When Portfolios Become a Site of Ethical Conflict: Using Student Portfolios for Teacher Accountability

This article presents a case study of a high school English department's decision-making process during portfolio scoring to call attention to one of the unintended consequences of using portfolios for accountability. Applying Fritz Oser's definition of a moral conflict, as well as his hierarchy of decision-making strategies, I analyze the teachers' participation in the assessment. I determine that because they could not be equally just, caring, and truthful toward all the stakeholders affected by the test, the teachers experienced ethical conflict. Although most of the teachers experienced tension and dissatisfaction, I see this discomfort as a necessary component of professional growth. I conclude that although teachers cannot be expected to accept sustained periods of moral conflict for which there seems to be no responsible resolution, focusing on justice without balancing justice with care and truthfulness reduces teachers' ability to make ethical professional judgments.