PORTFOLIO AS A COMMUNICATION MEDIUM

1. PORTFOLIOS AND AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT

Portfolio
 A portfolio is a purposeful collection of student work that exhibits the student’s
efforts, progress, and achievements in one or more areas of the curriculum.
 A portfolio is a formative assessment that measures the progress of a student, as well as
his/her strengths and challenges.
 A good portfolio will be a broad spectrum of a student’s work and will serve as not only
a place to store completed work but will also include self-reflections and recommendations for
improvement.

Authentic Assessment - where students thoughtfully apply their acquired skills to a

new situation or environment. Assessments are authentic if they are realistic, require judgment
and innovation and assess students’ ability to effectively use their knowledge or skills to
complete a task.

Portfolios and Authentic Assessment

A portfolio is a type of assessment.
S o m e t i m e s t h e p o r t f o l i o i s a l s o e v a l u a t e d o r g r a d e d , b u t t h a t i s n o t
n e c e s s a r y t o b e considered an assessment.
Portfolios are authentic assessments.
P o r t f o l i o s p r o v i d e a n e x c e l l e n t v e h i c l e f o r t h e c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f p r o c e s s e
s a n d t h e d e v e l o p m e n t of related skills.

A. NATURE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF PORTFOLIO

Why use a portfolio?

Portfolios can be used for many purposes. The utilization of a portfolio shows is identifies the
collection of the work.

The learner portfolio is an authentic assessment tool.

A learner portfolio, according to Paulson et al. (1991), is a deliberate, organized collection of the
learner's work that exhibits the learner's attempts at learning, progress, and
performance in one or more areas.

It is clear that portfolio assessment, as a form of authentic assessment, holds many more benefits
for both learners and teachers than the traditional testing of learners' learning.

Johnson and Johnson (2002) gave a comprehensive discussion on the uses of Portfolio.
1. Portfolios give students the opportunity to direct their own learning. Students
can:
a.Document their efforts, achievements, development and growth
i n k n o w l e d g e , s k i l l s , expression and attitude.
 b. Use a variety of learning styles, modalities and intelligences.
c. Assess their own learning and decide which items best represent the
a c h i e v e m e n t a n d growth.
With these, portfolio make the students as part of the assessment process by requiring
them to reflect and analyze their own work.

1. Portfolios can be used to determine a student's level of achievement.

 Portfolios allow students to present a holistic view of their academic achievement, skills
and outcomes. Portfolios allow students to present their work over a period of
time and show their progress in achieving learning outcomes.

2 . Portfolios can be used to understand how students think, reason, organize,

investigate, and communicate. P o r t f o l i o s c a n p r o v i d e i n s i g h t i n t o
s t u d e n t s ' r e a s o n i n g a n d i n t e l l e c t u a l c o m p e t e n c i e s by documenting
students' progress of thought and work in achieving their learning goals.

3. P o r t f o l i o s c a n b e u s e d t o c o m m u n i c a t e s t u d e n t s ' e f f o r t s , p r o g r e s s
t o w a r d a c c o m p l i s h i n g l e a r n i n g goals, and accomplishments. Portfolios
allow students to present their work as a whole in relation to standards and criteria
to peers, teach parents, college admission officers, and so forth.

5. Portfolios can be used to evaluate and improve curriculum and instruction.

Portfolios provide a broad view of the effectiveness of the curriculum and instructions
allowing teachers to improve and enhance their instructional methods and curriculum
materials

Characteristics

Learning outcomes define what to include and how to utilize a portfolio. There should be a
clear reason for what to include and how the portfolio is to be utilized. Purpose and
targets must be constructively aligned to the teaching and learning activities and assessment
as well.

Key Characteristics of Portfolio Assessment

 A portfolio is a form of assessment that students do together with their teachers.
 A portfolio is not just a collection of student work, but a selection - the student must be
involved in choosing and justifying the pieces to be included.
 A portfolio provides samples of the student’s work which show growth over time.
By reflecting on their own learning (self-assessment), students begin to identify the strengths
and weaknesses in their work. These weaknesses then become improvement goals.
 The criteria for selecting and assessing the portfolio contents must be clear to the teacher and
the students at the outset of the process.
 The entries in an (English as Foreign Language) EFL portfolio can demonstrate
learning and growth in all language domains/skills or can focus on a specific skill such as
appreciation of literature or writing.
B. ANALYZING THE KEY COMPONENTS IN PORTFOLIOS

Essential Elements of Portfolio

It is important to include all the following:
1. Cover Letter “About the author” and “What my portfolio shows about my
progress as a learner” (written at the end but put at the beginning). The cover letter
summarizes the evidence of a student’s learning and progress.
2. Table of Contents with numbered pages.
3. Entries - both core (items students have to include) and optional (items
o f s t u d e n t ’ s choice). The core elements will be required for each student and will provide a
common base from which to make decisions on assessment. The optional items will allow the
folder to represent the uniqueness of each student. Students can choose to include
“best” pieces of work, but also a piece of work that gave trouble or one that was less successful
and give reasons why.
4. Dates on all entries - to facilitate proof of growth over time.
5.Drafts of oral and written products and revised versions. i.e.,
f i r s t d r a f t s a n d c o r r e c t e d /revised versions.
6. Reflections can appear at different stages in the
l e a r n i n g p r o c e s s ( f o r f o r m a t i v e a n d / o r summative purposes). It can be written
in the mother tongue at the lower levels or by students who find it difficult to express
themselves in English.

Students can choose to reflect upon some or all of the following:

 What did I learn from it?
 What did I do well?
Why (based on the agreed teacher-student assessment criteria) did I choose this item?
 What do I want to improve in the item?
 How do I feel about my performance?

2. TYPES AND USES OF PORTFOLIO

There are different types of portfolios you will encounter on assessing the performance
approaching your classroom.

1. Showcase Portfolio
I t i s b e s t u s e d f o r s u m m a t i v e e v a l u a t i o n o f s t u d e n t s ’ m a s t e r y o f
key curriculum outcomes.
 Only completed work should be included.
 It should include students’ very best work, determined through a combination of student and
teacher selection.
This shows the best student’s best work. This type of portfolio is based on the student’s personal
criteria rather than the criteria of the teacher.
2. Documentation Portfolio
Also known as a “working” portfolio.
 Specifically, this approach involves a collection of work over
time showing growth and improvement reflecting students’ learning of identified outcomes.

This portfolio displays changes and accomplishments related to academic

performance over t i m e . T h e a s s e m b l e d w o r k s a m p l e i s t o p r o v i d e e v i d e n c e
a b o u t s t u d e n t g r o w t h w h i c h a l s o provides meaningful opportunities for self-evaluation
of the students.

3. Process Portfolio
 This approach documents all facets or phases of the learning process.
 They are particularly useful in documenting students’ overall learning process.
M a y i n c l u d e : J o u r n a l s , R e f l e c t i o n , I n d e p e n d e n t w o r k , T e a c h e r E v a l u a t i o
n , a n d S e l f - Evaluation.

This shows the steps and/or the result of a completed project or task as the primary goal of
this portfolio. This is very useful because the final product does not always show the skills and
knowledge that the student used in an effort to complete the project.

4. Teaching Portfolio
 Portfolios provide documented evidence of teaching from a variety of sources not
just student ratings and provide context for that evidence
 The process of selecting and organizing material for a portfolio can help one
reflect on and improve one’s teaching.
 Portfolios can offer a look at development over time, helping one see teaching as
an ongoing process of inquiry, experimentation, and reflection.

A teaching portfolio (or dossier) is a coherent set of materials that represents your
teaching practice as related to student learning. “Teaching practice” in its broadest sense
extends beyond the obvious activities that go into teaching a course to include all
activities that enrich student learning .

USES OF PORTFOLIO
C a n p r o v i d e b o t h F o r m a t i v e a n d S u m m a t i v e O p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r m o n i t o r i n
g p r o g r e s s t o w a r d reaching identified.
Can Communicate detailed information about what is expected of students in terms of the
content and quality of performance in a specific curriculum.
Allow students to document the aspect of learning, it offers opportunities for students to
document reflection of their learning, progress, and achievements.
Used to facilitate communication between teachers and parents regarding their
achievements and progress in a certain period.
Conclusion
G e n e r a l l y , a p o r t f o l i o c a n b e i n t e r p r e t e d a s b o t h a p r o c e s s a n d a
p r o d u c t . I t c a n b e a product because it holds the records of the work carried out by the
participant.
It can be processed because, while its course, it encourages the participant to monitor their
best works and achievements systematically. This article covers the basic types of portfolios in
detail and a few strategies that can be involved to create a good portfolio.

3. E-PORTFOLIO
What is an ePortfolio?
-An portfolio is a collection of work (evidence) in an electronic format
t h a t s h o w c a s e s learning over time. When you think about your ePortfolio and the types of
evidence that it contains, it is important to think carefully about its purpose and intended
audience.

An ePortfolio may contain all or some of the following:

-Files of various formats (text, pictures, video, etc.)
-Evidence related to courses taken, programs of study, etc.
- Writing samples (which might include several drafts to show development and improvement)
-Projects prepared for class or extracurricular activities
-Evidence of creativity and performance
-Evidence of extracurricular or co-curricular activities, including examples of leadership
-Evaluations, analysis and recommendations

Types of e-Portfolios
Showcase/Professional ePortfolios — These ePortfolios are primarily a way to
demonstrate(showcase) the highlights of a student’s academic career.
Learning ePortfolios — These portfolios are typically created by a student as part of a course as
a way to demonstrate learning and the learning process. These portfolios are often
shared with other students to elicit peer feedback. Learning portfolios support the idea of
formative feedback as an essential part of the learning process.
Assessment/General Education ePortfolios — Using both formative and summative assessments
feedback is being provided to colleges, departments, and instructors on the quality of
evidence used in their portfolios to demonstrate the general education competencies.
DESIGNING AND EVALUATING PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT IN THE CLASSROOM
What is Portfolio Development?
I t i s t h e p r o c e s s b y w h i c h a s t u d e n t d o c u m e n t s a n d d e m o n s t r a t e s
c o l l e g e l e v e l competencies (knowledge and skills) they acquired.
It requires learners to collect and integrate examples of their work and allows the teacher to
assess their learners as well. The assessment tool provides opportunities for
bothlearners and teachers to better understand the educational process in a wider perspective

STEPS FOR DEVELOPING PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT

Designing a portfolio assessment requires some advance and careful planning,
it begins with aclear idea about the purpose of the assessment. The following steps provide a
general directionfor developing portfolio assessment:

I. IDENTIFY OVERALL PURPOSE AND FOCUS

-The design and use of a portfolio must begin with a clear description of your
purpose andf o c u s . W i t h t h e s e , y o u c a n c l e a r l y i d e n t i f y w h y y o u w a n t y o u r
s t u d e n t s t o c r e a t e a portfolio

What are the guide questions in preparing to use portfolio?

1.Who will construct the portfolio?
2.What type of portfolio do you want to use?
3.What are the purposes and objectives of the portfolio?
4.What categories of work samples should go into the portfolio?
5.What criteria will students or groups use to select their entries?
6.Who will develop the rubrics to assess and evaluate the portfolio?

II. IDENTIFY THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE

-The physical structure of a portfolio refers to the actual arrangement of the work
samples,which can be organized according to chronology, subject area, style or goal
area. Theconceptual structure refers to the teacher's goals for student learning.
So here are some practical questions affect the successful use of portfolio in your classroom:
1.What will it look like?
2.Where will the students place the outputs?
3.What type of container is appropriate?
4.Do they need file folders? Clear book? Plastic bins?
5 . H o w a r e t h e m a t e r i a l s t o b e o r g a n i z e d – c a t e g o r i c a l l y , n u m e r i c a l l y,
a l p h a b e t i c a l l y, b y subject area or in other ways?
6.Where can students store the portfolios for easy access?

III. DETERMINE THE APPROPRIATE ORGANIZATION AND SOURCES OF

CONTENT
-The entries in the portfolio's content give
assessment data regarding the topics
a n d procedures mentioned in the evaluation criteria. The topic matter and instruction, asshown
in the table on the following page, must be somewhat determined by the wide variety
of samples.
Sources of Content
- W o r k s a m p l e s
-Student and teacher evaluations

Guidelines:
-Select categories that will allow you to meet the purpose of the portfolio.
-Show improvement in the portfolio.
-Provide feedback on the students on the procedures they are putting
t o g e t h e r.
-Provide indicator system.
IV. DETERMINE STUDENT REFLECTION GUIDELINES
-A student should be able to know how he/she performed during the activity. The
educator should instill in the minds of students that there will always be a room for
improvement.
As educators, we are bound to encourage our students to grow, hindi natatapos
sa pagtuturong1 + 1 e q u a l s 2 a n g p a g t u t u r o , h i n d i l a n g a f t e r a c t i v i t y, n a t a t a p
o s a n g p a g t u t u r o . k a i l a n g a n pagkatapos natin magturo, alamin natin kung natuto nga ba
yung isang bata. And one way to know kung may naabsorb ba sila is to make them reflect on
what they have finished as shown ina porfolio.
 Reflective and self-assessment activities need to be taught.

Some guide questions for students:

 Can you tell me what you did?
Kailangan alam ng isang mag-aaral ang kanyang ginawa, dapat aware sya sa kanyang ginawa.
Atkung kaya nya itong ipaliwanag sa iba. Nakikita mo ba na may improvement sa bawat
activitiesna nag-daan?

 What did you like best about this sample of your writing?
As a student, let them assess kung ano nga ba yung pinakamaganda sa kanilang mga
likha. Letour learners to identify which of their own works is the best among the
other works they havefinished. Let them take pride of their work.

What will you do next?

Iparealize natin sa ating mga studyante na hindi nagtatapos sa isang portfolio ang learning,
maykasunod pa, after assessing whether they did their best, or kung ano man yung kanilang
nagingassessment sa kanilang mga likha, kailangan nilang alamin kung nagawa nga ba nila ng
maayosito? may mas-iaayos paba ito? Can I do better? Will I do better next time?

Self-reflective questions:
 What did you learn from writing this piece?
What would you have done differently if you had more time?
What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses in this sample?
What would you do differently if you did this over?

Naencounter nyo na po ba itong mga questions na ito? Typically, binibigay tong mga to after
acertain activity or in this case, a porfolio. Pero applicable sya kahit saang type of activity
whether written or practical or other type of assessing learning.

Binibigay ito to acknowledge our shortcomings, saan tayo naging magaling, ano ba
yung bestcharacteristics natin when it comes to this, tatanungin din natin sa sarili natin yung
‘What wouldyou do differently if you did this over?’Graded ba ito, syempre po hindi, this is a
reflection that can help them to grow and improve, di po natin pwede iskoran yung kung anong
tingin ng isang bata sa sarili nya. What we can do is tohelp him or her be the best of themselves.

V. IDENTIFY AND EVALUATE SCORING CRITERIA

Before every beginning of activities, educators should explain the scoring
g u i d e l i n e s t o the students. The educator should identify the different criteria that
will be the basis of their scores after the activity.

What is the purpose of scoring criteria?

Scoring criteria will provide a clear view of the progress of a student.
This will show the quality of work the student has done.
Educators will be able to know what a student must improve and where he/she is good at.

There are multiple types of scoring criteria:

 Checklist
We use this para malaman kung kumpleto ba yung nilalaman ng portfolio nya, thru this, we
tendt o i d e n t i f y k u n g a n o y u n g m g a n a t a p o s n y a n a , k u n g m a y k u l a n g p a b a ,
inaalam natin
k u n g present ba itong certain activity na ito sa kanyang portfolio, and malalaman natin
thru a checklist.

 Basic Rating Scales

With basic rating scales, sinusubukan nating ievaluate yung quality ng activities ng isang mag-
aaral sa pamamagitan ng isang rating scale. Ano ba yung typical na scale? Ito yung
5=excellent,4=good, 3=fair, 2=poor, 1=very poor.

 Holistic Rating Scales

Sa pag-gamit naman ng holistic rating scales, we first finish reading, analyzing the
portfolio, pagkatapos nun, we try to give a short but concise narrative of characteristics of
a score base sakabuuan ng kanyang portfolio. Scoring criteria gives the students an idea of what
they should doand what they need to achieve.

PORTFOLIO EVALUATION
A Question for the Audience
1.Have you ever done a Portfolio?
2.Share the experience!

Portfolio and its Characteristics

-A Portfolio is a collection of artifacts accompanied by a reflective narrative that
not onlyhelps the learner to understand and extend learning, but invites the reader of the
portfolioto gain insight about learning and the learner (Porter & Cleland, 1995)

Characteristics of a Portfolio can be defined as a:

Systematic and organized collection of student products
Student selection of some works that will be included
 Student self-reflection and self-evaluation
 Portfolio conferences between students and teachers

What is Portfolio Evaluation?

 It is a systematic, longitudinal collection of student work created in response to
specific,known instructional objectives and evaluated in relation to the set criteria; It
documentsthe process of learning and the changes that occur during the process.

Student Evaluation
One advantage of portfolio assessment is allowing the students to revisit, reflect
andevaluate their own work. Teacher as a model should be the first person to demonstrate the
skillsin evaluating and critiquing portfolio.
 Why did you select this piece of writing?
What did you learn from the selection?
Can you identify your strengths and weaknesses?
What problems have you encountered in doing the task?
Which is the most satisfying experience?
What are your insights after reading the poem?
Is this your best work?
What kind of work would you like to do in the future?

Teacher Evaluation
The teacher can use numerical scores to summarize judgment or qualitative system. Thesample
of entries are the indicators whether students have achieved the goals of
instructionwhich are evaluated based on the portfolio's entire content, structure, and individual
entries. Theteacher is both the observer and the rater.

Student-Teacher ConferenceConference is conducted with students before returning the

portfolio. The conferenceshould be scheduled throughout the year which provides important
link between the students andteachers.Mcmillan (2007) pointed out that students need to
compare their reflections with your evaluations and make plans for subsequent work.