A journey into portfolio assessment

Educational Forum, The, Fall 2002 by Skawinski, Susan F, Thibodeau, Sally J

Programs that prepare teachers are currently undergoing an unprecedented level of scrutiny (Darling-Hammond 2000), causing teacher education institutions to seek ways to improve their programs and more effectively engage their students as teachers and learners. The department of education at our institution has chosen to focus on portfolio assessment as its agent of change. This choice was motivated by two factors. First, as a department, we must maintain the rigor of our programs as the numbers of both students and faculty members have steadily increased. Second, a new state approval procedure, with a strong focus on student performance, has recently been mandated. At the core of this new procedure are performance standards for beginning teachers (Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education [RIDGE] 1999) linked to students' eligibility for initial licensure.

As faculty members responsible for design and implementation, we have devised a portfolio-assessment process for education majors in three programs. Though conventional thinking about portfolio development (e.g., form and content) has shaped the process, several unique features geared to the particular needs of preservice teachers are also reflected.

Our small liberal arts institution has been preparing teachers for almost 65 years. Currently, our elementary/special education dual-certification program graduates approximately 100 students each year, while our secondary (English, history/social studies, mathematics, science, and foreign languages) and music education programs prepare 50-60 students annually. The department of education includes 12 full-time teaching faculty members and a number of adjunct faculty members who teach and supervise field placements on a part-time basis.

We have developed a unique model for department-wide portfolio assessment; from the early stages of implementation, we have learned valuable lessons. To date, we have guided approximately 400 students through the first three years of a fouryear process. Our experiences with and reflections on development and implementation, with special emphasis on portfolio planning, student support, and assessment of portfolios, may prove beneficial to other schools considering ways to strengthen their programs.

PORTFOLIO PLANNING

Portfolio planning, the first component of the model (see figure 1 below), was also the most critical, because it represented attention to design, policies, and timelines. Our thinking about design was strongly influenced by the Involvement in Learning theory (Astin 1993; 1999; National Institute of Education 1984), which postulates three conditions as necessary for quality program development: student involvement, high expectations, and assessment and feedback. We have interwoven these concepts at various points throughout the process. From a program standpoint, we expect the model will be modified and improved numerous times as our knowledge of portfolio assessment expands and potential areas of program improvement emerge. From a student perspective, our preservice teachers are building a rationale for their teaching suitability, and, in doing so, they are clarifying their perceptions about what it means to be a teacher.

Defining Portfolios

At the beginning of our work, we chose to commit to portfolio assessment as a dynamic process (Barton and Collins 1993) rather than merely a container for required student work (Cox 1995; Ross, Bondy, Hartle, Lamme, and Webb 1995). Thus, we accepted the fundamental premises aligned with this perspective, particularly those related to constructivist student learning, articulated expectations of performance, reflection as self-evaluation, and growth over time. In addition, we recognized that portfolio development and assessment would permeate almost every aspect of the faculty's professional responsibilities.

To establish a frame of thinking, we relied on Arter and Spandel's (1992, 36) definition of a portfolio as "a purposeful collection that tells the story of the student's efforts, progress or achievement in (a) given area(s)." Underlying this definition is the understanding that student portfolios are far more than notebooks in which students store assignments from their courses. Instead, they are collections of evidence thoughtfully selected, diverse in nature and content, and purposefully organized. As we progressed through the various stages of planning, a number of themes gradually emerged as theoretical guidelines for our work:

*Portfolio development is integrated and aligned with program goals, coursework objectives, and fieldwork experiences, which, in turn, are aligned with the Rhode Island Beginning Teacher Standards (RIDGE 1999).

*Reflection is a critical component of student learning and portfolio development (Wilcox 1996; Wolf and Dietz 1998).

* Portfolios document growth over time (from beginning to end of program).

* Portfolio development and ownership is the responsibility of the student (Barton and Collins 1993).