What are student growth portfolios? What are the benefits and shortcomings of using them?

 The use of portfolios can encourage student self reflection and help them prepare for future careers (Sowers & Meyers, 2021). Portfolios encourage students to collect and reflect on their work. Students at my school are all required to develop a digital portfolio as part of their ELA class. They set the portfolio up on 7th grade and then add work each year until they graduate. While primarily focused on written assignments produced in their English classes, we have worked as a school to expand the scope of these portfolios to include other classes and types of work. The AP Spanish teacher now asks her students to add work for her class to their portfolios. As the College and Career Specialist, I work with students to use the portfolios as a starting point for college applications. The addition of resumes and college application essays to the portfolios allows students to think about how their portfolio can serve as a reservoir of relevant information for college applications. 


References

Sowers, K. L., & Meyers, S. (2021). Integrating essential learning outcomes and electronic portfolios: Recommendations for assessment of student growth, course objectives, program outcomes, and accreditation standards. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 2021(166), 43–57. https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.20451

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