Changes in secondary teachers' perceptions of barriers to portfolio assessment

Portfolio assessment has become a popular medium for merging classroom assessment with large-scale testing, but adoption of portfolios in the classroom for external assessment purposes may be difficult because the use of such portfolios may require changes in the curriculum, instructions, and assessments used by teachers. As a result, there are numerous potential barriers to the adoption of portfolios that can be used for large-scale assessment purposes. This study investigates how secondary teachers' perceptions of portfolio implementation barriers changed when teachers participated in a 1-year portfolio implementation effort. Survey results are analyzed with a Rasch rating scale model. Results suggest that teachers' apprehension about portfolio barriers increased slightly, but that this increase can be attributable to teachers with little portfolio experience. Furthermore, teachers' concerns about the amount of time required to develop and score portfolios increased substantially while concerns about the availability of resources and resistance from parents decreased.     

Assessing Agreement: An Examination of the Interrater Reliability of Portfolio Assessment in Rochester,New York

This article reports on the interrater reliability of language arts portfolio assessment in the primary grades of the Rochester, New York, school system. This assessment was based on a sample of approximately 400 primary-grade language arts portfolios that were rated by two raters: the student's classroom teacher and an external reviewer. Reliabilities for student portfolios ranged from .58 for Grade 1 reading portfolios to .79 for kindergarten reading portfolios. Many of the reading portfolios could not be rated by the external reviewer, revealing problems both with the portfolio policies of the district and with the classroom-level implementation. The findings showed that primary-grade classroom teachers can reliably rate their own students' work, but tensions exist if a single portfolio system is intended both to provide classroom teachers with information about their students and to supply accountability information to administrators.     

The Application of Student Portfolios in Primary-Intermediate and Self- Contained-Multiage Team Classroom Environments: Implications for Instruction,Learning, and Assessment

Portfolios have gained wide acceptance as a learning and assessment tool. Yet, little research has been reported on the practices of teachers who are actually using portfolios within their classrooms and how those practices are moderated by contextual variables. This research examined the instructional, learning, and assessment roles of student portfolios and explored, from the perspective of the classroom teacher, variations in portfolio applications associated with teaching level (primary vs. intermediate) and classroom environment (self-contained vs. multiage-teaming).

Kindergarten through Grade 5 teachers in 13 elementary schools completed a survey questionnaire regarding the instructional and assessment uses to which portfolios are put within their classrooms. To further examine for patterns of portfolio use, a subset of teachers was interviewed to explore the perceptions that teachers hold about the impact of student portfolios on themselves and on their students. The results suggest that Kindergarten through Grade 5 teachers make deliberate decisions regarding uses of their students' portfolios, decisions that appear heavily impacted by the maturity or skill level of the child, the purposes of the application, and the classroom environment within which the application occurs. They also depend on whether the portfolio product is in a formative state (working portfolio) or final state (performance portfolio).     

成长记录袋的创建与使用

成长记录袋有意识地收集学生的作品或有关证据,以反映学生在某一领域的努力、进步与成就。任课教师创建和使用成长记录袋一般要经过明确目的和用途、对内容选择提供指导、明确学生角色、确定评分程序和标准、交流和使用等几个主要步骤。在当前的评价实践中,学校和教师还要注意谨慎选择成长记录袋的应用领域、将成长记录袋的应用与教学有机结合、给教师和学生足够的自主权并加强教师培训。     

Portfolios: Promoting teaching

This article is based on the findings of a study that examined the use of portfolios for assessment and learning purposes in an initial teacher education course in the Hong Kong Institute of Education. Progressive refocusing of the research led to an investigation of the extent to which the use of portfolios for such purposes promoted the development of reflective practice and teaching skills. Constraints and supports for the implementation of portfolios were identified through the use of observation, documentary analysis, surveys, video recordings and interviews with pre-service teachers and their lecturers. The implementation process and the teaching and learning outcomes are described. Teacher educators requested portfolio exemplars, more specific grading criteria and more examples to illustrate standards. Six principles that underpin the use of portfolios for assessment purposes, that emerged from an analysis of the research data and findings, are briefly described. An interactive CD ROM and a set of guidelines were produced as implementation resources. Details of these resources are provided.     

The paradigm shifts: Examining quality of teaching through assessment of student learning

Student learning is the strongest criterion for evaluating effective teaching. This article looks at three practices which partner students, teachers, and faculty peers in understanding the quality of teaching and learning through student course portfolios and teacher course portfolios, majors portfolios and teaching portfolios, and collaborative classroom assessment. Two outcomes of using a learning paradigm are building community and representing successes in higher education through documentation of effective teaching and learning.Barbara L. Cambridge, Professor of English and Associate Dean of the Faculties at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, serves on the IUPUI Program Review and Assessment Committee and recently chaired the Task Force on Accountability and Assessment for Indiana University's Strategic Directions Longrange Planning. She has made presentations and written on portfolio assessment, assessment and evaluation of faculty work, and issues in undergraduate education. Editor of theJournal of Teaching Writing, she is past President of the National Council of Writing Program Administrators.     

国外发展性课堂教学评价实施的影响因素研究

发展性课堂评价能更好地促进学生的学习,这一论断已被国际评估专家和教育团体普遍认可。然而在实践中,用发展性课堂评价取代传统的终结性评价并非易事。从国外相关研究来看,教育研究、评价研究、大规模评估、教育政策、教师的职业发展和教师信念是对发展性课堂评价产生影响的六种主要因素。同时,实施发展性课堂评价时还应该考虑时间和教师自主权问题。     

Video Portfolio Assessment: Creating a Framework for Viewing the Functions of Teaching

The goal in this work was to study how a professional assessment of teaching can be developed that will have a positive impact on the professional development of teachers who participate, either as candidates or evaluators. Our hypothesis was that such a positive Impact depends upon two factors: on teachers developing a socially shared language of practice for describing important functions of classroom teaching, and on their using this language in discussing videos of teaching covering a wide range of classroom situations. Our focus was on constructing an interpretive framework (and criteria) that could serve as this language of practice We present psychometric and semantic analyses showing that teachers are consistent in observing these functions of teaching and in using their observations to evaluate teaching in a variety of classroom contexts. We also present qualitative evidence showing how participating in collaborative video analysis or in scoring video portfolios benefits teachers in improving their professional practice.     

Developing classroom formative assessment in dutch primary mathematics education

In the last two decades Dutch primary school students scored below expectation in international mathematics tests. An explanation for this may be that teachers fail to adequately assess their students’ understanding of learning goals and provide timely feedback. To improve the teachers’ formative assessment practice, researchers, curriculum experts and teachers worked together to develop a model for classroom formative assessment (CFA). In three pilot studies, six teachers from three different schools implemented the CFA-model and evaluated its feasibility together with the researchers by means of checklists. The CFA-model was primarily changed with regard to the assessment techniques. Teachers indicated that classroom management and preparation time were preconditions for an optimal implementation. Analysis of covariance was used to explore students’ learning outcomes. The results showed that a correct implementation of the CFA-model might result in the enhancement of students’ mathematical performance. The implications of the three pilots for the implementation of the CFA-model on a larger scale are discussed.     

Classroom assessment in Greek primary schools

ABSTRACT

This paper briefly presents some of the main findings concerning the implementation of assessment in Greek primary classrooms, from a study which explored the relation between teaching, learning and assessment in the primary classroom. It examines the assessment practices used; the purposes teachers attempted to fulfil when assessing; and the content of these assessments. The broader aim of the study was to present a general picture of assessment procedures in a typical Greek primary classroom. Classroom observations, a questionnaire and informal interviews with observed teachers and pupils provided rich data regarding teachers’ practices and their views of assessment.     

Case‐based Long‐term Professional Development of Science Teachers

Reform efforts are often unsuccessful because they failed to understand that teachers play a key role in making educational reforms successful. This paper describes a long‐term teacher professional development (PD) program aimed at educating and training teachers to teach interdisciplinary topics using case‐based method in science. The research objective was to identify, follow and document the processes that science teachers went through as they assimilated the interdisciplinary, case‐based science teaching approach. The research accompanied the PD program throughout its 3‐year period. About 50 teachers, who took part in the PD program, were exposed to an interdisciplinary case‐based teaching method. The research instruments included teacher portfolios, which contained projects and reflection questionnaires, classroom observations, teacher interviews, and student feedback questionnaires. The portfolios contained the projects that the teachers had carried out during the PD program, which included case studies and accompanying student activities. We found that the teachers gradually moved from exposure to new teaching methods and subject matter, through active learning and preparing case‐based team projects, to interdisciplinary, active classroom teaching using the case studies they developed.     

Developing digital portfolios: investigating how digital portfolios can facilitate pupil talk about learning

The Digital Portfolio Project at Newcastle University aimed over one year (2002/2003) to support teachers in producing, storing and accessing assessment portfolios of learner’s work using information and communications technology (ICT). This paper draws on evidence of pupil views collected as part of 14 teacher‐led case studies. The teachers all approached the task of developing digital portfolios in different ways and the variety of end products was large; however, the common result was the value placed on using the portfolio as a tool for reflection and celebration of children’s learning. As part of the data collection teachers were encouraged to gather pupil views about the digital portfolio learning process. These comments provide an interesting and surprisingly analytical perspective of the research and learning process not commonly considered in the academic community. This paper documents the pupils’ views and uses them to review the strength of the digital portfolio process and the benefits of using it in the primary classroom.     

The Development and Use of Literacy Portfolios for Students,Classes, and Teachers

Portfolio assessment is one of the most interesting and widely discussed of the new alternative assessments. In this paper we explore the portfolio metaphor as it is applied to literacy portfolios. We suggest that portfolios provide a powerful tool for the enhancement of instruction and assessment, addressing educators' concerns about authentic assessment, documentation of academic progress, and teacher and student involvement. However, we caution that there are many important and unresolved issues that must be confronted if portfolio assessment is to succeed. Fundamental issues of validity and reliability must be addressed as well as practical issues of implementation, standard setting, sufficient resources, and teacher expertise. We argue that the ultimate success of portfolios will rest on our ability to communicate portfolio-based assessment information to others. We offer the teacher's class portfolio as a promising strategy for aggregating and reporting information, while preserving the integrity of individual student portfolios and teacher judgment. Whether the emphasis is on individual student portfolios or classroom portfolios, educators must be committed to the staff development and additional research that portfolio assessment demands.     

Teachers Speak Out on Assessment Practices

A 1997 statewide survey of Michigan teachers, administrators, and parents about assessment practices revealed that all 3 groups held similar views about what constitutes appropriate assessment in the early years, and they put little faith in test scores. This study reports on follow-up interviews aimed at determining the types, frequency, and utility of assessment techniques used by classroom teachers. Specifically, this study focused on the types of assessment techniques used by a sample of elementary teachers, including how often they use paper-and-pencil tests, how often they write observation notes and what they do with the notes, whether they use children's portfolios as assessment, and whether their teaching is influenced by mandated tests. Study findings revealed that paper and pencil tests were regularly used by teachers in grades 3 and 4 (92%), and rarely or occasionally used by the teachers below that level (16% rarely and 20% occasionally). Seventy-three percent of the early level teachers and 76% of the teachers in grade 3 and 4 used observation for summative rather than formative analysis. Teachers in both groups used checklists frequently, primarily for summative purposes. Portfolios, like other assessment tools, are used primarily for summative rather than formative purposes.     

A model for portfolio assessment in early childhood education programs

It is necessary for teachers to consider alternative means of evaluating their students. One method proving to be effective for gathering and organizing student productivity, growth, and development is the portfolio approach. This article describes the Early Childhood Portfolio Assessment Preparation (ECPAP) Model that was used to facilitate the use of student portfolios in two different early childhood education programs. The goals of the model, the six steps followed and the participants' responses to this project are discussed. This article may serve early childhood directors and supervisors who are preparing teachers to implement student portfolios as a supplement or an alternative to the existing assessment and evaluation programs. Also early childhood teacher education students can benefit from the design and implementation of ECPAP.     

形成性评价在高中英语教学中的应用研究——以福建省漳州市第三中学为例

教学评价是课堂教学的重要组成部分,科学的评价方式是实现课程目标的有力保证。受传统的教育观和人才观的影响,目前我国高中英语教学的评价方式还依赖终结性评价,学生成绩成为他们的最终定论,而他们的学习过程、情感态度、价值观和能力往往被忽视。文章将形成性评价引入高中英语教学中,以福建省漳州市第三中学高一年级学生为例,尝试使用问卷调查、课堂观察和学习档案袋这三种形成性评价的方法,旨在激发学生学习英语的兴趣,提高其学习的自信心和积极性。同时就形成性评价在实施过程中出现的问题进行了总结和反思。     

Implementing curriculum-embedded formative assessment in primary school science classrooms

The implementation of formative assessment strategies is challenging for teachers. We evaluated teachers’ implementation fidelity of a curriculum-embedded formative assessment programme for primary school science education, investigating both material-supported, direct application and subsequent transfer. Furthermore, the relationship between implementation fidelity and teacher variables was explored. N = 17 German primary school teachers participated in professional development on formative assessment, N = 11 teachers formed a control group. Teachers’ implementation fidelity was evaluated via classroom observations student ratings and an analysis of students’ workbooks, focusing on the frequency and quality of intended formative assessment elements (assessments, feedback and instructional adaptations). Regarding direct application, treatment group teachers’ implementation fidelity was high, with slight variations in quality. Regarding transfer, implementation fidelity was lower but teachers still implemented more formative assessment elements than the control group. Teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge and their evaluation of the formative assessment intervention were associated with implementation success.     

浅谈电工与电子技术课程的项目开发和实施

教学改革是全社会都关注的一个课题。主要从项目开发、项目实施两个方面在教学改革方面进行探索,从为专业服务、贴近生活和生产、激发学生兴趣和提高学生能力等方面探讨电工与电子课程教学项目的开发;项目实施主要通过学做结合、学生主体教师主导、过程考核等方式让课堂“活”起来、让学生“动”起来,使师生获得双赢。     

Teacher beliefs and teacher behaviour in portfolio assessment

This study concerns the relation between teachers’ beliefs towards teaching behaviour and their actual teaching behaviour in teacher portfolio assessment. We analysed the beliefs and behaviour of 18 teachers as described in their portfolios. In addition, each portfolio was independently assessed by two trained raters on eight content standards and the teachers’ classroom behaviour was assessed by their own students in a questionnaire (n=317). Linear multilevel analysis showed that part of the raters’ assessments of the teachers’ beliefs and their behaviour as described in their portfolios was significantly related to the students’ assessments of their teachers’ behaviour. Teachers with high raters’ assessments on the content standard about ‘choosing and arguing for teaching strategies that meet students’ knowledge, abilities and experience’ had significantly higher student assessments than teachers who were judged low on this standard. Implications of the results and suggestions for further research are discussed.