Portfolios in Middle School
One-Day Professional Development
for Lincoln Middle School
Susan Belgrad, Author and Consultant
The Portfolio Connection: Student Work Linked to Standards, 3e
Professor of Education
California State University Northridge
PEOPLE SEARCH
FIND SOMEONE WHO . . . .
Directions: Review the items listed and prepare your
response to one or more. Greet your colleagues and
then offer them a response to one of the items. Then
sign your first name in the relevant box on their People
Search page. When all boxes are filled on your page
take your seat.
How much time per week that
adolescents spend in
cyberspace?
Answer: 52 Hours
Today, 8-18 year-olds
devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes
(7:38) to using entertainment media across a
typical day (more than 52 hours a week). And
because they spend so much of that time ‘media
multitasking' (using more than one medium at a
time), they actually manage to pack a total of 10
hours and 45 minutes (10:45) worth of media
content into those 7½ hours.”
http://www.fiercewireless.com/press-releases/daily-media-use-amongchildren-and-teens-dramatically-five-years-ago#ixzz0iRwAQCTE
Morning Agenda
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8:00
8:30
8:45
Introductions and Warm-Up (People Search)
Review of Plan for the Day
Overview of portfolio assessment for promoting middle
school students’ engagement and motivation in the
learning process; Parent involvement in student-led
portfolio conferences
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9:15
Team Activity on Portfolio Planning 1 and 2
(role assignments and move to break-out rooms).
Break
Reconvene in Media Center for Plus + Minus – Interesting !
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10:00
10:15
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10:45
Team Reports on Portfolio Planner I
What’s one plus your team focused on?
What’s one minus your team is concerned about?
What’s an interesting outcome the team anticipates from student portfolios?
Overview of Portfolio Planning II
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11:30
Lunch
The Nuts and Bolts of the Portfolio Plan
Afternoon Agenda
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1:00
Agree-Disagree Graphic Organizer and Post-It Activity on
Student Performance and Motivation
1:30 Team Planning on Portfolio Planning
Selecting Key Artifacts for Portfolios-(What; How; Who; When
(move to break-out rooms).
2:20 Reconvene in Media Center for Team Planning Report
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Team Reports on Portfolio Planner II and III
What’s one thing your team’s plan would do for student engagement?
What’s one way your team plan would impact teaching and need for resources?
What’s one thing your team needs to know before you want to put your plan in
action?
2:55 Concluding Remarks and Workshop Evaluation
3:00 Adjourn
What you will be able to do:
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Describe an academic portfolio and how its contents can provide an
authentic picture of your students’ achievement;
Identify key aspects of portfolio assessment and conferencing that fit
with the Lincoln Middle School student outcomes and learning
dispositions you seek to meet;
Define the key elements of an effective portfolio plan that will place
students at the center of assessment and engage them, parents and
significant others in their progress and goal setting;
Assess an existing assignment or project plan that could become a
significant portfolio artifact;
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Begin a portfolio action plan for your team that addresses purpose,
audience, assessment tools, plan to engage students, parents and
significant others;
Recognize supports and potential problems for your plan;
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Identify needs/resources for launching the portfolio plan in the future.
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Team Planning Role Assignments
In order to assure productivity, individual contribution and enjoyment of the day’s work on
the portfolio planning process, please assign roles in your group as follows:
Material Manager and Reader:
(The person who drives the farthest to school
each day). Responsible for distributing materials and reading information from hand-outs,
Lincoln Middle School documents and samples of student work,
Time Keeper and Encourager:
The person who is sitting to the right of the Materials
Manager who is responsible for helping team to work within time allotted and to promote
esprit du corps while energizing the team.
Recorder:
The person who is sitting to the right of the Time Keeper who completes the
planning sheet with team decisions about the portfolio plan.
Checker:
The person who is sitting to the right of the Recorder who collects samples or worksheets
brought by team members to make sure all ideas have been considered. Engages the team in
review of the plans sheets before team returns to the Media Center to join other teams.
Reporter:
The person who is sitting to the right of the Checker who works with all team members to make
sure that the team’s report to the whole group is well organized and presented within the
3-minute time limit.
Traveler:
If there is a sixth team member this person is asked to go to the facilitator or other teams with
questions or ideas to share; or this person may be the “getter” to obtain materials the team
may require.
Determining Portfolio
Purpose
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Academic (learning portfolio)
When you want to capture the process of
learning over time in order to demonstrate
students’ content and process knowledge?
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Developmental portfolios
When you want to demonstrate the continuing
growth and development of students as readers,
writers, mathematical problem solvers, critical
thinkers etc. over time?
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Standard portfolios
When you want to demonstrate clear and
compelling evidence of student achievement
and/or proficiency as compared to standards?
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Showcase of Significant Achievement
When you want to provide exemplars of student
work and/or performances.