Portfolios in the Classroom By Beth Schipper and Joanne Rossi

1. Portfolios in the ClassroomBy Beth Schipper and Joanne Rossi ALEX HIRSCH, KELLY HOOD, JESSICA CHRISTMAS, KELSEY ALLEN, KATIE SHRIVER

2. Chapter One WHAT IS A PORTFOLIO?

3. What is a Portfolio? • “A purposeful collection of student work that exhibits processes, strategies, progress, achievement, and effort over time. Each entry in the portfolio includes a student self-assessment reflection that is based on specific criteria.”

4. …continued • Demonstrates learning over time • Samples should be taken at various points in the year • Serve as a record of the students overall learning

5. The Heart and Soul “Self-assessment and reflection is the heart and soul of the portfolio.” Authenticity: • They mirror classroom instruction and the pieces are chosen by the individual student • Each portfolio is an individual story of the learner • Students are not compared to others or compete with others; they simply compete against their own record of achievement.

6. Benefits of Portfolios • Track and assess student learning, growth, and development • Parents gain a sense of what it is the students are learning and how they are applying their knowledge • Increases student ownership, responsibility, and efforts • Students use critical thinking skills as they evaluate and synthesize their work • Increases self-esteem, confidence, and motivation

7. Chapter Two HOW DO WE LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR PORTFOLIOS?

8. Laying the Groundwork • Students should be involved in assessment • Talk about learning, describe it, and reflect on it • Make the criteria clear to the students • Articulate “A work” so that they will know what constitutes an A • Have regular discussions of the criteria that makes literary classics “good” • The criteria should be written down and displayed where children can see and use them often • Charting

9. Charting • Simple and Straightforward; Involves naming and writing down on chart paper the important strategies, steps, or characteristics of a process to serve as a reminder of your instruction • Can be used for all subject areas, not just reading and writing • Advantages of Charting: • Measures instructional effectiveness • Give teachers diagnostic information • Valuable reference during class • Lays valuable groundwork for student involvement in the self-assessment process • Provides teachers with a progressive record of their instruction

10. Guidelines for Successful Charting • Chart only the most important strategies and processes • Set aside time so that students can copy the charts in a special section of their journal • Vary the charts to keep students involved • Use charting for reviews during evaluation periods

11. Other Strategies • Strategy 1: Model assessment talk by indentifying specific aspects of the student’s learning • Give students positive feedback on their current work • Instead of saying “Nice Job!” you can say “Tom, I see three supporting details in that paragraph. Great Job!” • Helps students understand what you value • Strategy 2: Fill in your own knowledge gaps • Clarifying the elements of excellent writing and making the evaluation process simpler • Educate ourselves by reading professional books, attending workshops, etc

12. Chapter Three HOW DO WE COLLECT BASELINE DATA?

13. Baseline Data • Important to carry out initial reading and writing assessment within the first two months of school • First component in the portfolio preparation process • Serves as a starting point from which we can measure a child’s progress

14. Collecting Baseline Data in Reading • During September and October give a diagnostic reading performance test • Miscue analysis and running record – record entire process and select passages from graded texts • Student can read aloud and retells story in own words • Ask students various questions to gauge comprehension • Analyze • Look for signs of the student’s strengths and strategies used • Also note problem areas and strategies that student needs to learn

15. Collecting Baseline Data in Writing • First few days of school have student write a story or a paragraph – something they know a lot about • Analyze to determine which developmental writing skills they have already mastered • Schedule a conference • Look for strengths over weaknesses

16. Portfolio Management • Keep copy of baselines in folder – can staple right to front for easy access • Student Interest Surveys and Inventories • Ask questions to narrow focus of portfolio – Will the be for reading and writing? Just for reading? • Gather all projects and assignments into work folder each week (no more than 5-10 items in at a time)

17. Chapter Four HOW DO STUDENTS SELECT PIECES FOR THEIR PORTFOLIO? *HOW DO WE INTRODUCE PORTFOLIOS? *WHAT STEPS DO WE TAKE? *ARE PORTFOLIOS WORTH THE TIME?

18. How do we introduce portfolios? • Just before parent conferences • Use “real world” examples & reasons for creating portfolios- i.e. artists, photographers, architects • Portfolio shows not only exemplary work; but also progression of skill/development over time

19. Step 1: Portfolio Charting *Allow students to reflect on attributes of good readers and writers as a class through portfolio charting. *Create a chart and record student responses verbatim: • “What do good readers do?” • “What makes a good writer?” *Responses provide criteria students will use to make selections for their portfolios and write their self-assessments. *Leave chart posted in room over several weeks for students to refer back to when writing and editing.

20. Step 2: Modeling the Selection Process • Select student sample to model process • Display sample on projector and help students to identify characteristics of expert writers in reference to chart • Use Post-it notes to point out connections to the traits/criteria chart, attach to paper • Goal: to guide students to the realization that they demonstrate the traits of proficient readers and writers!

21. Step 3: Making Selections and Writing Self-Assessment Reflections • Steps 2 and 3 occur on the same day • Three possible components to the self-assessment: -I chose this because… -I learned… -My goals are… • For grades 1 and 2: -Next, I want to learn...

22. Chapter Five WHAT IS INVOLVED IN THE CONFERENCES?

23. Step 1 Letter of Introduction • Introduce the reader to the creator of the portfolio and describe its significance • Design cover Examples, can be creative or standard: “Doing the project has made me realize …. I have been (what they did)…. In my portfolio, I included (list of items)….” “What you will find in this portfolio are…” “You are about to embark on a journey through my progression on what I have learned in this class. As you travel you will find…(new strategies learned, knowledge learned, etc.)”

24. Step 2 • Explain purpose to students • Focus on what has been accomplished, NOT on weaknesses or errors • Different from peer editing conference • Focuses on the portfolio’s record of learning over time • Go over ground rules: • Let your partner hold his/her own portfolio • Give POSITIVE feedback first and suggestions for improvement afterward • Ask questions instead of judging • Respect the other person’s efforts

25. Step 3 • Model • Teacher asks for volunteer to role-play a discussion of student’s portfolio • Why did you choose your first piece? • What other kinds of pieces have you selected for your portfolio? • What do you think you learned? • Did you discover that you learned any new strategies? • Give students tips on how to fill out Peer Portfolio Conference Form • Show example in book • Ask for two more volunteers who have already looked at each other’s portfolio and can discuss them knowledgeably

26. Step 4 • Peer Conferences • Good peer conference interactions develop over time • Better for teacher to choose partners for the first round • As students learn what is expected, they can choose their own partners -------------------------------------------------------------------------- • Monitor first conference attempts • If they don’t go well, teacher needs to stop there and initiate more modeling • Goal is for peers to listen to reader’s view about his learning and point out the positive aspects of growth and progress

27. Step 5 • Teacher/student conferences • Take place in corner of room (rest of class will be working on other things) • Teacher LISTENS while student talks • Self-assessments should not be judged as right or wrong • Questions to prompt student if she/he does not know where to start: • What would you like to share? • What kinds of pieces have you selected for your portfolio? • What will a reader learn about you from your portfolio? • What new learning does your portfolio show? ..etc • Teacher must reflect on each conference  WORTH IT! • Show Portfolio Conference Notes

28. Tips for Teacher/Student Conferences • During the conference, if student does not recognize strengths, it would be a great opportunity for the teacher to tell them • “I’ve noticed other new developments, processes, strategies, that you are developing, Dud you know that you are beginning to … and …. ? Look at the portfolio charts. You are…!” • Open classroom policy • Students who present special problems: • Give student think time! • Direct student to evidence of change by comparing current work to work from preceding September  student will be able to recognize something positive • Be sure to point out each item that shows growth and avoid comparisons with others • ESL students: • Have records of spoken and written language • Provide running assessments

29. Managing • Have sign-up list for when students are prepared to have their conference with you • Provide activities for the rest of the class to be working on when you are with a student (*Activity Choice Board!)  list of items in book • Pace your time accordingly • Alternatives if lack of time: • Travel chair conferences (5 min, 1 aspect of portfolio talked about) • Confer with half, write other half a letter in response to their written reflections (brief, but personal)

30. Step 6 • Goal Setting • 1st by student • 2nd by teacher • Fill in Portfolio Conference Notes together • BE SPECIFIC! • Could also be beneficial for teacher in terms of lessons, reading groups, and writing groups

31. Step 7 • Involve parents! • Portfolios take the mystery out of assessment for parents. They support the report card, giving hard-copy evidence of a child’s performance, and capturing the essence of your instruction by their authenticity • Send a letter with the portfolio the first time it goes home • Sample on page 76 • Focus on POSITIVE aspects of student’s work

32. Record Keeping • Good record keeping is a crucial part of this process. • Can use: • Notes taken during conferences • Notes taken during shared book discussions • Anecdotal records of observations made over time • Checklists of developmental milestones • Baseline information forms from September • Your grade book • A “B” grade does not tell which criteria was met and which were not, but the grades may tell you something about the student’s effort and whether or not he or she is turning in assignments • Each student can be assigned a different record-keeping task and the responsibilities can rotate

33. Pros and Cons

34. Chapter Six HOW CAN WE CELEBRATE PORTFOLIOS?

35. Celebrating Portfolios • Portfolio Party! • A celebration to acknowledge the students hard work and progress throughout the year • Guests are invited, so that students can share their portfolios with them