I am intrigued by the use of portfolios. I decided to explore further methods of solving the grading dilemma. There are numerous articles in publication. I explored three from the National Council of Teachers of English from 1990, 1997 and 2005. There are great suggestions in each article and all are accessible through the UTA Library JSTOR database.
- Krest (1990) outlines a system by which, based on the level of the class you are teaching, you can adapt the grading system. There are two grades, one for the portfolio itself and one is a paper grade for the quality of the compositions. The portfolio grade can be weighted more heavily to encourage fluency through risk taking and serious revision attempts, normally in lower level situations. In a higher level classroom, where accuracy is the emphasis, the paper grade for the quality of the individual components is stressed. A sample of a portfolio grade sheet is included in the article.
- Burch (1997) provides detailed information on creating a rubric for a portfolio. She provides a sample of two-tied rubric where one tier grades on the contents of the portfolio and the second on the quality. Again, the weight can be adjusted depending on the rationale behind the portfolio and goals of the students. She stresses the fact that the rubric should be constantly reviewed and revised. It should be continually evolving.
- Finally, White (2005) finds fault with the typical holistic portfolio rubric and recommends a phase 2 of grading, namely the addition of two items: a goals statement and a reflective letter. The goals statement is developed by the instructor or the department to outline the purposes for which the portfolio is being compiled. What is the expectation of the collection? What should it reflect? What is its purpose? The reflective letter is written by the student. The student presents his/her case for why the items included in the portfolio were selected and how they fulfill the goals as outlined in the goals statement. Samples of goals statements are provided in the appendix. I was disappointed in the lack of a sample of a reflective letter.
Burch, C. B. (1997). Creating a two-tiered portfolio rubric. The English Journal, 86(1), 55-58. Retrieved from http://libproxy.uta.edu:2055/stable/820782
Krest, M. (1990). Adapting the portfolio to meet student needs. The English Journal, 79(2), 29-34. Retrieved from http://libproxy.uta.edu:2055/stable/819095
White, E. M. (2005). The scoring of writing portfolios: Phase 2. College Composition and Communication, 56(4), 581-600. Retrieved from http://libproxy.uta.edu:2055/stable/30037887
Though it adds to teacher and student's responsibility but portfoilio assessment could really be a great help for both learning and teaching assessment, as a portfolio can provide a gradual record of the learning process collected in one place.
ReplyDeletePortfolio provides an opportunity for students to review thier learning process and teacher to assess thier teaching, which can help to modify if required, teaching or learning stratgies.
other then pure academic benifits a portfolio also reflects organization,concern and devotion of an institution, teacher and the learner.Steps should be taken to creat meaningful positivity in the process of portfolio mantainance, I mean it should not become a 'bleeding horror document',which the becomes unpleasent for the learner or teachers to open.