A Portfolio is a Systematic, Purposeful, and Chronological collection of students work that demonstrates their efforts, progress, and achievements

in given areas.

essays and compositions;

reports, project outlines; poetry and creative prose; artwork, photos, newspaper or magazine clippings; audio and/or video recordings of presentations, demonstrations, etc.;

journals, diaries, and other personal reflections;

tests, test scores, and written homework exercises;

notes on lectures; and self- and peer-assessments

C ollecting D L E R A
eflecting ssessing ocumenting inking valuating

State objectives clearly Designate an accessible place to keep portfolios

Give guidelines on what materials to include

Communicate assessment criteria to students

Establish periodic schedules for review and conferencing

Designate time for portfolio development

Provide positive washback-giving final assessment

foster intrinsic motivation, responsibility, and ownership; promote student-teacher interaction with the teacher as facilitator; individualize learning and celebrate the uniqueness of each student;

provide tangible evidence of a students work; facilitate critical thinking, selfassessment, and revision processes;

offer opportunities for collaborative work with peers ; and

permit assessment of multiple dimensions of language learning.

students may be reluctant to reveal weaknesses

Portfolios are personal documents, and ethical issues of privacy and confidentiality may arise when they are used for assessment Difficulties may arise in verifying whether the material submitted is the students own work.

Portfolios take a long time to complete and assess

The portfolio process involves a large amount of paperwork.

Portfolio assessment may produce unacceptably low inter-rater reliability, especially if the assessment rubrics are not properly prepared or are used by untrained assessors.

Grading Portfolios self-assessment; peer assessment conferences

Presentation References

(2000). Portfolios. [On-line]. Available: http://www.tenet.edu/teks/science/stacks/instruct/portfol.html#tool. Retrieved on April 6, 2002. Del Vecchio, A., Gustke, C. & Wilde, J. (2000). Alternative Assessment for Latino Students. In J.V. Tinajero & R.A. DeVillar (Eds.), The Power of Two Languages (pp. 365 382). New York: McGraw-Hill.

French, R. (1993). Portfolio Assessment and LEP Students. [On-line]. Available: http://www.ncbe.gwu.edu/ncbepubs/symposia/second/vol1/portfolio.htm. Retrieved on March 6, 2002.
Genesse, F. & Hamayan, E.V. (1991). Classroom-based Assessment. In F. Genesee, ed., Educating Second Language Children: The Whole Child, the Whole Curriculum, the Whole Community. New York: Cambridge University Press. Hastings, E. Portfolio Questionnaire. Texas A&M University Methods Course, Fall 1999.