples of existing portfolios prepared
by other classes or by other students. If you have your own portfolio, then this will also help in conveying
the information to the students (exemplar method).

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In order to convince your students that portfolio assessment is Worth a try, ask them to enumerate
their problems with traditional testing. Tell them that portfolio assessment will assess them in a much fairer
way than traditional testing would. It is also important to inform the students how much weight the portfolio
will have in the computation of their final grades and just what is going to be replaced by the portfolio.
Stage 3, Specification of Portfolio Content
Specify what and how much have to be included in the portfolio - both core and options (it is
important to include options as these enable self-expression and independence). Specify for each entry how
it will be assessed. The students should be acquainted with the scoring guides/rating scales that will be used
before performing the task. Portfolio entries can take many forms - written, audio and video-recorded items,
artifacts (e.g., a T-shirt, an annotated drawing, a model), dialogue journals, etc.
stage 4. Giving clear and detailed guidelines for portfolio
There is a tendency for students to present as many evidence of learning as they can when left on
their own. The teacher must therefore set clear guidelines and detailed information on how the portfolios
will be presented. Explain the need for clear and attractive presentation, dated drafts, attached reflections
or comment cards. Moreover, it will help if the teacher explains how the portfolio will be graded and when
it needs to be ready (final and mid-way dates).
Stage 5. Informing key school officials, parents and other
Do not attempt to use the portfolio assessment method without notifying your department head,
dean or principal. This will serve as a precaution in case students will later complain about your new
assessment procedure.
Stage 6. Development of the Portfolio
Both students and teacher need support and encouragement at this stage in the process of portfolio
development. The students particularly should get this from an understanding and patient teacher. Teachers
will get it by doing portfolio assessment as teamwork in their staff or joining or initiating a support group
to discuss questions with colleagues as they arise. Some portion of the class-time can be devoted to student-
teacher dialogues and conferences with other teachers in relation to the task of preparing the portfolio. It is
necessary to stress the importance of reflection and self-assessment while preparing the portfolio itself since
these are essentially new skills for the students. Reflection and self-assessment require practice. There are
certain essential questions that the teachers can use to guide students in reflections and self-assessment such
as:

• What did I learn from that activity?

• Which is my best piece?
• How can I improve this? This can be -done by class brainstorming (what are some possible reasons
for including an item in your portfolio?) or in pairs - "portfolio partners" - who help each other
select samples of their work (written comments on their work from a peer can also be included in
the portfolio).
Initially, we advise teachers to begin with more guided and closed forms of reflection and slowly
proceed to more open reflective comments. Writing reflections is a life-skill which is very essential for the
students and is, therefore, time well spent for the teacher.
Finally, since portfolios are essentially done by the students outside of the regular class-time, we need
to ensure that indeed the portfolio represents the students' work and accomplishment. In order to do this,
require that some items be done completely in class. You might also decide to have a test (preferably with

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corrected version) included as a core item together with reflection on what the student learned from doing
the test and revising it. Furthermore, you may ask the students to explain in their reflections who helped
them to improve their work (a peer, a parent, a spell-checker) and what they learned from revising their
work.
5. Types of Portfolios
Different types of portfolios exist for assessing student performance. These differ from each other
depending on the purposes or objectives set for the overall classroom assessment program. As a general
rule, portfolio assessment is used where traditional testing would be inadequate to measure desired skills
and competencies. Essentially, three types of portfolios are normally cited in the literature with appropriate
variants for each:
a) Documentation Portfolio- As the name implies, this approach involves a collection of work
over time showing growth and improvement reflecting students' learning of identified outcomes. This
portfolio is also called a "growth portfolio" in the literature. The documentation portfolio can include
everything from brainstorming activities to drafts to finished products. The collection becomes meaningful
when specific items are selected out to focus on particular educational experiences or goals. It can include
the best and weakest of student work. It is important to realize here that even drafts and scratch papers
should be included in the portfolio for they actually demonstrate the growth process that the students have
been through.
b) Process Portfolio- The process portfolio in contrast demonstrates all facets or phases of the
learning process. As such, these portfolios contain an extensive number of reflective journals, think logs
and other related forms of metacognitive processing. They are particularly useful in documenting students'
overall learning process. It can show how students integrate specific knowledge or skills and progress
towards both basic and advanced mastery.
c) Showcase Portfolio- The showcase portfolio only shows the best of the students' outputs and
products. As such, this type of portfolio is best used for summative evaluation of students' mastery of key
curriculum outcomes. It should include students' very best work, determined through a combination of
student and teacher selection. Only completed work should be included. In addition, this type of portfolio
is especially compatible with audio-visual artifact development, including photographs, videotapes, and
electronic records of students' completed work. The showcase portfolio should also include written analysis
and reflections by the student upon the decision-making process(es) used to determine which works are
included.
6. Assessing and Evaluating the Portfolios
According to Paulson, Paulson and Meyer, (1991, p. 63): "Portfolios offer a way of assessing
student learning that is different from the traditional methods. Portfolio assessment provides the teacher
and students an opportunity to observe students in a broader context: taking risks, developing creative
solutions, and learning to make judgments about their own performances."
Detailed rating criteria may be evolved to evaluate the finished portfolio presented by students. In
general, however, they should include the following:

• Thoughtfulness (including evidence of students' monitoring of their own comprehension,

metacognitive reflection, and
• Growth and development in relationship to key curriculum expectancies and indicators
• Understanding and application of key processes

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• Completeness, correctness, and appropriateness of products and processes presented in the

portfolio
• Diversity of entries (e.g., use of multiple formats to demonstrate achievement of designated
performance standards)
In evolving the evaluation criteria, teachers and students must work together and agree on the
criteria to be applied to the portfolio. Such evaluative criteria need to be set and agreed prior to the
development of the portfolio. The criteria themselves will serve as guide to the students when they
actually prepare the portfolio requirement. Moreover, students and teachers work collaboratively to
determine grades or scores to be assigned. In this particular dimension, rubrics, rules, and scoring keys
can be designed for a variety of portfolio components. In addition, letter grades might also be assigned,
where appropriate. It is especially recommended that for summative purposes, a panel of interviewers
be designated to evaluate the students' portfolio based on the agreed set of criteria at the beginning. It
is important that the panel of interviewers understand the decision-making process that the student
underwent in selecting the items to be included in the finished portfolio.(Source: Mindful chool:
Portfolio connection, Burke, Fogerty, IRI/Skylight Publishing (1994))
Each portfolio entry needs to be assessed with reference to its specific goal(s). Since the goals and
weighting of the various portfolio components have been clearly fixed in advance, assessing the portfolios
is not difficult. Self and peer-assessment can be used too, as a tool for formative evaluation, with the
students having to justify their grade with reference to the goals and to specific pages in the portfolio. This
actually makes the teacher's job of assessing the portfolio much simpler, because the pupil has done the
groundwork of proving how far each goal is met in the portfolio. It takes some of the burden off the teacher
and helps students to internalize criteria for quality work, After all the efforts that your students have
invested in their portfolios, it is recommended that the teacher provide feedback on the portfolios that is
more than just a grade. One possibility is to write a letter about the portfolio, which details strengths and
weaknesses and generates a profile of a student's ability, which is then added to the portfolio. Another
option is to prepare certificates which comment on the portfolio strengths and suggest future goals.
Finally, the teacher needs to give guiding feedback. The finished portfolio may be due only at the end
of the semester, but it is a good idea to set regular dates at which time several portfolio-ready items (i.e.
with drafts and reflections) will be handed in, so that students know whether they are on the right track.
Alternatively, you can have a portfolio project on a single unit of material so that both teacher and students
will acquire experience in this kind of assessment over a shorter period of time.
7. Student-Teacher Conferences
The' main philosophy embedded in portfolio assessment is "shared and active assessment". To this
end, the teacher should have short individual meetings with each student, in which progress is discussed
and goals are set for a future meeting. Throughout the process, the student and the teacher keep careful
documentation of the meetings noting the significant agreements and findings in each individual session.
Through meetings of this kind, the formative evaluation process for portfolio assessment is facilitated.
Indeed, the use of portfolio assessment takes time but in the end, the gains are well worth the time and effort
expended by the teacher.
Finally, student-teacher conferences can also be used for summative evaluation purposes when the
student presents his final portfolio product and where final grades are determined together with the teacher.
Even at this stage of the process, students can negotiate for the appropriate grade to be given using as
evidence the minutes of the regular student-teacher conferences. It is for this reason that notes from these
conferences have be included in the portfolio as they contain joint decisions about the individual's strengths

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and weaknesses. These conferences can be prepared for in pairs, when students practice presenting their
portfolios.

Application
Let’s Do these:
Directions: answer the following:
A. For each of the following main elements of a portfolio, construct a rating scale or rubrics for
evaluating students’ portfolio on the topic: “The EDSA Revolution I”.
1. Cover letter
2. Table of contents and Introduction
3. Entries
4. Reflections
5. Summative Statements
6. Appendices and Dates of Drafts

SELF-ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES (SAA) SHEET

LFM Name:___________________________________ Course& Year:__________________________

Module Number and Title:________________________ Contact No. ___________________________
Discuss.
A. What is portfolio assessment?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________.
B. What are the key elements of a portfolio?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
C. What are the purposes of portfolio assessment?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
D. Discuss the merits of portfolio assessment over traditional testing?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

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KEY POINTS

A portfolio is a form of assessment that students do together with their teachers. The teacher’s guide
the students in the planning, execution and evaluation of the contents of the portfolio. Together, they
formulate the overall objectives for constructing the portfolio. As such, students and teachers interact
in every step of the process in developing a portfolio.

END OF MODULE ASSESSMENT

Don’t ignore this page here is the step on how you submit your output. Thank you! And
God Bless. Keep Safe kapamilya.
After analysing and reading this module, answer the activities
provided attach at the end of this module after the references.
Write your answer on the separate paper.

Submit your answer at Osmena colleges College of teacher

education office or you can reach me thru my fb account Jeslene
Lupague Pusing and my email address:
[email protected]
Or contact thru this no. 09503541456

LOOKING AHEAD

Congratulation for making it till the end of this module! If you aced the assessment,
I am happy and proud of you. For the next module, Please advance reading about
Grading and Reporting and write down questions you may have experience and let’s
see for the next discussion.
Discuss!
How it is working?

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SELF AND MODULE EVALUATION

This part requires you to rate the quality of the module to help you continuously improve the development of
this learning module. This also asks you to rate your learning experience for each of the modules.

Rate the module using the following:

1- Strongly disagree
2- Disagree
3- Agree
4- Strongly agree

The learning module: 1 2 3 4

Please check appropriate column

was engaging
allowed for self-checking (SAAs)
developed in gradual, manageable steps
provided independent, self-paced learning
contained relevant information I needed

Self- Evaluation

Rate the extent of your learning in this module using the scale below. Check the column corresponding
to your rating in the space provided. Do not hesitate to contact me if you need further assistance.
4- I’m an expert. I understand and can teach a friend about it.
3- I’m a Practioner. I understand and can cite examples on the topics given.
2- I’m an apprentice. I understand if I get help or look at more examples.
1- I’m a novice. I do not understand the topic.

My learning: 1 2 3 4
I can now

Please check appropriate column

A. Define portfolio assessment in terms of its purpose,
principles, types, development and evaluation
B. Enumerate and discuss the various types of portfolios
C. Discuss the importance of student-teacher conferences in light of
portfolio assessment
D. Create sample portfolio
E. Construct an assessment of a portfolio

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END OF MODULE ASSESSMENT (Answer Sheet)

(Please don’t forget to provide information on this part)

LFM Name: _____________________________________________ Course& Year:________________

Module Number and Title: _________________________________ Date accomplished: _____________

Contact number:_____________________________ E-mail Address or Fb account:_________________

Now that you have finished the review of the various concepts outlined above, it is now
time for an assessment to see how far you have improved. Write your answers on the blank
space provided for each question.

A. Construct an assessment portfolio.

1. Measuring attitude towards Mathematics
2. Measuring interest in literary arts
3. Motivation to study
4. Predisposition to work
5. Measuring attitude towards language studies
B. Enumerate and discuss the various types of portfolios.
C. what is the importance of student – teacher conferences?
D. discuss its importance in light of portfolio assessment
E. what is the main philosophy behind portfolio assessment? Discuss this basic philosophy/
F. How does portfolio assessment differ from traditional testing and from other authentic
assessment methods?

REFERENCES

✓ Authentic Assessment of student learning outcomes (assessment of learning 2 second edition)

copyright, 2013 by: Rosita l. Navarroo Ph.D, Rosita G. Santos, Ph.D. Published by: LORIMAR
PUBLISHING, INC.

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