Why Do We Use Portfolios As An Assessment?

When I starting working on this portfolio I knew it would show the growth and development of the child over the last few weeks. It would show how far they have come and how much they have learned while in my care. There is nothing more rewarding to see and witness development in a child while in your care. This shows you are teaching the child like you are supposed to and they are learning what you are teaching them on a daily

I am a strong believer that one test defines a students. Therefore, variety is key when assessing students. When using formative assessment I use student reflections, journal entries, exit cards in addition to non verbal communication such as thumbs up or down. I also make anadotal notes on students to help assess the overall learning journey of the student. When using summative assessments, I use district assessments, state assessments, portfolios, short answer, multiple choice, and student based projects. In all forms of assessments, students are provided the appropriate accommodations. My learning goal for assessing students is to have a valid assessment that demonstrate the student’s understanding of the specific skill. It is crucial that I understand the purpose of the assessments and the content that is being taught, therefore, I often start instruction with the assessment piece in

There are many forms of both formal and informal assessment tools and approaches that help teachers evaluate the language development and the progress performance of their students. Assessment approaches are the way teachers assess their students and assessment tools referred to the instruments that utilize to measure each method. Some of those tools includes: Tests, quizzes, projects, classroom performances, tasks, observations, portfolios and standardize tests. Tests and quizzes are given periodically to ensure students comprehend the subject contents. Performance tasks and projects are used to measure students’ accumulated skills and knowledge in problem-solving and critical thinking whereas observations and portfolios are evidences to show students performance and achievement over the period of time. Each of these forms of assessment is very effective when utilized and conducted at an appropriate time.

Assessments should contribute to a student’s education and learning by including students in the learning process educators are able to assist and extend students learning (SCSA, 2014).

It does not make it wrong to use only an informal portfolio when testing children throughout the year. “Teachers’ knowledge of each child helps them to plan appropriately challenging curriculum and to tailor instruction that responds to each child’s strengths and needs” (Funk, 2008, p.1). It is also important to understand this organizations culture on how they do assessments because culture is consistent and observable patterns of behavior by different organizations. When you are used to doing the same type of informal assessments every year it reinforces how we think, feel, and believe about the use of informal assessments. By this program repeatedly working with the same form of assessments parents and staff members have come to love and depend on using only this method.

The use of formative assessment practices with ELL students are observational checklists, peer assessment, and performance skills. By having students writing a lesson plan, the roles between the teacher and the students will be changed. This is a formative assessment that engages students in distinctive ways. Students are focused on goals and objectives. It gives them confidence. They are creating a lesson. For ELLs, this is a tremendous accomplishment when done correctly, as well as when done in a collaborative classroom environment. It promotes constructive feedback. Students play an active role in formative assessment. They not only perform the task given, providing evidence of their current learning, but they are also involved in self-assessment (and sometimes peer assessment); therefore, developing and enhancing autonomy.

Each student will have the same material from the week in their binder. It is imperative to communicate to each student that this is their way to show their progress throughout the year. Next, explain that this portfolio will be checked at any time without notice (minim once a month). There will also be three scheduled checks. Checking the binder will encourage the students to maintain and evaluate them. The portfolio will then be graded for organization and neatness. This will give the student the responsibility of making sure that their portfolio is in order to receive a good grade.

Make sure that you spend 1 or 2 blocks for students to choose work to be included in the portfolio. Take a picture of the pieces of work and place them according to your subject.

It has been brought to the school’s attention that there is a need for a more perpetual and comprehensive assessment of students while they are served in the Gifted and Talented Program. Formative assessments provide opportunities to evaluate student performance while the students are being served in the Gifted and Talented Program. Portfolios are an excellent way to evaluate student performance while also helping self-direct their learning and thereby improving students’ aim in attaining particular educational goals. Initial testing is conducted to determine placement when considering eligibility for placement in the program. However, our plight lies in the ability to formally document a student’s progress and involvement once they have entered and are participating in the program. An effective tool for documenting student progress and achievement in abstract disciplines is a portfolio. Portfolios are a way to showcase student work that meet specific criteria while also allowing the student to choose from their work samples. The portfolio provides a tangible representation of each student as well as evidence of educational progress. In other words, portfolios focus on the individuality of aptitudes of each student, which is a trait that has set this student apart from their peers and warranted service in the Gifted and Talented Program. (Paulson, Paulson, & Meyer, 1991) The school must endeavor to provide

Assessments are vital to the educational process. They provide feedback about what the students know and what they may need to learn in order to obtain the content within a given curriculum. It provides teachers with a glimpse into the student’s readiness on a particular topic or subject. One of the six key principles of having an effective differentiated classroom is having a formative assessment that informs teachers on the effectiveness of their teaching. It also provides teachers with the readiness levels of their students and shows them exactly where the students’ readiness, interests, and learning profile needs really are (Tomlinson, 2014).

Classroom assessment involves the professional decision of the teacher to determine how to implement assessment, what should be assessed, and when should assessment occur. Teachers must be able to interpret each students’ unique learning abilities in ways that are credible, fair, and free from bias. Possible factors to consider when creating these multiple formats for assessments include gender, ethnicity, culture, socio-economic backgrounds, and special needs. Each and every student in the classroom should be give the same opportunity to display their strengths. And it is important for teachers to properly manage an assessment plan that will benefit students, as well as the teachers, in the classroom. Eventually, a well-constructed assessment plan will be able to contribute to the development of lifelong learners within the teacher and the students.

By gathering information and keeping an assessment portfolio, I will ready to all the more viably plan every day lessons and alter those lesson to student's needs. Rather than resorting to memory regarding what students had met a specific ability or target, the assessment portfolio will give me the confirmation of what aptitudes and goals required extra work. At the point when students experience issues meeting a specific aptitude or goal, I will be prepared to give direction to comprehension said ability or target. By observing individual student learning, I will have the capacity to give viable separated

to show the improvements I have made throughout the semester as well as address some of the

Approaching this class, I thought I knew more about writing. It turns out, there were lessons I had yet to learn. I learned a lot more than I had expected. This class taught me the importance of time management, in-depth research, and more. It’s hard to realize what kind of an impact one single class has on an entire field of learning. But making connections with people who are doing the things I want to do in the future, has shown me how important this and every class is.

Assessments are a critical tool in monitoring the progress of English language learners at all grade levels. The main purpose of assessments is to ensure students are receiving quality teaching instruction in accordance to academic and content standards. Even though these tests are not the only resource used for testing students, they provide teachers with invaluable data to determine if the student is growing in certain academic areas. There are several types of assessment that can be used to measure a student’s progress. In this paper, various alternatives to