Teachers and Students’ Perceptions regarding Portfolio Assessment

Teachers and Students’ Perceptions regarding Portfolio Assessment

As one of the most powerful tools when implementing alternative assessment, without any doubt is the use of portfolios, which  is one of the largest and  useful instruments when evaluating the performance of our students throghout a period of time.

A portfolio, as a collection method of evidence (writing, reading and class materials) assembled and managed by a student by its own, usually shows demostrations of students' abilities and enhance opportunities for self-expression; which fosters intrinsic motivation, responsability and language ownership. it also promotes student-teacher interaction and as a student-centered device it encourages student to self assessment and develop some mental skills.

But the portfolios themselves are not easily applied when it come to classroom. It takes a total commitment from teachers who must make a very complete structural plan since the very beginning, agree with the students about what to include and what not to, devote plenty of time to check and correct and also open some discussion in class, all to guide the process of students record keeping.

In addition, students must also go with a large burden of responsibility as it is they who must make entries and keep their own records which involves the use of time and skills.

The point I am trying to reach is that due to the fact that portfolios usage as alternative ways of assessment, can be of great help but just if we know exactly how to use them (instructed teachers) and how to present them to students so that they will not grow weary and lose interest to do this hard work, that will be a great boost in assessing their  own learning process.

Here I submitted an interesting video which illustrates how can we easily assess portfolios in the classroom.

Portfolio Assessment

A framework for evaluation

            The most important thing I want to highlight about this chapter is that, assessment/evaluation in class is a complex system or process of decision making during the school proceeding.  But what does it mean a process of decision making?

            Sometimes teachers must face certain parameters or evaluation criteria dictated by some institutions' rules, which should supposed to be a tool to judging the performance of students and the way they adapt to the rules of these institutions. However, there are many times where there are no parameters to follow and decisions should be made to not truncate the collective students’ performance. That's when the decision-making process becomes crucial for teachers and students.

            For instance, when a teacher has to evaluate a student which is outstanding academically in comparison with the other ones, and he/she (the teacher) does not have an explicit parameter to set if that student could be promoted to the next year or not. Here is when a teacher should come up with a plan a decide what to do, due to the fact that it does not exit a frame to evaluate such a thing.

            So, in order to give sense to the process of decision-making I will dare to say that teachers need to establish a strategy to do it correctly. Which is: identifying the purpose for evaluation, collecting information, interpreting that information and finally making decisions.  

            Just to conclude, according to the author the strategy for making decisions at the moment of evaluate or assess students in a proper way there should exits a comparison of objectives, plans, practices, input factors and learning outcomes with one another when there is a discrepancy between them.