Preparing Portfolios

As technologies become more common in classrooms, teachers are beginning to require that students prepare portfolios as one way of showing work that the student has done. Often, these portfolios are prepared using technologies. Since portfolios are relatively new concepts in many schools, as a parent you may have questions such as:

1. What is a portfolio?
2. What is an electronic portfolio?
3. What kinds of things should my child include in a portfolio?
4. Where can I see some examples of portfolios?

Select a question above to learn more about preparing portfolios. Use the navigation to the left to learn about other technologies.

What is a portfolio?

A portfolio is a purposeful, meaningful collection of student work. This collection tells a story about a student's developmental growth, achievements, and progress over time.

The San Diego County office of education says the portfolio concept and definition are evolving:

• The portfolio has been defined generally as ". . . a systematic and organized collection of evidence used by the teacher and student to monitor growth of the student's knowledge, skills, and attitudes in a specific subject area."
  
  
• Qualifications have been added to the definition: "The collection must include student participation in selecting contents, the criteria for selection, the criteria for judging merit, and evidence of student self-reflection."
  
  
• A contemporary view of the portfolio envisions: " . . . a purposeful, collaborative, self-reflective collection of student work generated during the process of instruction."
  http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/gradport/main.html

A portfolio is a purposeful collection of student work that tells the story of a student's personal self and a student's achievement or growth characterized by strong vision of content, skills, and processes addressed, built on student selection of work going in and referenced to criteria. Portfolios may demonstrate a wide range of student work. Students control the selection of portfolio content and material. Unlike standardized tests, portfolios are direct indicators of a student's learning experiences. Portfolios allow teachers and parents to share real display of a student's performance without interpretation of test scores. Portfolios provide a natural medium for teacher-pupil discussions and the customization of individual learning experiences and goals. Comprehensive portfolios, maintained over a period of time, can exhibit comparisons of student work and illustrations of growth. Portfolios can grow and carry into the learners work life beyond the school environment. An increasingly self-reliant work force is evolving at an ever increasing pace. Today's technology allows electronic portfolios to be one career tool for life long learners in today's workplace.

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