TN Musician Vol. 71 No. 4

PORTFOLIOS:
Pathway to Improved
Teaching and Learning
Joseph Pergola
T
hankfully, the education profession
is once again focusing on the
importance of “assessment”. The
first big push for embedded assessment
accompanied the introduction of the
National Standards which called for the
systematic assessment of student learning.
The newest education initiatives such
as Common Core, Annual Professional
Performance Reviews and others
designed to improve student learning,
have once again brought assessment
front and center as a critical element in
the teaching/learning process. It’s time
to re-examine portfolio assessment
in light of today’s push for evidence
of learning.
Comprehensive assessment is the
most significant factor in the pursuit
for better student learning. Improved
learning is totally dependent on
successful teaching and successful
teaching is dependent on improved
teacher instruction! Successful teachers
continually evaluate the teaching and
learning process. They determine the
learning level of their students and
refine their instruction for greater
success. Improved student learning is an
out-growth of information necessary to
judge student understanding, measure
student progress and examine student
thought processes. Teachers who are
successful question what they can do
differently, what new materials they can
use and what new instructional approach
they can take for improved results.
In other words, successful teachers
assess learning because assessment
improves instruction.
There are many forms of assessment
and many assessment tools. Classroom
assessment can include a wide range of
options. These options can be divided
into two (2) categories. Most assessment
proponents recommend “Formative
Assessment” which is on-going or
embedded assessment, continually
observes student learning and evaluates
the scope and pace of student learning
so the teacher can reflect on their
instruction and refine their teaching.
Assessment that determines student
competency only at the conclusion of
a specific instructional period of time
is “Summative Assessment”. This form
of assessment is used to determine
if students have mastered specific
competencies and identify instructional
areas in need of attention. The critical
element in both forms of assessment
is the tool or tools used to administer
the assessment.
There are many assessment vehicles
available. Most assessment vehicles
provide good information about
specific aspects of student learning at
a specific point in time. For example;
a “rubric” rates knowledge or skill
about a specific instructional topic.
An “observation report” supplies
data about the specific endeavor
being observed. The only assessment
tool that contains multiple forms of
assessment is “Portfolio Assessment”.
It is both simultaneously formative
and summative. Portfolio assessment
captures the process of learning and
contains samples that exemplify
a student’s knowledge of essential
learning at various stages of instruction.
SO WHAT IS A PORTFOLIO?
A portfolio is an assessment vehicle
that contains a purposefully selected
collection of student work designed to
show student effort, document student
progress, reveal student strengths,
create awareness of student weaknesses
and informs the teacher, student and
parent of the status and progress of a
student. It is not just a pile of student
work accumulated over a semester or
year. Portfolios enhance the assessment
process by revealing the range of student
14 | TENNESSEE MUSICIAN | 2019 | Volume 71, No. 4