Testing vs. Portfolios = Photograph vs. Video Collection

 Which would be a better indication of a child’s ability to read, a photograph of them holding a book or a video of them reading the book aloud?  No contest right, the video provides much more proof.  Even better, would be a collection of videos that show progress over the course of the year. 

The past two weeks, my students have been working on a variety of assessments.  Some of these assessments – specifically the UK National Tests (SATs) and our comprehensive trimester tests - are photographs – snapshots of how they are performing on a particular day at a particular time.  Others  - the MAP test that students take multiple times during the year, and the running records that students are assessed with three times a year, are videos, showing their ability with clear details about what they know and how they’ve grown.  However, the best assessment we have worked on are our online portfoliosonline portfolios, which are truly a collection of videos, projects and self reflection which show growth and progress over the course of the year.

An additional benefit of the online portfolios is that the students who have been at the school for two years, can go back and look for themselves at where they were last year at this time and truly understand the growth that occurs as the years pass.  This empowers the students to reflect on what truly matters.  It’s not the number that they get at the end of the MAP test, it is the growth that occurs slowly, over the course of time. 

This is especially apparent for ESL students.

 

Online Portfolios are one of the best things I have ever done in my classroom!