Initiating Portfolios in Your School

 


 

Case Study #1

 

Case One School is a small rural school of 150 students with limited technology.  There is no kindergarten in the district.  The school houses grades 1 through 8. There is one class at each grade level. Our kids go to a regional high school.  The school has dialup Internet connections that are not very reliable.  The district does not have a technology integrator.  While each classroom does have a computer, there is no computer lab.  There are 6 computers in the library. The library media specialist is the technology leader in the school. The school board supports the initiative but has limited funds to commit to technology upgrade in the school.

    

 

 

Table of Contents

 

1 Purpose

2 Curriculum

3 Requirements

4 Reviewer

5 Assessment

6 Organization

7 Storage

8 Implementation

 

 

 

This case study was contributed by the following

ICT Summer Institute 2006 participants:

 

Vicky Bridge, Jocelyne Kauffman, Jerry LaChance, San Murray, Shannon Poehlman, Carla Press, Nancy Webster

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 Establish the purpose for the portfolio based on your district’s goals and mission.

 

 

What do you think the purpose of the portfolio should be?

 

The purpose of the 1-8 ICT electronic portfolio is to document students' proficiency of New Hampshire Information and Communication Technology Standards. This portfolio will demonstrate an integrated approach of NHICT standards within all Case One School District's content area curricula. The portfolio is a dynamic document reflecting growth and informing instruction.


All students in Case One School will create a digital portfolio that shows their understanding of the application of technology in core subjects. Portfolio contents can help the teacher determine future instruction and showcase student work in content areas. (Student projects that are placed in the portfolio will be called artifacts.)

 

What type of Portfolio would you like to create?

 

In grades 1-7 the portfolio will  be used for formative assessment. In grade 8 the cumulative portfolio will be reviewed for summative assessment.

 

In grades 1-7 the portfolio will be used to assist the teacher in planning further instruction (formative assessment is used to plan instruction; also known as for instruction).  In grade 8 the cumulative portfolio will be assessed to determine competency (summative assessment measures student competency in comparison to a norm; also known as of instruction.)


Glossary:

DEFINITIONS

Artifacts

Documents and other work samples that the owner of the portfolio uses to demonstrate the attainment of the knowledge, skills, or disposition necessary to meet a standard or address the essential question of the portfolio.

Dispositions

“The values, commitments, and professional ethics that influence behaviors toward students, families, colleagues, and communities and affect student learning, motivation, and development as well as the educator's own professional growth. Dispositions are guided by beliefs and attitudes related to values such as caring, fairness, honesty, responsibility, and social justice. For example, they might include a belief that all students can learn, a vision of high and challenging standards, or a commitment to a safe and supportive learning environment” (NCATE, 2000).

Knowledge

Refers to the candidate's understanding of childhood studies, based on “empirical research, disciplined inquiry, informed theory, and the wisdom of practice” (NCATE, 2000).

Owner

The creator of the portfolio. 

Portfolio

Refers to “a purposeful collection of student work that exhibits the student's efforts, progress, and achievements in one or more areas of the curriculum” (Paulsen, Paulsen, and Meyer, 1991, p. 10).

Professional Growth Portfolio

Built and maintained during the undergraduate experience at PSU; artifacts and reflections, illustrating a range of completeness, are intended to show development, change, and growth.

Presentation Portfolio

Completed at the end of a program, and intended to contain artifacts that are complete and of “best work” quality.

Reviewer

Anyone, inside or outside of the institution, who has been granted permission to see the portfolio. In many cases, reviewers will be faculty members and advisees; however, clinical faculty, cooperating teachers, and potential employers are, by definition, considered reviewers.

Reflection

Refers to the “contemplation and consideration regarding the significance of an event or artifact; evaluation of the value and meaning of the event or artifact as it relates to a larger context” (Nonprofit Basics, 2004, p.1).

Self-Rate

Refers to whenever a portfolio owner uses the same assessment tool as a reviewer to gauge the quality of the portfolio intent, content, or design.

Skills

The ability to apply content, pedagogical, personal, and professional knowledge competently.

 

Thanks to Plymouth State University and Royce Robertson for letting us use and amend their list of terms.

 

PowerPoint Assessment Portfolio Example

(This link goes to a Powerpoint file on the web.)

 

2 Determine how existing school or district curriculum aligns with the ICT standards.

 

 

How does your current curriculum align with the ICT standards required for the portfolio?

 

The following tool was adapted using the resources found at NHDOE, Office of Ed Tech - http://www.nheon.org/ictliteracy/
Developing K-8 Portfolio Requirements

 

All classroom teachers, in collaboration with the Library Media Specialist, will complete the following table to determine what we already do in our school that can be used to generate artifacts for evidence of meeting competencies.

 

New Hampshire ICT Literacy Standards  

 

Step 1:

 

Start with Existing Curriculum 

 

Based on your knowledge of your district and school(s), are there certain ICT tools and functions used in certain content areas at certain grade levels that come to mind? Identifying them will help in planning likely places to start working with students to gather portfolio artifacts to be used for assessment. Make a list of at least 6 areas to start with:

 

Grade

Lesson Activity 

 Tools & Functions Used 

Possible Artifacts 

ICT Components 

Reading 

 

 

 

۝ Basic operations and concepts;
۝ Social, ethical, and human issues;
۝ Technology productivity tools;
۝ Technology communications tools;
۝ Technology research tools; and
۝ Technology problem solving and decision-making tools

English & Language Arts 

     

 

 

 

۝ Basic operations and concepts;
۝ Social, ethical, and

human issues;
۝ Technology productivity tools;
۝ Technology communications tools;
۝ Technology research tools; and
۝ Technology problem solving and decision-making tools

Math 

 

 

 

۝ Basic operations and concepts;
۝ Social, ethical, and human issues;
۝ Technology productivity tools;
۝ Technology communications tools;
۝ Technology research tools; and
۝ Technology problem solving and decision-making tools

Science 

 

 

 

 

۝ Basic operations and concepts;
۝ Social, ethical, and human issues;
۝ Technology productivity tools;
۝ Technology communications tools;
۝ Technology research tools; and
۝ Technology problem solving and decision-making tools 

Social Studies 

 

 

 

 

۝ Basic operations and concepts;
۝ Social, ethical, and human issues;
۝ Technology productivity tools;
۝ Technology communications tools;
۝ Technology research tools; and
۝ Technology problem solving and decision-making tools

Arts 

 

 

 

 

۝ Basic operations and concepts;
۝ Social, ethical, and human issues;
۝ Technology productivity tools;
۝ Technology communications tools;
۝ Technology research tools; and
۝ Technology problem solving and decision-making tools 

World Languages 

 

 

 

 

۝ Basic operations and concepts;
۝ Social, ethical, and human issues;
۝ Technology productivity tools;
۝ Technology communications tools;
۝ Technology research tools; and
۝ Technology problem solving and decision-making tools 

 


Step 2:  Determine and record the ICT standards that are not addressed.

Step 3:  Determine how standards will be met. 

 

3 Determine the content requirements that will be placed in the portfolio.

 

What content requirements does your school want in the portfolio?

 

New Hampshire ICT Literacy Standards 

 

Consider the following elements when developing an Assessment Rubric for 8th Grade Digital Portfolios:

CORE SUBJECT 

(Check one) 

Portfolio Component 

(For each component below, decide what artifacts and how many will be required for each content area.) 

Number and Type of Artifacts Required  

(Based on your current district curricula) 

What does successful demonstration of knowledge, skill, and understanding of these competencies at the end of 8th Grade look like? (This section should be expanded at a future date into specific assessment rubrics to describe the mastery levels your district will require for each type of artifact.) 

Tests 

Observations  

Student Work 

Student Reflect 

Other 

Reading 

Eng/LA 

Math 

Science 

Social Studies 

Arts 

World Languages 

Basic operations and concepts

 

 

 

 

 

Social, ethical, and human issues

 

 

 

 

 

Productivity tools

 

 

 

 

 

Communication tools

 

 

 

 

 

Research tools 

 

 

 

 

 

Problem solving and decision making tools 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Artifacts for Core Subject:

(Minimum **)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How many artifacts are necessary and adequate?

 

 

**The number of artifacts in cumulative portfolio will reflect all core subjects and cognitive proficiencies and must include student and teacher reflection.

*In the grade 8 summative portfolios a reflection document on the portfolio process will be required. Using the portfolio template the student will link a minimum of six (6) artifacts, with reflections, demonstrating ICT competencies. Artifacts may cross core curricula.
*The grade 1 - 7 formative portfolios should contain at least one artifact (with reflection) per subject area per grade or a cumulative project with reflection covering multiple core subjects (with reflection). The competencies checklist will live in the student's portfolio folder and be used by teachers to facilitate formative learning experiences enhancing individualized student progress.

 

 

4 Determine the reviewer process for assessing the portfolios.

 

 

Who will review the portfolios and how will the assessment be done?

 

In grades 1-7 artifacts should represent core curricular components and involve interactive assessment by student and teacher before inclusion in portfolio.  Media Specialist will collaborate with content teacher to coordinate use of resources. Temporary ICT server will be maintained in Library.

 

Students in grades 1 through 7 will store work in designated folders on the ICT server.  When an artifact is chosen to go into the portfolio, the student and teacher will each use the appropriate rubrics and checklists for reflection purposes.  Early grades (1-2) will use a simple checklist.  As the student progresses through the grades, the reflection process will become more comprehensive.  Reflections are required as support documents when artifacts are added to the folder.

 

CORE SUBJECT 

(Check one) 

Portfolio Component 

(Check one)

Artifact Reflection 

Title of Artifact:

Reflection Date:

 

Student Reflection:

 

Reading 

Eng/LA 

Math 

Science 

Social Studies 

Arts 

World Languages 

Basic operations and concepts

 

Social, ethical, and human issues

 

Productivity tools

 

Communication tools

Teacher Reflection:

 

Research tools 

 

Problem solving and decision making tools 

 

Rubric Information:

K – 2 (Formative)

I don’t know how I did it with help I did it by myself

3 – 5 (Formative)