Bibliography of Assessment Alternatives: Portfolios

Grosvenor, Laura. Taking Assessment Matters Into Our Own Hands. Located in: Student
Portfolios, 1993, pp. 9-17. Available from: National Education Association (NEA)
Professional Library, PO Box 509, West Haven, CT 06516, (800) 229-4200.
The author discusses a six-month pilot project in which a group of elementary school
teachers developed and tried out a plan for literacy portfolios. In addition to good tips about
how to organize an assessment study group, the author discusses the group’s portfolio plan
and emphasizes the link to instruction. She says, “One of the greatest changes that came
about as a result of the use of portfolios and the exploration of alternative assessments was
the realization that assessment is integrally tied to teaching strategies; and if our assessments
change, so must our teaching.”
(AL# 400.3TAKASI)
Gursky, Daniel. Maine's Portfolio-Based Recertification Process Overcomes Administrators'
Initial Skepticism. Located in: Education Week 11, May 20, 1992.
This is a newspaper article that briefly describes Maine's portfolio-based recertification
process for school administrators. Eighteen months before they are to be recertified, each
administrator must develop a professional growth action plan based on a self-review of
competency in 13 areas outlined by the state board of education. Compiling a portfolio is
part of the self-review. The portfolio is also used to document growth toward the goals in the
action plan. Recertification is tied to completion of the action plan. The article provides a
few examples, gives some endorsements of the system by those having experienced it, and
discusses some spin-offs.
(AL# 110.3MAIPOB)
Hackett, Rachelle Kisst. The Functions of Teacher-Student Portfolio Conferences Within an
Assessment System, 1993. Available from: Rachelle Kisst Hackett, 1048 Walnut Ave.,
Fremont, CA 94536.
In this paper, the author describes a study of what students experience as participants in a
seventh grade math class where portfolios are used, and their impact on instruction. A major
question was "what happens with students as they select and reflect on work." To answer
these questions the author examined 45 student portfolios (work and self-reflections) and
videotaped student-teacher conferences about them. Reflections were analyzed to see: (1)
what students reported they learned, and (2) evidence of student engagement in the task.
(The categories to describe student self-reflective comments may be of use to others.)
The author concludes that the self-reflection tasks, as used in these portfolios, were not really
occasions for solidifying or promoting mathematical thinking and were not useful for
analyzing what students have learned. However, the author did find that "simply having a
portfolio over which the teacher and student could conference may lead to interaction that
Assessment Resource Library, (503) 275-9582 35 Portfolio Bibliography
(formerly Test Center) NWREL, December 1996