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Study Guide in PROF ED 108 ASSESSMENT IN LEARNING 2 Module No.4

STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. 4

COMMUNICATING AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT RESULTS

MODULE OVERVIEW

“Assessments are worthwhile only if the results are put to good use, and those uses can take place only
after careful consideration and discussion. That consideration and discussion, in turn, can take place
only if assessment results are communicated usefully, clearly, and accurately.”
-Linda Suskie-

Setting assessment results to good use means communicating it effectively to people involved. Effective
Communication begins with nurturing a trusting relationship between the one responsible for communicating the results
and the receiver of the assessment results. In order to nurture this trusting relationship, results of assessments must be
clearly and accurately communicated, and perceived as valuable tool in determining learner’s capabilities, needs and
potentials.

The person responsible for communicating assessment results must know “What”, “Why” and “How” to
communicate it. What medium must be utilized and what mandated guidelines for grading and reporting must be followed.
All of these are the focus of these unit which are all valuable nor only to teachers in the field but also to pre-service teachers
like you.

MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this Module, you should be able to:

1. design and develop portfolios for authentic assessment of learning outcomes;
2. report, punctually and accurately, results of assessment of learner academic performance
and achievement in the form of grades, marks, descriptors or narratives; and
3. articulate to parents learning needs, progress and behavior of the learners during a
parent-teacher conference or other appropriate situation.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Undoubtedly, teachers are always on the forefront when it comes to communicating assessment
results with stakeholders such as school administrators, parents and students. Informing the
stakeholders, particularly the parents is an important stride towards helping them understand their
child’s progress, be a partner in goal setting, and generally take part in improving their child’s
learning.
With the change in assessment methods comes the issue of communicating and reporting
students' progress/abilities to their families and stakeholders concerned. How should teachers
communicate the result effectively? What do they need to communicate? And, why do they need to
communicate it?
The format and presentation paint a clear picture of the meaningful, actionable results. By the
time a teacher share results, no one on the planet likely knows more (or cares more) about the data
than the teacher himself/herself. Therefore, his/her role is to educate stakeholders about: (1)
Context; (2) Background; (3) Methods; (4) Results (in context). And, to involve stakeholders (as
applicable) in: (1) Making sense of the results; (2) Identifying possible solutions or next steps
(Suskie, 2009).
The process of communicating results involves the following: (1) Determine your audience; (2)
Target your communication to your audience; (3) Choose the communication format; and (4) Create
the communication.
First, determine who will be your audience(s). It could be your administrators,
partners/collaborators, students, parents, funding sources, faculty members, referral sources,

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colleagues, community members, and other stakeholders.

Second, target your communication to your audience. What information is most relevant to your
audiences? What information do they need from the assessment in order to make decisions? What
communication format might be most effective? These questions will serve as your guide in
directing your communication to your audiences.
In communicating assessment results, think of all possible stakeholders and venues. Strategies
may be different for each audience, but consider what your central nugget of findings tells you and
find various ways to communicate this. Avoid data overload. Pair data with stories. Hit the key
points. Don’t be shy. Remember that most stakeholders care about something that is interesting,
something they are in a position to change, and something that could bring meaningful differences.
Make sure everything you include tells an important, interesting part of your story (Suskie, 2009).
When communicating to decision-makers, make it simple. Present the central nugget, focus on
implication, connect results to outcomes or goals, anticipate questions and provide answers.
Third, Choose the communication format. There are several communication formats to choose
from. Some of these are in the form of written report, poster, flier, quarter sheets, presentation,
newsletter, student newspaper, website, infographic, annual report, etc. Make sure that the
communication format matches the kind of audience with who you will communicate the result.
Lastly, creating the communication. In creating the communication, never assume that this will
only be seen by those you give it to. So, present information in ways that communicate your story,
include quantitative as well as qualitative data, aggregate results, and acknowledge your limitations.
LEARNING ACTIVITY 1: How Shall I Communicate?

This activity allows you call to mind the different processes in communicating assessment results.

Situation: You are a teacher at Sumulong Integrated School. You conducted a summative assessment
and observed that some of your students got remarkable scores but others fall below the
expected passing scores. This result has to be communicated to your students. How will you
communicate the result?

Standards: You will be assessed based on the following: (1) observance of the processes in
communicating assessment results; (2) correct grammar usage; and (3) accuracy in the
presentation of documents and assessment results.

PORTFOLIO AS A COMMUNICATION MEDIUM

Portfolio is an open-ended task designed to explore learning process in many different vantage
points. It is organized as a dynamic assessment task, not simply a static end product. It shows the
cumulative efforts and learning of a particular student over time. It offers valuable data about
student improvement and skill mastery. Along with student reflection, that data provides valuable
information about how each student learns and what is important to him or her in the learning
process.

What is a Portfolio?
A portfolio is a purposeful collection of student work that exhibits the student’s efforts, progress
and achievement in one or more areas. The collection must include student participation in selecting
contents, the criteria for selection, the criteria for judging merit and evidence of student
self-reflection (Paulson, Paulson, Meyer 1991 as cited by Ferenz, 2002 and Navarro and Santos,
2013). Within the context of this definition, a portfolio continually grows and accumulates as the
students progresses in the particular learning task. Each addition to the portfolio is carefully planned

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and selected by the student and demonstrates his/her progress. The greatest value of portfolios is
that, in building them, students become active participants in the learning process and its
assessment.
Portfolio is a term with many meanings, it is a means that carries out diverse purposes. Grace
(1992, p.1), who stresses the learning process, defines as “portfolio is a record of the child's process
of learning: what the child has learned and how she has gone about learning; how she thinks,
questions, analyzes, synthesizes, produces, creates; and how she interacts--intellectually,
emotionally and socially-with others”. Winsor and Ellefson (1995, p.68), who stress the learning
process and learning product, define that “portfolio is a fusion of process and product. It is the
process of reflection, selection, rationalization, and evaluation, together with the product of those
processes”. Simon and Forgette-Giroux (2000, p.36) define as “portfolio is a cumulative and
ongoing collection of entries that are selected and commented on by the student, the teacher and/or
peers, to assess the student’s progress in the development of a competency”. According to Barrett
(2006), a portfolio is a collection of work that a learner has collected, selected, organized, reflected
upon, and presented to show his or her understanding and growth over time. Additionally, it
contains a learner's reflection on the individual pieces of work (artifacts), and an overall reflection
on the story that the portfolio tells.

What is Portfolio Assessment?

Portfolio assessment is one of the several authentic and non-traditional assessment techniques in
education. It is a systematic, longitudinal collection of student work created in response to specific,
known instructional objectives and evaluated in relation to the same (Ferenz, 2001 cited by Gabuyo
and Dy, 2013). It can be an examination of student-selected samples of work experiences and
documents related to outcomes being assessed, and it can address and support progress toward
achieving academic goals, including student efficacy.
The use of portfolio assessment becomes popular in the early and late 1980’s in response to the
growing clamor for more “reasonable” and authentic means of assessing student’s growth and
development in school. It grew in popularity in the United States in the 1990s as part of a
widespread interest in alternative assessment. It was considered more authentic and valid
assessment for it provide an assessment of students’ achievement and a comprehensive view of
students’ performances in contexts, and encourages students to progress into independent and
self-directed learners.
Since it contains a comprehensive view of student’s performances in context, it can serve as a
concrete vehicle for exchange of information among those involve and an excellent medium that
enhances communication among teacher, student and parents.

Features and Principles of Portfolio Assessment

Portfolio assessment possesses several features and essential characteristics. These are as
follows: (1) A portfolio is a form of assessment that students do together with their teachers; (2) A
portfolio represents a selection of what the students believe are best included from among the
possible collection of things related to the concept being studied; (3) A portfolio provide samples of
student’s work which show growth over time; and (5) the criteria for selecting and assessing the
portfolio content must be clear to the teacher and the students at the onset of the process.

Purposes of Portfolio Assessment

Why teachers resort to portfolio assessment methods? Portfolio assessment has several
purposes and rationale for its use. These are: (1) Portfolio assessment matches assessment to
teaching; (2) Portfolio assessment has clear goals; (3) Portfolio assessment gives a profile of
learners’ abilities in terms depth, breadth and growth; (4) Portfolio assessment is a tool for assessing
a variety of skills not normally tested in a single setting for traditional testing; (5)portfolio

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assessment develop awareness of students’ own learning; (6) Portfolio assessment caters to
individuals in a heterogeneous class; (7) portfolio assessment develop social skills;(8) Portfolio
assessment develops independent and active learners; (9) Portfolio assessment can improve
motivation for learning and thus achievement; and (10) Portfolio assessment provides opportunity
for student-teacher dialogue.

Essential Elements of the Portfolio

Every portfolio must contain the following essential elements: (1) Cover letter; (2) Table of
Content; (3) Entries; (4) Dates on all entries; (5) Draft of aural/oral and written products and revised
versions; and (6) Reflections.
The students can choose to reflect upon some or all of he following: (a)What did I learn from it?;
(b) What did I do well?; (c)Why did I choose this item?;(d) What do I want to improve in the item?;
(d) How do I feel about my performance?; (e) What were the problem areas?

Stages in the Implementing Portfolio Assessment

There are different stages in the implementation of portfolio assessment in classroom. These
constitute the following:
Stage 1: Identify teaching goals to assess through portfolio
Stage 2: Introducing the idea of portfolio assessment to your class
Stage 3: Specification of Portfolio content
Stage 4: Giving clear and detailed guidelines for portfolio presentation
Stage 5: Informing key school officials, parents and other stakeholders
Stage 5: Development of Portfolio

Types of Portfolios
Different types of portfolios exist for assessing student performance. These differ from each
other depending on the purposes and objectives for the overall classroom assessment programs.
Navarro and Santos (2013) cited three basic types of portfolio. There are as follows:
(1) Documentation portfolio - it involves collection of over time showing growth and
improvement reflecting students’ learning of identified outcomes. This portfolio is also
called as “growth portfolio”.
(2) Process Portfolio – it demonstrates all facets or phases of the learning process. As such,
these contains an extensive number of reflective journals, think logs and other related
forms of metacognitive processing.
(3) Showcase portfolio – a portfolio that only shows the best of students’ outputs and
products and performances.

Melograno (2000, p.101), who made more detailed descriptions, defines nine types of
portfolios. These types of portfolios are not exhaustive and can be used separately or in combination.
These classifications are given below appropriately;

(1) Personal portfolio. For other students and teachers to form a more holistic view about
students and to celebrate their interests, items may be included from within and outside
school. The portfolio could contain pictures, awards, videos, or other memorabilia. The
personal portfolio serves as a catalyst for self-reflection and sharing.
(2) Working portfolio. The ongoing, systematic collection of student work samples and
exhibits can be maintained in a working portfolio. This collection of daily, weekly,
monthly, or unit work products forms.
(3) Record-keeping portfolio - is a type of portfolio that is usually kept by teachers. It
contains necessary assessment samples and records that may be required (e.g., written

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exams, proficiency tests). It could also include observational information (e.g.,

anecdotal notes, frequency index scales, narrative descriptors, behavior checklists) and
progress reports that supplement traditional report cards.
(4) Group portfolio. Each member of a cooperative learning group contributes individual
items along with group items (e.g., samples, pictures, community project) to
demonstrate the effectiveness of the entire group.
(5) Thematic portfolio. This portfolio that would relate to a unit of study with a particular
focus, normally lasting from 2 to 6 weeks. For example, if a portfolio is constructed
related to "Rational Numbers", “Force” unit, this portfolio could reflect cognitive and
affective skills and their views about these units.
(6) Integrated portfolio. To view the whole student, works from all disciplines showing
connections between or among subjects would be included. Selected items, either
required or optional, could be drawn from several or all subjects. For example, this
portfolio can be prepared in math and science courses.
(7) Showcase portfolio. A limited number of items are selected to exhibit growth over time
and to serve a particular purpose. Usually, only the student's best works are included.
(8) Multiyear portfolio. Students would collect items from a cluster of grade levels over 2-,
3-, or 4-year intervals. The multiyear portfolio would be stored at the school. For
example, this portfolio can be used to follow students’ progress periodically during
primary and secondary school and university education.
(9) ePortfolio - provide a medium in which students can organize a complete and authentic
representation of their work electronically, thereby alleviating the need for cumbersome
materials and encyclopedic binders. In addition, electronic portfolios also offer the
potential for more creative outlets for demonstrating a wide range of proficiencies
(Chang, 2001; Love & Cooper, 2004; Abrami & Barrett, 2005; Wall, Higgins, Miller, &
Packard, 2006). Furthermore, electronic portfolios accommodate a variety of media such
as audio (readings, music), video (performances, observations, case studies), three
dimensional representations (graphics), and hyperlinks to web resources, all in a neat,
non-linear arrangement.

Select
Define the purpose of your ePortfolio and how it relates to your goals.
Decide on your audience.
Select content that will convey your purpose to your audience.

Reflect
Make connections between your ePortfolio entries.
Relate your entries to your real world experiences.
Assess your own learning.

Publish
Share your work with your audience.
Showcase your accomplishments and your professional identity.
Use your ePortfolio to build a valuable network that will help foster your goals.

-Source: https://eportfolio.sfsu.edu/student-

LEARNING ACTIVITY 2: Making Connection

This activity allows you collaborate with a group and communicate work overtime by developing a
group eportfolio.

Task: Build a group ePortfolio containing evidences of attainment of learning outcomes in assessment

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in learning 2 using wix.com platform and share it to the chosen network.

Standards: You will be assessed based on the following: (1) observance of the processes in
developing ePortfolio; (2) relevance of evidences presented; and (3) Richness of output and
depth of reflection; and (4) Appropriateness of annotation.

GRADING AND REPORTING

One of the challenging roles a teacher render is on grading and reporting, since there are so many
factors to consider and so many decisions to be made. This includes “What should be counted – just
achievements, or effort, or both? How to interpret student’s score? Should it be compared with other
students’ scores, a standard of what the student can do, or some estimate of what he/she is able to do?
What grading system should be used? How to determine it? How student’s progress or strength and
weakness be presented to stakeholders particularly the students and the parents?”

Answers to these questions may be obtained from: (1) the policies or guidelines a school has, which
will be discussed in this unit; (2) consultation with colleagues and application of good judgement; or (3)
learning from first-hand experience.

Grading and reporting are two terminal stages in the educational evaluation. Grading System is the
system that a school has developed to guide how teachers assess and grade student work. While,
Reporting System is the system that a school has developed for the organization of assignment scores
in gradebooks (either online or paper), and the determination of final grades for report cards and
transcripts.

The purpose of a grading system is to give feedback to students so they can take charge of their
learning and to provide information to all who support these students—teachers, special educators,
parents, and others. The purpose of a reporting system is to communicate the students’ achievement to
families, post-secondary institutions, and employers. These systems must, above all, communicate
clear information about the skills a student has mastered or the areas where they need more support or
practice.

Grading and reporting system have some very important functions in the educative process. Some
of these important functions are as follows: (1) Enhancing student’s learning; (2) reporting to
parent/guardians; and (3) administrative and guidance uses. (Navarro, R. et.al, 2013, p. 89)

In practice, there are a number of ways in which grades are made and reported. The major types of
grading and marking found in practice include: (1) Traditional letter-grade system; (2) pass-fail; (3)
Checklist of objectives; (4) letter to parents/guardians; (5) Portfolio; (6) Parent-teacher conference.
(Navarro, R. et.al, 2013, pp. 89-91)

Ideally, grading and reporting system should be developed cooperatively by stakeholders in order to
ensure development of a more adequate system, and a system that is understandable to all. They should
thus be: (1) based on clear statements of learning objectives; (2) consistent with school standards; (3)
based on adequate assessment; (4) based on the right level of details; and (5) provide for parent-teacher
conferences as needed. (Navarro, R. et.al, 2013, pp. 91)
Grades may reflect a relative performance (norm-reference grading) or may reflect absolute
performance (criterion-referenced grading). In a norm-referenced grading system the following are

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observed: (1) grades depend on what group you are in; (2) typical grades may be shifted up or down,
depending on groups ability; and (3) widely used because much classroom testing is normed-reference.
While, in a criterion-reference grading system the following are observed: (1) grades does NOT
depend on what you are in, but only on your performance compared to a set of standards; 2) grading is
a complex task, because grades must be clearly define the domain, clearly define and justify the
performance standards, and be based on criterion-references assessment (Navarro, R. et.al, 2013, pp.
92-93).

There are guidelines for effective grading and reporting recommended for used in Philippine
schools:
1. Describe grading procedures to students at the beginning of instruction
2. Clarify the course grade will be based on achievements only
3. Explain how other factors (effort, habits, etc.) will be reported
4. Relate grading procedures to intended learning outcomes
5. Obtain valid evidence (test, etc.) for assessing grades
6. Prevent cheating
7. Return and review all test results as soon as possible
8. Properly weight the various types of achievement included in the grades
9. Do not lower an achievement grade for tardiness, weak effort, or misbehavior
10. Be fair. Avoid bias. When in doubt, review the evidence. If still in doubt, give the highest grade.

Conducting Parent – Teacher Conference

Below are the guidelines for a good conference.
1. Make plans
2. Start positive and maintain positive focus
3. Encourage parents to participate and share information
4. Plan actions cooperatively
5. End with positive comment
6. Use good human relation

LEARNING ACTIVITY 3: Dialogue Box: PTA Meeting

This activity allows you internalize events and happenings in a PTA meeting.

Task: Construct a Parent – Teacher Conference skit/storyboard showing the different guidelines for a
good conference. The skit/storyboard presents conflicts usually encountered during PTA
meeting and how a teacher resolves the issues/conflicts.

Standards: You will be assessed based on the following: (1) observance of the guidelines for good
conference; (2) Degree of complexity and resolution; and (3) Display of in-depth
understanding about different marking system in the Philippines; and (4) Persuasiveness
and clarity of dialogues; and (5) creativity in details and descriptions.

SUMMARY

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It is indeed challenging, on the part of the teacher, to communicate assessment results. There are
processes, rules and guidelines that needs to be observed and followed. The process of
communicating results involves the following: (1) Determine your audience; (2) Target your
communication to your audience; (3) Choose the communication format; and (4) Create the
communication.
Teachers can utilize various media to communicate results to stakeholders particularly the
students themselves and their parents, one of which is the use of portfolios. Since a portfolio
contains a comprehensive view of student’s performances in context, it can serve as a concrete
vehicle for exchange of information among those involve and an excellent medium that enhances
communication among teacher, student and parents.
The demand for the construction of paper-based portfolio and building of ePortfolio using
various platforms depends on the purposes and objectives for the overall classroom assessment
programs.
Another challenging role a teacher render is on grading and reporting, since there are so many
factors to consider and so many decisions to be made. As long as the teacher follow the policies or
guidelines their school implemented in their respective schools, consult their colleagues in the
application of good judgement, and learn from their experiences, these challenges will into good
opportunities that will benefit not only the teacher but also the students, other stakeholders and the
community as well.

REFERENCES

 Navarro, R & De Guzman-Santos, R. (2013). Authentic Assessment of Student Learning

Outcomes, Assessment of Learning 2, 2nd Edition. Quezon City, Lorimar Publishing Inc.

 De Guzman-Santos, R. (2007). Advanced Methods in Educational Assessment and Evaluation,

Assessment of Learning 2. Quezon City, Lorimar Publishing Inc.

 Gabuyo, Y. & Dy, G. Assessment of Learning II. Rex Bookstore, Inc. 2013

 Suskie, L. 2009. Assessing student learning: A comm0n sense guide. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
https://vp.studentlife.uiowa.edu/assets/23cffaaa7a/Telling-Your-Assessment-Story-Presentati
on.pdf

 https://fortresslearning.com.au/cert-iv-content/assess/assessment-context-and-purpose/#:~:tex
t=The%20purpose%20of%20the%20assessment%20is%20closely%20linked%20to%20its,th
e%20context%20includes%20the%20purpose.&text=the%20environment%20in%20which%
20the,in%20a%20number%20of%20situations

 https://www.greatschoolspartnership.org/proficiency-based-learning/grading-reporting/

 https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED504219.pdf

 https://encompass.eku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1019&context=kjectl

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