Dr. Randie Timpe, Assistant to the Provost for Administration
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Why is there so much interest in portfolio assessment? Several
aspects of assessment as it has been practiced up to this point
in time have led to the interest in the use of portfolios. One
is the tendency to rely too much on quantitative data and the
other is the dependence on standardized instruments.
PREFERENCE FOR QUANTITATIVE DATA
There has been a tendency for those involved in assessment
to show a preference for quantitative data in determining the
degree to which desired student outcomes have been achieved.
There have been good reasons for this practice. The quantitative
data has given us the ability to make statistical analyses to
determine whether demonstrated changes have been significant
in statistical terms. These statistical analyses have provided
support for claims that educational practice has produced statistically
significant changes in students scores. When students’ freshman
scores on general education tests (e.g. Academic Profile) have
been compared with their senior scores, statistical procedures
have helped us know if any differences were more than just chance
fluctuations. This is extremely valuable in helping us interpret
assessment data.
A second reason for the preference for quantitative data has
been the ability to make cross-institutional comparisons. Colleges
and universities have been able to compare the scores of their
students with those at similar institutions. This again has been
very valuable information in that it has provided a context within
which institutions could understand their students’ performance.
Many institutions have been interested in seeing how their students’
scores compared to the national average for similar institutions.
This has provided a useful benchmark by which to determine whether
the instruction their students have received has produced gains
similar to those of other institutions.
The use of quantitative data definitely produced some important
assessment data that gives us valuable information about what
students have learned. However, we have always known that it
only provides a particular kind of information. One of the core
principles of assessment has been an emphasis on the use of multiple
measures rather than relying too much on only one source of information.
Too much of assessment activity has been doing just that in the
emphasis on use of quantitative data.
PREFERENCE FOR STANDARDIZED INSTRUMENTS
The preference for standardized instruments has grown from
some of the same motivations as the preference for quantitative
data. Standardized instruments permit a college or university
to compare its results on the test with those of sometime hundreds
of other colleges and universities. The context provided by this
comparison is very useful knowing how to interpret assessment
data.
Another reason for the preference for standardized instruments
is that these measures have been scrutinized according to strict
validity and reliability criteria. The reliability criteria assure
those using the tests that repeated use of the test with the
same population would produce essentially the same results (assuming
no long passage of time or strategies designed to improve the
scores). The validity criteria assure those using the tests that
they are measuring what thy purport to measure. These are important
assurances for those who are attempting to document changes resulting
from instruction.
PROBLEMS WITH STANDARDIZED INSTRUMENTS
One of the major concerns with standardized instruments is
that they are largely multiple-choice tests which depend on the
student recognizing the correct answer. Recognition is not one
of the higher order cognitive processes making such tests unsuitable
for assessing higher order thinking. It is true that some exams
(e.g. Academic Profile) test the skills of students in identifying
themes in passages or the use of evidence in support of arguments.
Such tests are not as susceptible to the charge of testing only
recall as are other standardized tests. In sum, however, we would
prefer to have the students recall concepts or skills for themselves
as opposed to being prompted by items on the test.
Standardized tests also depend on the student being able to
recognize someone else’s words for what they know as opposed
to having the opportunity to express it in their own words. It
may well be the case that a student knows a concept or possesses
a skill, but cannot recognize another person’s words for
that concept or skill. In this case the student would be judged
as not knowing the concept or having the skill when in fact that
was not the case. This has been a particular concern for students
of a different cultural or ethnic background from those who construct
the test.
STRENGTHS OF PORTFOLIOS
Since portfolios are a compilation of a student’s own
work or performance, they provide a picture of what a student
has learned from the student’s own perspective. This allows
students to express what they have learned in their own terms
rather than requiring them to recognize someone else’s terms.
Since portfolios are assembled over a period of time, they
also permit us to assess student development in a formative manner.
If a student goes through stages in achieving the desired outcomes
of a program, the portfolio allows to identify those developmental
changes. If those changes do not develop as we think they should,
the educator can intervene to provide additional assistance that
will hopefully increase the likelihood of the student achieving
the desired outcome. In this way, the portfolio can become a
critical part of the teaching/learning process rather than only
a means of determining whether a desired outcome has been achieved.
ELECTRONIC PORTFOLIOS
The most recent development in the use of portfolios for assessment
has been the use of electronic portfolios. The resources available
on the World Wide Web have greatly enhanced the quality students
can put into their portfolios. Electronic portfolios allow the
student to assemble the portfolio on the computer as opposed
to generating thick notebooks that require space to store. A
prospective teacher can send his or her portfolio to a school
principal or superintendent rather than having to send a thick
notebook through the mail.
Electronic portfolios also provide the student with the opportunity
to add visual and audio components to their portfolios which
is particularly helpful to teachers and pastors. Through the
use of streaming video a teacher or pastor can include video
material with clips from a sample lesson or sermon.
RESOURCES ON THE USE OF PORTFOLIOS
Following are some other sites which contain much helpful
information on using portfolios. They address such questions
as:
- How do I get started using portfolios?
- How are portfolios evaluated?
- What resources are available for helping students assemble portfolios?
Welcome to the world of portfolios! They provide a rich source of assessment data which I am confident will enrich your teaching and learning.
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