Assessment - gathering of information, data collecting

Evaluation - using the samples of students work to make decisions based on performance.

Authentic Assessment - "an assessment that engages students in challenges that closely represent what they are likely to face as everyday workers and/or citizens.  The context, purpose, audience, and constraints of an authentic assessment must connect in some way to real situations and problems."  (10)

Traditional Assessment - "paper-and-pencil tests usually focused on incremental skills that can be graded objectively.  Tests are often multiple choice and standardized, easily administered and easily graded" (6)

Portfolio Assessment - "a record of learning that focuses on a student's work and often on his or her reflections on that work.  Material may be collected by the student or in collaboration with teacher(s) and/or parent(s)" (10)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Portfolio Assessment . . .

- is a systematic attempt to show progress over time

- instills in students a sense of ownership

- transfers responsibility of learning to the student

- promotes improved self-image or self-esteem

- provides a means where instruction and assessment can be    woven together

- allows for real-world experiences

- provides a relief from test anxiety

- allows for a child-centered classroom - one size does not fit all -- There are not standard kids, why should we assume that our evaluation of them shoudl be standardized?

- is a vehicle to provide communication between school and parents

Deciding what you believe about assessment begins with deciding what you believe about how children learn, what your role is as a teacher, and how instruction occurs in your classroom.  To internalize the concept of portfolio assessment you must be clear about your views of what you want that assessment to show and how you intend to use that information.

    "Portfolios claim greater validity than any other assessment method." (11)

"Portfolios permit instruction and assessment to be woven together in a way that more traditional approaches do not." (9)

In the "real world", things are produced and then assessed, then revised according to that assessment, and then the revision is assessed.  Only at this point is the "final product" produced.  Portfolios are the students' chance to experience that "real-world process in contrast to the manipulative, lesson-test model created by standardized tests."  (4)

Portfolios allow the student to take charge of his or her own learning, "to assume ownership."  (9)

For those students who suffer from "test anxiety", the portfolio assessment system relieves them of a "test-like situation", and allows the assessment process to be done as a "normal part of the classroom routine."  (8)
 
 "One of the greatest benefits of using portfolios is the fact that you end up with actual documentation of the growth and change in your student's abilities.  That's because rather than just highlighting polished pieces of writing, portfolios include various drafts of a single work.  Not only can you analyze how students have responded to your suggestions but you can also see how they are able to use their thinking and creative abilities to resolve any problems or issues."  (3)

"The portfolio classroom is a child-centered one.  Teachers in these classrooms trust children to learn - not only from their mistakes but from their strengths as well.  Portfolio teachers eagerly invite students into the evaluative process." (3)
 
 

State Mandate
 
"Assessment will reflect the concept of teaching and learning as a collaboration between teachers and students.  Assessment will be an integral part of instruction.  In addition to paper and pencil examination, assessment will include portfolios of the student's work, performance and demonstrations.  Schools are encouraged to develop graduation requirements that include demonstrations of competency." (5)

Our Personal Statement of Intent
Portfolio assessment will be implemented into our classrooms in an attempt to find a method of assessment that more closely matches our teaching styles and gives us a better (larger) picture of our student's progress.  Our aim is to make our students better able to take responsibility for their own learning.

  Creating A Classroom Portfolio System
A Guide to Assist Classroom Teachers in Kindergarten through Eight Grade.
Dr. William L. Beckley, Ed.d

Portfolio Assessment : A Handbook for Educators
                        by James Barton (Editor), Cathy Anderson (Editor), Katarina Stenstedt (Editor)
                        Paperback - 113 pages Teacher edition (January 1996)
                        Addison-Wesley Pub Co; ISBN: 020149387X

Portfolio Assessment and Evaluation : Developing and Using Protfolios
                      by Batzle
                       Paperback (February 1994)
                      Creative Teaching Pr; ISBN: 9995818639

Portfolios : Process and Product
                      by Pat Belanoff, Marcia Dickson (Contributor), Patricia Belanoff, Peter Elbow
                      Paperback - 315 pages (December 1991)
                      Boynton/Cook Pub; ISBN: 0867092750

Multiple Assessments for Multiple Intelligences
                     by James Bellanca, Carolyn Chapman, Elizabeth Swartz, Robin Fogarty, Jim Bellanca, Heth Swartz
                     Paperback 3rd edition (July 1997)
                     Skylight Pub; ISBN: 1575170760

New Directions in Portfolio Assessment : Reflective Practice, Critical Theory, and Large-Scale Scoring
                     by Laurel Black, Donald A. Daiker (Contributor), Jeffrey Sommers, Gail Stygall (Contributor)
                     Paperback - 367 pages (December 1994)
                     Boynton/Cook Pub; ISBN: 0867093382

Reaching Potentials : Appropriate Curriculum and Assessment for Young Children
                     by Sue Bredekamp, Teresa Rosegrant (Editor)
                     Paperback Vol 1 (June 1992)
                     National Association for the Education; ISBN: 0935989536

Portfolio Learning
                     by Barbara L. Cambridge, Anne C. Williams
                     Paperback - 384 pages (January 1998)
                     Prentice Hall College Div; ISBN: 013299819X

How to Develop a Professional Portfolio : A Manual for Teachers
                     by Dorothy M. Campbell (Editor), Pamela Bondi Cignetti (Contributor), Beverly J. Melenyzer
                     Paperback - 96 pages (September 1996)
                     Allyn & Bacon; ISBN: 0205261531

Portfolio Assessment : Getting Started (Teaching Strategies)
                     by Allan D. De Fina, Allan A. De Fina
                     Paperback Reissue edition (June 1996)
                     Scholastic Trade; ISBN: 0590491830

The Portfolio Assessment Handbook : Reading : A Practical Guide for Implementing and Organizing Portfolio Evaluation
                     by Esther Fusco, Mary C. Quinn, Marjorie Hauck
                     Paperback (May 1993)
                     Berrent Pubns; ISBN: 1557431833

Portfolios and Beyond : Collaborative Assessment in Reading and Writing
                     by Susan Mandel Glazer, Carol Smullen Brown
                     Paperback (January 1993)
                     Christopher-Gordon Pub; ISBN: 0926842250

Portfolio and Its Use : Developmentally Appropriate Assessment of Young Children
                     by Cathy Grace, Elizabeth F. Shores
                     Paperback 3rd edition (June 1994)
                     Southern Assn on Children Under Six; ISBN: 0942388100

The Portfolio Book : A Step-By-Step Guide for Teachers
                     by Cathy Grace, Elizabeth F. Shores, Kathy Charner (Editor)
                     Paperback - 192 pages (November 1998)
                     Gryphon House; ISBN: 0876591942

Authentic Assessment : A Handbook for Educators
                     by Diane Hart
                     Paperback - 120 pages (April 1993)
                     Addison-Wesley Pub Co; ISBN: 0201818647

Windows on Learning : Documenting Young Children's Work (Early
                     Childhood Education Series (Teachers College Press).)
                     by Judy Harris Helm, Sallee Beneke, Kathy Steinheimer, Lilian G. Katz
                     Paperback - 216 pages (December 1997)
                     Teachers College Pr; ISBN: 0807736783

Practical Aspects of Authentic Assessment : Putting the Pieces Together
                     by Bonnie Campbell Hill, Cynthia A. Ruptic
                     Paperback (February 1994)
                     Christopher-Gordon Pub; ISBN: 0926842366

Changing Face of Testing and Assessment
                      by D Hymes
                      Paperback (December 1990)
                      Amer Assn School Administrator; ISBN: 0876521642

Portfolio Assessment for Your Whole Language Classroom
                     by Julia Jasmine
                     Paperback Workbook edition (January 1992)
                     Teacher Created Materials; ISBN: 1557341451

Inside the Writing Portfolio : What We Need to Know to Assess Children's
                     Writing
                     by Carol Brennan Jenkins
                     Paperback - 282 pages (April 1996)
                     Heinemann (Txt); ISBN: 0435088939

Room 109 : The Promise of a Portfolio Classroom
                     by Richard Burt Kent
                     Paperback (October 1997)
                     Boynton/Cook Pub; ISBN: 086709429X

A Teacher's Guide to Creating Portfolios : For Success in School, Work, and Life
                     by Martin Kimeldorf, Pamela Espeland (Editor)
                     Paperback - 72 pages Teacher edition (August 1994)
                     Free Spirit Pub; ISBN: 0915793741

Portfolio Assessment : Applications of Portfolio Analysis
                      by Michael E. Knight, Denise Gallaro (Editor)
                      Hardcover (April 1994)
                      University Press of America; ISBN: 0819194158

Portfolio Assessment Across the Curriculum (Troll Teacher Idea Books)
                      by Rachel Kranz
                      Paperback - 96 pages (March 1998)
                      Troll Assoc; ISBN: 0816732760

The Portfolio and Its Use : A Road Map for Assessment
                     by Sharon MacDonald
                     Paperback (August 1997)
                     Gryphon House; ISBN: 0942388208

Take a Look : Observation and Portfolio Assessment in Early Childhood
                      by Sue Martin
                      Paperback 2nd edition (January 1999)
                      Addison Wesley Pub; ISBN: 0201396025

Assessing Student Outcomes : Performance Assessment Using the Dimensions
                     of Learning Model
                     by Robert J. Marzano, Debra Pickering, Jay McTighe
                     Paperback (December 1993)
                     Assn for Supervision & Curriculm Development; ISBN: 0871202255

Why Am I Doing This? : Purposeful Teaching Through Portfolio Assessment
                     by Giselle O. Martin-Kniep, Diane Cunningham (Contributor), Diana Feige, Hudson vall
                     Paperback - 176 pages (May 1998)
                     Heinemann (Txt); ISBN: 0325000107

Becoming Reflective Students and Teachers With Portfolios and Authentic
                     Assessment (Psychology in the Classroom : A Series on Applied Educational Psy)
                     by Scott G. Paris, Linda R. Ayres (Contributor)
                      Paperback - 177 pages (December 1994)
                     Amer Psychological Assn; ISBN: 155798252X

The Portfolio As a Learning Strategy
                     by Carol Porter, Janell Cleland (Contributor)
                     Paperback - 164 pages (January 1995)
                     Boynton/Cook Pub; ISBN: 086709348X

Authentic Assessment : Using Product, Performance, and Portfolio Measures from A to Z
                     by Sandra Schurr
                     Paperback (May 1999)
                     Natl Middle School Assn; ISBN: 1560901616

Portfolio Practices : Thinking Through the Assessment of Children's Work
                     by Steve Seidel, Joseph Walters, Edward Kirby, Nina Olff, kim Powell
                     Paperback (May 1997)
                     National Education Association; ISBN: 0810618583

Designing and Using Portfolios
                     by Beverly D. Shaklee (Editor), Nancy E. Barbour (Contributor), Richard Ambrose (Editor)
                     Paperback - 148 pages (April 1997)
                     Allyn & Bacon; ISBN: 0205162592

Reflections on Assessment : Its Purposes, Methods, and Effcts on Learning
                     by Kathleen Strickland, James Strickland, Peter Stillman
                     Library Binding (March 1998)
                     Boynton/Cook Pub; ISBN: 0867094451

Making Portfolio Assessment Easy : Reproducible Forms and Checklists and Strategies for Using Them
                     by Mary Sullivan
                     Paperback (January 1996)
                     Scholastic Trade; ISBN: 0590245074

Authentic Reading Assessment : Practices and Possibilities
                     by Sheila W. Valencia (Editor), Elfrieda H. Hiebert, Peter P. Afflerbach (Editor), Elfrieda H. Hibert
                     Paperback - 328 pages (January 1994)
                     Intl Reading Assn; ISBN: 0872077659

Educative Assessment : Designing Assessments to Inform and Improve Student Performance
                     (Josse-Bass Education Series)
                     by Grant P. Wiggins
                     Paperback - 304 pages 1 Ed edition (February 1998)
                     Jossey-Bass Publishers; ISBN: 0787908487

Portfolio Assessment : A Handbook for Preschool and Elementary Educators
                     by Sue Clark Wortham, Ann Barbour, Blanche Desjean-Perrotta
                     Paperback (October 1998)
                     Assn for Childhood Education Intl; ISBN: 0871731452

QUIZZES, TESTS AND EXAMS:
http://uga.berkeley.edu/sled/bgd/quizzes.html
Constructing exams to match your objectives and to test accumulated skills and content; all again to measure learning outcome--doesn't that sound like you've constructed the perfect exam?! Well it is possible, and this site offers down-to-earth strategies to help you achieve worthwhile measurement by testing.

GRADING PRACTICES:
http://uga.berkeley.edu/sled/bgd/grading.html
>From Tools for Teaching and Barbara Davis at UC Berkeley-- what are your grading practices?
Do your students know what to expect from your grading policies?  How do  you stand on late work, make-up opportunities, alternative assignments?  This excellent article addresses all these issues and more, while offering superb advice on grading
and evaluation.

ASSESSMENT RUBRICS:
http://129.7.160.115/COURSE/INST_5931A/Rubric.html#Lesson
There are sample assessment rubrics you can apply here for course assessment, class participation, research papers, group presentation, instructional units and lesson plans.

EFFECTIVE TEACHING STRATEGIES:
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/envrnmnt/drugfree/sa3effec.htm
Strategies suggested are from the North West Regional Educational Lab, and the Western Center for Drug-Free Schools.  They propose success with role-playing, Socratic instruction, and small-group work.  Explanations of each are here.

MATTERS OF STYLE:
http://www2.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Papers/LS-Prism.htm
We all know by now that our students have different styles of learning.  How do you manage to address all learners in a qualitative manner? Richard Felder at NCU offers a well-written article on this subject, which, while addressing a college-level audience, is still applicable and immensely useful to all teachers.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH PARENTS:
http://batch1.csd.uwm.edu/Dept/MIC/effcomm.html
Many educators share the opinion that establishing a good rapport with parents is essential to good student learning. From such a standpoint, this brief article addresses teachers as communicators, giving basic and solid tips for good communication skills.

GUIDELINES FOR PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES:
http://henson.austin.apple.com/staffdev/inservice/conferences.shtml
Do you enjoy parent-teacher conferences, or groan at the thought? A bit of both? Apple Learning Interchange provides some successful strategies and tips to make conferences valuable for all concerned.

COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY WITH PARENTS:
http://henson.austin.apple.com/staffdev/inservice/communicating.shtml
This site, again from Apple Learning, largely addresses how to effectively deal with problems at school, while also tackling issues which confront all teacher/parent relations, problem or no--such as keeping parents informed, and how to best do that.  Some basic strategies are interpreted, which are helpful to implement at the onset-- and not just if and when they
arise with behavioral problems!

FIRST YEAR TEACHING PROFESSIONAL SUGGESTIONS:
http://people.clarityconnect.com/webpages/terri/othersuggestions.html
A list of about 10 tips from the National Educational Association (NEA) to keep you looking and acting professional in your new job!
 

ASSESSMENT TASKS FOR THE ELEMENTARY GRADES:
http://edetc1.harvard.edu/ba/elem.html
Three activities, in MS Word Docs, for elementary
Math. A nice feature here is that you will also
find three mathematics activities in Spanish
as well!

SECONDARY ASSESSMENT TASKS:
http://edetc1.harvard.edu/ba/sec.html
Level-based, from basic to honors/challenging,these
tasks are supplied as MS Word documents (though
can be accessed otherwise).  You will find skills,
such as House Plans; problem-solving--e.g. Don't
Fence Me In; technology, e.g. Circling Trains; and
projects (Vending Machines, the Six Faces of
Amzora, etc.).

http://cresst96.cse.ucla.edu/
Funded by the U.S. Department of Education and the Office of Educational Research and
Improvement, the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) conducts research on important topics related to K-12 educational testing.

http://intranet.cps.k12.il.us/Assessments/Ideas_and_Rubrics/Intro_Scoring/Intro_P1/intro_p1.html
The Illinois School Accreditation Process requires each school in the state to develop a coherent system of learning outcomes, instruction based on the outcomes, and an assessment system that is aligned with the outcomes and instruction.

http://www.interactiveclassroom.com/neg-cont.html
Empowering Students through Negotiable Contracting to Draft Rubrics for Authentic Assessment

http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/assess.html
Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators - Assessment Rubrics for Student Web pages
 
http://www.sccoe.k12.ca.us/authasse.htm  
This bibliography was compiled to provide you with a selected list of current resources on authentic assessment available from the Educational Media Center. In addition, articles from recent educational journals have been collected and organized by date.

http://www.eduplace.com/hmco/school/rdg/res/litass/index.html
Understanding Authentic Classroom-Based Literacy Assessment

http://stone.web.brevard.k12.fl.us/html/comprubric.html
Automating  Authentic Assessment With Rubrics

http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/notes/5/glossary.html
San Diego County Office of Education:  Glossary of Portfolio Assessment

http://ericps.ed.uiuc.edu/eece/pubs/digests/1992/grace92.html
ERIC Digest  The Portfolio and Its Use: Developmentally Appropriate Assessment of Young Children

http://www.ascd.org/services/eric/assm.html
Selected ERIC Abstracts on Assessment/Portfolio Assessment

http://206.43.189.116/library/portfolio.htm
Building A Portfolio Learning Environment
 
http://www.exit109.com/~learn/mathases.htm
Authentic Mathematics Assessment:  The new mathematics curriculum calls for an instructional setting which is very different from the typical classroom settings of the
past.

http://www.alaska.net/~anndan/assessment.html
Authentic Portfolios: An Incentive to Integrate Technology into the Classroom

http://mailer.fsu.edu/~jflake/assess.html
Assessment is a very important part of the teaching/learning process.

http://www-tep.ucsd.edu/portfolionews/PNHomePage.html
Portfolio News newsletter published by the Portfolio Assessment Clearinghouse, which serves as a network for educators involved with portfolio assessment.

http://www-tep.ucsd.edu/portfolionews/PNResources.html
Portfolio Resources:  A listing of some books and other resources which may be of use to readers of Portfolio News.

 http://watson2.cs.binghamton.edu/~loland/port.html
What is Portfolio Assessment?

http://watson2.cs.binghamton.edu/~loland/portfolio5.html
Alternatives to Standardized Educational Assessment - ERIC

http://watson2.cs.binghamton.edu/~loland/portfolio4.html
ED351150  92  The Portfolio and Its Use: Developmentally Appropriate Assessment of Young Children. ERIC Digest. Author: Grace, Cathy  ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Urbana, Ill.

http://watson2.cs.binghamton.edu/~loland/whatis1.html
What Is Portfolio Assessment?
We have compiled a collection of articles that relate to discussing different aspects of portfolio assessment. They are organized with a link to the specific article followed by a brief overview of its main points. Also, at the end of each article are a number of sources for additional information.

http://www.gwu.edu/~eaceast/reslist/alter.html
EAC East Resource List
   Using Alternative Assessment with English Language Learners Compiled by Kristin Carl and Maggie Rosen

http://www.nald.ca/clr/study/port2.htm
Typical Questions (Portfolio/authentic assessment)

http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/assment/as500.htm
Critical Issue: Integrating Assessment and Instruction in Ways That Support Learning

http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/assment/as7goals.htm
Match Assessments to Instructional Content and Student Performance Goals

http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/stw_esys/4assess.htm
What Does Research Say About Assessment?  R.J. Dietel, J.L. Herman, and R.A. Knuth
 
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/HelpingStudents/
Government Publication on Homework

http://mel.lib.mi.us/education/edu-assess.html 
Alternative Assessment (large list of internet sites for portfolios and assessment strategies

August

____State philosophy
____Set goals
____Letter to parents - possible parent meetings - newsletter
____Prepare plan for staff development
____Plan for physical arrangement of portfolios
____Provide models and reasoning to students
____Interest surveys
____Reading surveys
____Writing surveys
____Parent surveys
____Baseline Data

September

____  Begin Writing Workshop
____  Writing Samples
____  Begin Reading Workshop
____  Reading Assessments
____  Math Assessments
____  Theme/Projects
____ Parent/Teacher Conferences

October

____ __ Writing Samples
____ __ Reading Assessments
____ __ Math Assessments
____ __ Theme/Project

November

____ __ Writing Samples
____ __ Reading Assessments
____ __ Math Assessments
____ __  Theme/Project

December

____ __ Writing Samples
____ __ Reading Assessments
____ __ Math Assessments
____ __ Theme/Project
____    Student/Teacher
   Reassessment of Portfolio Items

First Semester Portfolio

____ Portfolio home to parents to
         view

     Portfolios can be any number of shapes and sizes.  The following is a list of some of the most common forms:

      * three-ring binders
      * pocket folders
      * manila folders (decorated by students)
      * boxes
      * scrapbooks
      * published folders (see samples on display)
 
      They can include bulk items like art projects, audio, and video tapes that necessitate a larger container.
 

______ Determine if your current assessment matches your teaching philosophy.

______ Read professional journals and books that relate to alternative, authentic, and/or portfolio assessment.

______ Consult administrators and supervisors about interest in incorporating portfolio assessment.

______ Interview a teacher who has implemented portfolio assessment.
 
______ Attend professional workshop or inservice on assessment.

______ Continue to gather information and assimilate into a reference binder.

______ Determine the goals you want to accomplish with portfolio assessment.

______ Try to find a co-worker who is already using portfolio assessment or would like to start with you.

______ Plan your introduction to parents of the new type of assessment you are going to be using.

  Bibliography (the number beside each entry refers also to the quotes listed above):

1.  Bernhardt, Stephen A. (1992).  Teaching english:  portfolio evaluation.  The Clearing House, 65, 333-334.

2.  Bradley, Ann (1994).  Test pilots.  Teacher Magazine, pp. 26-31.

3.  DeFina, Allan A.  (1992).  Portfolio assessment:  getting started. New York;  Scholastic.

4.  Grady, Emily (1992).  The portfolio approach to assessment.  Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation, pp.  1-34.

5.  "High School Policy:  A New Vision for Tennessee High Schools." (1993).  Nashville:  Tennessee State Board of Education.

6.  Jasmine, Julia (1992).  Portfolio assessment for your whole language classroom.  Huntington Beach, CA:  Teacher Created Materials, Inc.

7.  Jongsma, Kathleen Stumpf (1989).  Portfolio assessment.  Reading Teacher, 43, 264-265.

8.  Murphy, Sandra.  "Writing Portfolios in K-12 Schools:  Implications for Linguistically Diverse Students."  Black, L. 140-156.

9.  Paulson, F. Leon, Paulson, Pearl R., & Meyer, Carol (1991).  What makes a portfolio a portfolio?  Educational Leadership, 48, 60-63.

10.  Student Portfolios.  (1993).  Westhaven, CT:  NEA Professional Library Publication.

11.  White, Edward M.  "Portfolios as an Assessment Concept."  Black, L. 25-39.
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