Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education

Communal and Synagogue Schools

Articles

Portfolios as an Alternative Assessment Practice in the Jewish Classroom

Sallie Olson

There is a renewed interest in student assessment in secular school settings, and support for this interest is increasing in Jewish classrooms as well. In most classrooms, secular and religious, traditional assessment practices are used to determine and evaluate students' knowledge on specific skills and concepts. Individual student performance is compared to the performance of others. Students accustomed to this type of assessment will concentrate on memorizing simple correct answers to demonstrate their grasp of rote facts and basic knowledge. Today we know that students also need to demonstrate higher level thinking skills, and educators are seeking alternative assessment practices to include a wider range of tasks, materials and use of student abilities.

Alternative assessment practices focus on the learning processes in which students engage, including the ways in which knowledge is organized and used to process new information. They involve many sources of information to evaluate student performance gathered from a variety of situations. With alternative assessment practices, evaluation is perceived as part of the ongoing classroom experience.

Portfolios

In recent years, secular educators have reported good results using portfolios, one form of alternative assessment. A portfolio is a selected collection of a student's work and is a means for exciting and ongoing assessment. A portfolio tells the story of a student's growth, skills and attitudes. Over time, it can provide a more complete documentation of a student's progress than testing alone.

Portfolios allow students to reflect on their work, evaluate their progress and set future goals. They stimulate student thinking and promote independence. To create portfolios, students select work samples - from one or more subject areas - that display effort, achievement, growth or the ability to apply knowledge. As a result they develop a better understanding of their abilities and a stronger commitment to learning.

What's in a Portfolio?

1. A collection of student process samples, also known as works in progress. They demonstrate how a student thinks, emphasizing strategies and procedures used.
2. A collection of student product samples. These are completed, revised works. They demonstrate a student's strengths and achievements.
3. A collection of teacher observations. The teacher's ongoing comments, remarks and suggestions about the student's process and product samples are included.
4. A collection of information gathered through assessment and evaluation strategies.
5. A collection of parent comments. Parents are encouraged to comment on their child's work in progress and completed products.

Creating Student Portfolios

Portfolios come in many sizes and shapes - there is no standard container. Teachers may use cardboard boxes, scrapbooks, or three-ring binders. Be creative! Give each student a file folder (colored ones are attractive) to decorate - an accordion pleated folder is even better, as it is more durable. Tell students that each folder will become a finished work portfolio, containing a collection of completed work chosen jointly by the student and teacher to reflect the student's favorite, best or most improved work. This type of portfolio typically does not contain works that show a student's lack of achievement or difficulty with a project. Instead these finished work portfolios include works of which the student can be proud because they demonstrate the skills he or she has learned.

How Do Portfolios Help the Teacher?

1. Portfolios help the teacher teach. Students are encouraged to take an active role in the learning process, boosting their self-esteem and personal motivation.
2. Portfolios help the teacher communicate. Parents can get involved in planning and assessment. The portfolio encourages students, parents and teachers to set aside time for discussions.
3. Portfolios help the teacher evaluate. The portfolio provides direct documentation of a student's progress and encourages recognition of individual learning styles. The teacher meets periodically with each student to review the contents of his/her portfolio and check for understanding.

These folders can be stored in the classroom and can be checked out by their owners to take home and share with the family. The finished work portfolios are added to throughout the year and are taken home at the end of the year. Have a special bulletin board in your classroom to display students' completed projects, which later can be placed in individual portfolios. Students will enjoy the process of selecting and placing their best works in portfolios.

Implication for the Jewish Classroom

Students have the opportunity to place material related to the curriculum in their portfolios - writing samples, such as Jewish book reports, work sheets, inventories, interviews, art projects, Hebrew work, etc. Since there is no single correct way to put together a portfolio, the choices are the students', giving them ownership in the learning process. Portfolios do require effort and thought and result in knowledge and appreciation of your students' strengths and talents. Even if you teach only one subject area, the creation of a portfolio leads to increased student accountability. Portfolios can be used for parent-teacher conferences in place of or in addition to report cards.

Make your Jewish classroom a place where students feel that they are actively engaged In the learning process. Portfolios offer a variety of opportunities for students to reflect on what is happening in the classroom. Begin in a small way, begin where you are comfortable and consider the possibilities. (For further information on how to begin, using portfolios, please contact Sallie Olson at Auerbach CAJE).

From Highlights, Spring 1997/5757