O'Malley's/Valdez Portfolio Assessment Ch 3

Wow! The reading makes it sound easy to begin a portfolio in the classroom. I can picture using this next year along with the SBA folders. I like the idea that it gives parents a clear picture of student learning/developing, rather than me showing the parents the test they’ve taken and talking about where they failed. It is also a wonderful tool for teachers when there is a transferring or promoted student. Each year I get students who transfer into Bethel, where all I see is the phase check off sheet when they come from LKSD. I have to guess how they passed these assessments, and I don’t know what weaknesses and strength the student has; this is where a portfolio would have been very helpful for me. I'd know where to begin instruction for that student if there were portfolios. This is something that I have to do each new school year when Kindergartner’s become first graders. I have no idea of their oral proficiency level in Yugtun, other than the YPT scores, which are not valid to their speaking level.

In the past, I’ve used portfolios, but I didn’t have a clear understanding of how they worked. I like that in having portfolio assessments, you have a specific learning goal. It is so much more authentic than the tests that I give to my students where it doesn’t explain to the parent the process it took for the student to learn that concept. Portfolio assessments are like a working process where you and your student choose what goes into the portfolio to show that growth to the content/goal your teaching. You and the student can decide on the criteria for grading, of course, the student’s should know what their graded against (the prime example and also an example of non-exemplary, and also ELL students will need more time). You’ll have to do much practice with the whole class by comparing papers to the model paper. From this, they can learn to reflect on their work, and become self-assessors where they begin to ask themselves questions, as well as to their peers. From there, you can have the students’ partner with a peer to review their work against the criteria, and give reflections on each other. After practicing all these processes, you can have the student independently check their work where the teacher becomes the inter-rater. When weaknesses are found, they will become the improvement goals for the student, and can also be a helpful tool for teachers in their instruction for all students to work on those goals, like in centers, peer-to peer teaching, as well as ELL student extra time for the teacher.

Like I said in the beginning, it sounds so easy, but takes a lot of work. I’d like to see myself in the future beginning from one subject before I do everything. I can picture this going along with the SBA’s and comparing the portfolio with the parent. I’d be curious to hear and see the actual growth that the student has done to perform the assessment by confident.
Tua-I, piurci.