Skip to main content

Assessment - Student Growth Portfolios

 Student growth portfolios are collections of evidence showing growth in standards or criteria (Sowers and Meyers, 2021). These can be maintained by either the teacher or by the student, and are usually utilized in parent conferences and communication. Increasingly, portfolios are kept in electronic form and connected to learning platforms such as Managebac or SeeSaw. 

So why would teachers have students collate samples of work? The benefits far outweigh the shortcomings. Student-maintained portfolios encourage students to take ownership of their work, reflect on their learning journey, and increase metacognitive skills (Sowers and Meyers, 2021). 

Some disadvantages to maintaining these portfolios include the time spent collecting and reflecting on work, which takes time away from content instruction, and the difficulty some students and parents have with the technological aspect of the electronic portfolio. Additionally, not all students will receive feedback at the same level on their portfolios, as this is determined by the individual teacher’s commitment to the student growth portfolio model. 

Aurelia and Dad at SLC Day


In my school, we use student growth portfolios in conjunction with Managebac in order to provide parents with a consistent and current picture of their student’s learning. This has proved to be good in some ways, with parents being interested in their students’ work; however, it is also a challenge in that some teachers are not consistently following up with having students put work in their portfolios, so the practice seems uneven. 


Reference

Sowers, K. L., & Meyers, S. (2021). Integrating essential learning outcomes and electronic portfolios: Recommendations for assessment of student growth, course objectives, program outcomes, and accreditation standards. New Directions for Teaching & Learning, 2021(166), 43–57. https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.20451

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Assessment - Formative or Summative?

Many teachers learn about formative and summative assessments while they are engaging in education coursework; however, translating these types of assessments to the practical classroom can be a significant challenge. Using formative and summative assessments in tandem enables teachers to monitor progress and achievement while also implementing engaging and relevant authentic assessments for standards and criteria. The figure below outlines some differences between the two (Dixson and Worrell, 2016). Even if teachers understand the difference between formative and summative assessments, they can often struggle to identify how to use these in their classrooms. Below are some examples of formative and summative assessments used commonly by teachers (Yale, 2021).  Formative: Exit tickets, class discussions, weekly quizzes, Kahoots, homework assignments.  Summative: Projects, essays, standardized testing, unit tests, presentations.  Striking a balance between formative...
Post a Comment
Read more

Assessment - How Do I Know?

One of the most debated topics in education has to be assessment. Whether asking questions about what type is appropriate, how to properly assess, or the difference between formative and summative assessments, teachers need clear information about what assessment means. In my experience, assessment has to do with the process of collecting information and evidence to support a student’s progress (Sewagegn, 2020). Without this evidence, students have no idea about where they stand in terms of the lesson objectives, which themselves need to be clear enough to motivate and inform students about the content and skills required to excel in the classroom (Kelly, 2020).  When determining lesson objectives, it is important to make sure that two things are adequately outlined: the desired outcome for students at the end of the lesson, and exactly how that outcome will be assessed (Kelly, 2020). These objectives should also be clearly explained to the students prior to the instruction so that...
Post a Comment
Read more