Working Portfolios
Excerpted from Reading & Writing Remediation Kit.
Working portfolios and show portfolios can be used in the assessment of content literacy instruction. However, working portfolios are much more relevant for students in the elementary and middle schools. A working portfolio contains all of the materials with which the student is currently engaged. A teacher can learn a great deal about a student's abilities and interests by carefully examining his or her portfolio on a regular basis and by having regularly scheduled conferences of about 10 to 15 minutes with the student about the portfolio at least four times a year.
Here are some of the elements that can comprise a working portfolio:- a table of contents to show the organization of the portfolio
- a reading/writing log
- various drafts of all types of writing that a student might do
- examples of all types of informal teaching and assessment devices in the content fields of literature (language arts or English), social studies, and science that the student has completed
- reading response journals
- dialogue journals
- examples of all types of activities and materials that the student is currently working on or has completed from the content fields of literature (language arts or English), social studies, and science
- examples of writing done outside of class
- teacher-completed and student-completed checklists and surveys of various types
- tape-recorded oral reading protocols
- audiotapes
- videotapes
- student-teacher conference notes
- various types of self-assessment devices
- the results of various kinds of standardized and informal tests
- teacher anecdotes and observations
- graphs of progress
It always should be remembered that the major purpose of using a portfolio is the opportunity for a student to self-assess his or her work in the content fields.
