Using Portfolios for Assessment and Year-End Passages

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Portfolio Assessment and Year-End Passage Presentations

It’s time for my 8th graders to prepare for their Year-End Portfolio Presentation. It’s a time for reflection and celebration. In a few weeks, they will share their work and reflections with a panel consisting of seventh-grade students, teachers, parents, grandparents, administrators, and school board members.

I work in a Pre-K - 8 school where students keep a portfolio at each grade level. The portfolios also become a key part of student-led conferences. These portfolios become a tool that encourages student reflection and celebration. A place where they record their thoughts about learning, habits of scholarship, and character development.

Much of what we do with our portfolios stems from our connection with EL Education and their resources. You can learn more using the resources below.

Portfolio and Portfolio Passages Resources:

• Here is The Who, What, and Why of Portfolios and Passage Presentations.
• This is the video that really sold me on this idea. I watched these students and knew it was something I wanted to try out.
• If your interest is piqued, then you will really enjoy chapter seven from Leaders of Their Own Learning*: Transforming Schools Through Student-Engaged Assessment by Ron Berger. You'll find tips you can use right away along with examples of how other schools use portfolio passage presentations. The rest of the book is very practical as well.
• This is a comprehensive page where you'll find an introduction to using portfolios as a means of assessment.
• I would pick portfolios over standardized assessments any day.
• Learn about some tools for creating Digital Student Portfolios. My students started using Wakelet this year and it's been working out great.

Finally, here's the template that we are using this year. It's assigned to the students in Google Classroom where they each receive their own copy. Over the years we've found that a template gives them a nice structure and relieves some anxiety. Feel free to modify it to make your own.