Student Growth Portfolios

-

 

               



            A student growth portfolio is a compilation of student work that provides a framework for the whole-person concept of learning for individual students.  The student growth portfolio is a living document that should be added to throughout the year to show how the student’s learning has evolved over the dedicated course of time studied. 

            A benefit of a student growth portfolio is that the student, teacher, and families/school personnel can all see evolution over time.  Both progress and regression can be clearly demonstrated and goals assessed or reevaluated easily based upon the information present.  A shortcoming of a student growth portfolio is it is only as good as the individual creating it.  If the teacher that creates student portfolios does not fully understand their intent, it is possible it will not be a useful tool.  However, with appropriate training and occasional oversight by an administrator or curriculum specialist to ensure the teacher is on track, a student portfolio is an excellent resource that can provide important data to evaluate student ability, progress, or identify additional needs.   


Additional information to explain student growth portfolios: Student Growth Portfolios

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Comparing Assessment Types

-
Image
An open-ended assessment requires students to provide their own answers to an assessment question.  This type of assessment is best suited to ensuring students can use their own words to explain their knowledge on a subject. Selected-response assessments require a student to select the correct answer from provided answer choices.  There is a possibility that students can guess and receive a correct answer, thus making the test slightly less reliable than other assessment options. A  performance assessment challenges students to show their knowledge in a non-standard way.  The assessment itself (when designed correctly) allows students to demonstrate knowledge by performing or creating something.  A student can successfully perform a dramatic monologue to showcase knowledge on reading stage directions.  A student can participate in a debate to showcase knowledge on creating an effective argument.   Which is best?  The answer to which as...
Read more

Overall Thoughts on Assessments

-
Image
               In the post COVID-19 classroom environment, it is more important than ever for teachers to recognize the time and energy required of students to complete assignments and perform on assessments.  There are many different ways that student progress can be measured, depending on learning modality.  Standardized tests help schools assess overall progress at the completion of a course of study  Behavior assessments help parents and teachers evaluate behaviors that are seen in the classroom.  This type of assessment can help identify learning disabilities, behavior disorders, or otherwise identify socio-emotional needs of students.  Parent-teacher conferences are wonderful ways to include parents in the educational journey, although convincing parents to attend is sometimes challenging.  Overall, it is incredibly important that teachers use every tool in their arsenal  to strengthen the learning env...
Read more

What are Effort Grades?

-
Image
             Effort based grades consider how hard someone works or how much of an attempt has been made to complete work.   Participation based grades instead consider whether an action was completed.   Some similarities between effort grades and participation grades are the fact that the work does not have to be perfect in order to be worthy of earning credit. A difference between the two systems is how each grade is used to measure quality.   If an assignment required a group project building a PowerPoint presentation, a participation based grade might consider whether the PowerPoint was completed and if all group members were physically present for each step of the process.   Alternatively, an effort based grade might consider the quality of the effort expended by each individual member.   If a member was a hard-worker, even if the project result was not perfect, an effort based grade could score that effort accordingl...
Read more