Day 11 Readings: Portfolios and Assessment

In the article " Incorporating Portfolio Assessment", it talks about the advantages and disadvantages to student assessment portfolios. Here are some of the advantages that were the most important to me :

• Provides structure for involving students in developing standards for quality performance
• Allows assessment of process and progress
• Documents time, effort, and improvement in student understanding
• Shifts instructors' focus from comparative ranking to improving understanding via feedback
• Promotes creativity, individuality, and uniqueness in the assessment of learning

The advantage that struck me the most was that portfolios allow assessment of process and progress. Students would be able to reflect on their accomplishments each year and see their progress and also have the opportunity to see what area they need to improve on.

Here are some of the disadvantages:

• Require additional time for planning instructional activities
• Demands considerable time for assessment
• Students may need traditional scores or evidence of learning for admission criteria, job placement, or similar events
• Often does not meet requirements for state or national standards

One of the biggest disadvantage that I saw was that it would take a lot more time on the teachers part and time is something teachers don't have. With the way our school system is set up teachers have very little time for planning much less creating portfolios and maintaining them. However, even though there are many disadvantages for student assessment portfolios I still think that they are a much better form of assessment than the traditional testing and scores. It would obviously take some change in the way people currently see student assessment and it would have to be at all levels ( student, teacher, parent, administrator, state and national) but I think it would be best way to properly assess a student.