April 2004 — Features
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Electronic Portfolios: Blending Technology, Accountability & Assessment
Working with WACTC, we incorporated several ideas into the assessment tools of the software. The reflection and feedback process was very important to this portfolio project. Each student provided personal critiques for every item of work they included in their portfolio. Students were then encouraged to write about how they felt regarding the assignment, their understanding of the learning standard, and how they felt they had met the standard in their work. Teachers then logged on to the site and wrote feedback for each student's portfolio.
We decided to display teacher feedback under a student's artifact, as well as allow multiple teachers to attach feedback to a student's portfolio. Displaying a student's reflection with teacher feedback allows both students and teachers to reflect on their understandings of the learning standard. Students may also see how their understanding matched or did not match with their teachers' understandings, and vice versa. This allows for a continual process of reflection, understanding and learning.
Furthermore, multiple teachers were allowed to attach feedback to a portfolio artifact, creating an increased dialogue between teachers and students. Teachers could easily compare their assessments with each other and begin to develop rigorous interpretations of specific learning standards. Students could also view a diverse array of critiques from different teachers, which assisted them as they continued to reflect and improve upon their work. A digital portfolio system utilizes the strength of an entire learning community, connecting its understandings; creating dialogue and reflection; and, thus, building a rigorous understanding of specific learning standards.
Structure and Standards
Planning the portfolio's structure and standards was a vital part of our project. We spent a lot of time thinking about how to structure portfolios that use learning standards in a responsible manner. As a result, the school's digital portfolio project was designed to organize portfolios around standard sets that are created by the school. This design decision implicitly guides a school through the important planning process, as it requires them to consider questions of purpose, assessment, goals and educational standards from the beginning.
The teachers at WACTC and eduPortfolio's software designers focused on the importance of individual classroom practice and student work. Standards can be used responsibly to bring organization, clarity and accountability to e-portfolios as an assessment tool. However, e-portfolios bring to the forefront the richness of student work and teacher practice. E-portfolios celebrate the body of student work, as well as show the reflection and dialogue generated between students and teachers.
The level of reflection and assessment is richer with e-portfolios because student work is displayed with their reflections, data about the learning standard, and teacher feedback. This connection of elements allows all stakeholders to continually reflect on the learning process, which is the prime advantage of e-portfolios as an assessment tool.
Long-Term Endeavor
We piloted the digital portfolio project at WACTC and quickly realized that this was a long-term endeavor, which required commitment and long-term planning. E-portfolio creation is a continual, reflective process that must become an embedded part of the school culture. The added advantage of using a long-term view of e-portfolio projects is the ability to aggregate information about your students' learning process over several years. Teachers, students and administrators need time to constantly develop and enhance their practice with e-portfolios.
