Teacher Discussion Forums

[satter06]

In my school the students compile portfolios of their written work throughout the year. I think this is a great way for students to demonstrate their effort and progression throughout the year. Some of the writing is what the teacher puts in and then the student chooses what else they want to add. At the end of the year, students choose their best work and critique how they have grown. I think that this is a great idea for students to be able to evaluate their learning and growth, however for most of the students they don’t seem interested in really charting their growth. Their best piece is saved for them to see next year while they can take the rest home, but many seem to choose a random writing assignment as their best piece and then throw their folders out. Does anyone have any suggestions to turn this portfolio assessment into a worthwhile assessment as it should be?