Portfolio Assessment

Essential Characteristics

Because portfolios are used across a wide range of settings and for disparate purposes, the term itself has become generic. A portfolio may refer to a year-end collection of reflective writing assignments for a high school student or to a competency-based portfolio used for special education documentation for a second grader receiving educably mentally handicapped (EMH) services (i.e., services specifically for a student with mental retardation). Even though the content and use of portfolios is quite varied, some general features are usually associated with them (McMillan, 2004).

The content is not random and collected haphazardly, but rather purposefully, in that work samples and documents are chosen in a systematic manner. Selection and inclusion of portfolio materials are guided by the preestablished purpose of the portfolio. If the goal is to demonstrate competency in three different forms of writing, then works reflecting this outcome would be collected. Examples come directly from the students and are samples of “performance in context” (Woolfolk, 2004).

Another major benefit of this approach is the collection of authentic works, for example, book reports, writing logs, and paper drafts that come directly from students' instructional experiences. In some cases, portfolios are designed to foster a reflective process wherein students write about and evaluate their sample. A language arts portfolio may contain successive drafts of a paper that a student has evaluated and edited. A teacher may use these writings to link assessment and instruction. For example, the writings may highlight a need to spend more instructional time on word choice and organization. Ultimately, portfolios need clear guidelines for scoring. Evaluation should follow a rubric that is reliable and uses sound criteria.

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