There are various forms of assessment that take place in the classroom. However, how many of them are child-centered? To help supplement our testing culture, the implementation of portfolios serves as a way to collect substantial evidence of the learning being done by each individual child. In this article Pearl Paulsen and Leon Paulsen state that “Portfolios tell a story. . . . Put in anything that helps to tell the story.” This website goes on to explain what to focus on, how to contain portfolios, how to attach meaning to the contents of a portfolio so it contributes to the child’s metacognitive growth, and how to educate parents on this form of assessment.
Another helpful website to look at is www.ed.gov/pubs/OR/ConsumerGuides/classuse.html. It is from the Education Consumer Guide and gives helpful explanations on what student portfolios are and what the research says. The research shows that portfolios can provide structure for involving students in developing and understanding criteria for good efforts, in coming to see the criteria as their own, and in applying the criteria to their own and other students’ work. It gives meaning and understanding to the student’s work.
