portofolio assesment

Portfolio assessment
The concept of portfolio was adopted from the field of fine arts where portfolios are used to display illustrative samples of an artist's work. The purpose of the artist's portfolio is to demonstrate the depth and breadth of the work as well as the artist's interests and abilities (Jongsma, 1989). Many educators perceive the intent of educational portfolios to be similar to that of portfolios used in fine arts, to demonstrate the depth and breadth of students' capabilities through biographies of students' work (Wolf, 1989); descriptions of students' reading and writing experiences (Jongsma, 1989); literacy folders (Jongsma, 1989); collections of pieces of writing (Katz, 1988); comparison reports (Flood & Lapp, 1989); and student work exhibitions (Brandt, 1989). Although portfolios using the model developed in the fine arts may be appropriate for illustrating student work, the model must be expanded to accommodate informational needs and assessment requirements of the classroom.
A portfolio used for educational assessment must offer more than a showcase for student products; it must be the product of a complete assessment procedure that has been systematically planned, implemented, and evaluated. A portfolio is a collection of a student's work, experiences, exhibitions, self-ratings (i.e., data), whereas portfolio assessment is the procedure used to plan, collect, and analyze the multiple sources of data maintained in the portfolio. A portfolio that is based on a systematic assessment procedure can provide accurate information about the depth and breadth of a student's.
Portfolios present a practical approach to assembling student work, interpreting evidence of student performance. In classroom instruction, portfolios are used in a similar manner, but the contents of the portfolio may represent work in progress, formal products, and ratings or other evidence of student knowledge relative to specific objectives or purposes (Valencia, 1990). There is no "right" way to design portfolios. Each classroom, school district, and state will reflect a unique approach to authentic assessment, and in this sense, each student's collection of documents will differ somewhat, depending on the purpose of the assessment (Tierney, Carter, & Desai, 1991). Creating and maintaining student portfolios require that a variety of teacher decisions be made concerning the instructional goals or objectives to be assessed. The entire portfolio process can be complex, systematic review and evaluation of the process should be conducted on a periodic basis. Steps to portfolio development should include designing the portfolio, planning for and collecting the necessary data, analyzing the portfolio contents, and using the results (Moya & O'Malley, in press).