Writing
Effective
Portfolio
Comments
Useful words and phrases/sentence
starters for teachers
Communicating Student Learning
Teachers write comments that:
▪ focus on what students have learned
▪ describe significant strengths
▪ identify next steps for improvement
▪ demonstrate knowledge of the child as an individual learner
The need of Communicating Student Learning
Descriptive feedback helps students learn by providing them with precise
information about
▪
what they are doing well, what needs improvement, and what specific steps they can take to
improve.
▪
Descriptive feedback enables the learner to adjust what he or she is doing to improve.
▪
Ongoing descriptive feedback linked specifically to the learning goals and success criteria is a
powerful tool for improving student learning and is fundamental to building a culture of learning
within the classroom.
▪
Communication provides meaningful evidence about the student’s progress in relation to the
learning standards.
▪
Learning standards include curricular competencies and content and describe what students
are expected to KNOW, DO and UNDERSTAND.
Keeping in mind when writing portfolio comments
Throughout the report card, for each comment that is written, maintain a studentcentred focus
Keep these questions in mind:
▪
Will a parent read these comments and understand clearly how his/her child is doing in your
class/subject?
▪
understand that his/her child has areas of strength?
▪
know what is being done to address any areas of weakness? (This might also include ways the
child can take some responsibility for his/her improvement and/or ways the family can
▪
support.)
▪
be aware of your interest in his/her child as an individual learner
Keeping in mind when writing portfolio comments
Comments should:
• describe in overall terms what students know, can do and understand
• avoid language that simply repeats the wordings of the curriculum expectations or the
achievement chart
• use language that parents/guardians will understand
• provide parents/guardians with personalized, clear, precise, and meaningful feedback
• help parents/guardians understand how they can support their children at home
Comments are created with strengths, specific examples, and next steps
personalized to the student
Structuring a comment
You may like to consider dividing the comment into the following four parts, and
commenting on each:
▪ Anchor/general positive stroke (behaviour, character, learner profile)
▪ Student’s subject-specific strengths (can also include skills, children’s voices,
examples of children at work etc)
▪ Student’s needs and challenges (academic and/or behavioural)
▪ Next steps/parental support
Dos and don’ts for portfolio comment-writing
Dos and don’ts for portfolio comment-writing
•
Maintain a focus on the child
•
List what was taught
•
Connect comments to learning
standards
•
Use teacher jargon
•
Over-emphasize the negative
(challenges)
•
Mix speaking to parents and
students interchangeably by
inserting comments such as “Good
Job, Jason!”, or “Bravo!” etc.
(These comments should be
reserved for the additional space
at the end of the portfolio.)
•
State what will be the focus for the
whole class instruction during the
•
Focus on what was
learned/achieved
•
Use “parent-friendly” language
and maintain a focus on that
audience – remind yourself of
what you would like to read about
your own child.
•
Provide examples to help clarify
the broad statements
•
Identify strengths, challenges
•
Connect the next step(s) to the
challenge(s) identified
Qualifiers for
Learning Skills
and Work
Habits
- Excellent -
• adaptable,
• extensively,
• seeks challenges,
• astute,
• exemplary,
• self-assured,
• autonomous
• flawless,
• leadership,
• can model,
• flexible,
• synthesizes,
• caring,
• giving,
• thoroughly,
• clear,
• impressive,
• uniquely,
• committed,
• innovative,
• virtuous
• completely,
• insightful,
• with no minor
• consistently,
• inspirational,
errors or
• discerning,
• kindly,
omissions,
• distinguished,
• masterfully,
• divergent,
• meticulously,
• easily,
• positively,
• extends,
• effectively,
• precisely,
• expands,
• reverent,
• proficiently,
• self corrects
• secure,
• reflective,
• high level of
proficiency,
Qualifiers for
Learning Skills
and Work
Habits
- Good
• accomplished
• , consistently,
• comfortably,
• almost always,
• competent,
• clearly,
• confidently,
• precisely,
• constructively,
• confidently,
• credible,
• proficiently,
• developed,
• very successfully,
• frequently,
• all or almost all
• generally,
concepts,
• influences,
• complex,
• knowledgeable,
• logical,
• manages,
• sophisticated,
• more, most,
• thorough
often, regularly,
• skilled,
• successfully,
understanding,
• wide range of
context,
Qualifiers for
Learning Skills
and Work
Habits
Satisfactory
• usually,
• acceptable,
• often,
• adequate,
appropriate
• routinely,
• approaching,
strategies, some
• regularly,
• at times,
understanding,
• frequently,
• developing,
appropriate
• most concepts,
• fair,
• fair range of
• learning to,
context
• firm
understanding,
• occasionally,
• sometimes,
• passable,
• strives,
• periodically,
• grasps
• some,
• applies
• suitable
• sometimes,
• some concepts,
• adequately,
• some specific
simple
purpose,
• purposes, some
• clarification
needed,
• little, minimal,
• minor,
• numerous
attempts
• reflection
Qualifiers for
Learning Skills
and Work
Habits
Needs
Improvement
needed,
• review needed,
• continuously
trying to ______
• still in the process
of improvement
• with
encouragement,
the child can
_______
• with assistance,
• when required,
the child shows
• require more
________
guidance
• more
encouragement
• to persevere on
• attempts familiar
_____
• beginning to
demonstrate,
• developing
• with monitoring
•
with support
• with prompting
• is beginning to
Useful Words and Phrases to Consider When Writing Portfolio
Comments - Strengths
•
Able to construct,
•
Displays exceptional
•
Skillfully uses
•
Able to determine,
•
Has achieved
•
Understands how
•
Able to extend,
•
Has a good grasp of
•
Understands that
•
Able to research,
•
Has successfully
•
Uses a variety of
•
Able to respond,
•
Has learned
•
Able to support
•
Has very good insight
•
Can accurately ….,
•
Improved tremendously
•
Can adapt, Can
•
Is capable of
•
consistently ….,
•
Is developing
•
effectively …,
•
Is consistently able to
•
Identifies,
•
Recognizes the importance
•
Consistently makes
•
Shows commitment
•
continues to
•
Is competent in
•
Demonstrates a clear understanding
•
Often uses
•
Demonstrates effective
•
Recognizes that
•
Displays strong
•
Successfully interprets
Useful Words and Phrases to Consider When Writing Portfolio
Comments - Needs
•
Attempts to, Makes attempts
•
- Needs ongoing help with,
•
-Continues to need help with
•
Needs ongoing assistance with
•
Could profit by
•
Needs support in
•
Demonstrates a limited ability to
•
require clarification
•
Does not always
•
is working on developing
•
Does not demonstrate
•
Requires adult support for
•
Encouragement with
•
calls for more time in
•
Is encouraged to
•
Tries to
•
benefits from practice with
•
Makes attempts to
•
learning to/that
•
Needs more time to develop
•
is receiving additional help with
•
Is working at
•
It is important that
•
may require some help with
understanding
•
Needs more opportunities to
Some Action Verbs to Consider Using
•
Applies
•
Performs
•
Extends
•
Experiments
•
Builds
•
Produces
•
Illustrates
•
Explains
•
Compares
•
Shows
•
Interprets
•
Expresses
•
Completes
•
Solves
•
Knows
•
Constructs
•
Organizes
•
Creates
•
Operates
•
Describes
•
Participates
•
Evaluates
Language Suggestions for Descriptors in Portfolio Comments
EXTENDS - The student demonstrates achievement of the expected learning
standards addressed during the current reporting period.
•
consistently
•
is able to
•
to a high degree
•
is very good at
•
without prompting
•
skillfully uses
•
is skilled at
•
understand how that
•
has fully demonstrated
•
clear(ly)
•
confident(ly)
•
independent(ly)
•
is proficient
•
comprehensive
•
easily
•
excellent
•
comprehensive
•
understanding
(e.g: for example, for
•
sometimes exceeds
instance, such as…)
For strengths and needs:
Give specific examples
Language Suggestions for Descriptors in Portfolio Comments
PROFICIENT - The student demonstrates achievement of most of the expected
learning standards addressed during the current reporting period.
•
most of the time
•
is able to
•
for the most part
•
often can
•
usually
•
demonstrates
•
demonstrates some
•
understanding of
•
understands most of
•
competent
•
capable
For strengths and needs:
Give specific examples
(e.g: for example, for
instance, such as…)
Language Suggestions for Descriptors in Portfolio Comments
Emerging / Developing - The student demonstrates achievement of some or few of
the expected learning standards addressed during the current reporting period.
•
general(ly)
•
need a certain amount of assistance
•
common(ly)
•
with repeated assistance __________
•
sometimes
•
with support
•
with prompting
•
occasionally
•
is beginning to
•
has some difficulty with
•
is developing
•
is aware of… but is not
•
applying independently
•
is approaching
•
strives to
•
has a basic
For strengths and needs:
Give specific examples
(e.g: for example, for
instance, such as…)