ERIC citations on the Use of Portfolios with Young Children in Early Childhood and Primary Education EJ500445 SP523961 Using Portfolio Assessment in a Kindergarten Classroom. Balm, Sally St. Mary Teaching and Change, v2 n2 p141-51 Win 1995 ISSN: 1068-378X Document Type: PROJECT DESCRIPTION (141); JOURNAL ARTICLE (080) A kindergarten teacher used portfolio assessment with her students. After researching portfolios, she compiled a list of components for her classes and began the school year. She found that students were enthusiastic about portfolios, parents felt portfolios told more than report cards, and she could better see student growth. (Author/SM) Descriptors: Evaluation Methods; Grading; Holistic Evaluation; *Kindergarten; Kindergarten Children; *Parent Conferences; * Portfolio Assessment; Primary Education; *Student Evaluation Identifiers: Multiple Intelligences EJ499983 PS522982 Portfolio-Based Assessment: Tips for a Successful Start. Benson, Tammy R. Dimensions of Early Childhood, v23 n2 p21-23 Win 1995 ISSN: 1068-6177 Document Type: NON-CLASSROOM MATERIAL (055); JOURNAL ARTICLE (080) Addresses common concerns that early childhood teachers have about portfolio assessment, ways to find time to use portfolio assessment, and suggestions for involving young children and their families in the process of assessment and evaluation. (MDM) Descriptors: Early Childhood Education; Evaluation Methods; *Parent Participation; Parent Teacher Conferences; *Portfolio Assessment; *Student Evaluation; Teacher Attitudes; Teacher Role; Teacher Student Relationship; *Time Management; *Young Children Identifiers: Anecdotal Records; Authentic Assessment EJ499302 EC610665 A Qualitative Approach to Portfolios: The Early Assessment for Exceptional Potential Model. Shaklee, Beverly D.; Viechnicki, Karen J. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, v18 n2 p156-70 Win 1995 ISSN: 0162-3532 Available From: UMI Document Type: JOURNAL ARTICLE (080); PROJECT DESCRIPTION (141) The Early Assessment for Exceptional Potential portfolio assessment model assesses children as exceptional learners, users, generators, and pursuers of knowledge. It is based on use of authentic learning opportunities; interaction of assessment, curriculum, and instruction; multiple criteria derived from multiple sources; and systematic teacher preparation. The model's standards for credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability are noted. (Author/DB) Descriptors: *Ability Identification; Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education; Evaluation Methods; *Gifted; Models; * Portfolio Assessment; *Student Evaluation Identifiers: *Early Identification EJ496083 CS748923 Student Portfolios: Building Self-Reflection in a First-Grade Classroom. Vizyak, Lindy Reading Teacher, v48 n4 p362-64 Dec-Jan 199 1995 ISSN: 0034-0561 Available From: UMI Document Type: PROJECT DESCRIPTION (141); TEACHING GUIDE (052); JOURNAL ARTICLE (080) Describes how a first-grade teacher uses portfolios in her classroom, including a teacher-student portfolio and a student- managed portfolio which gives students practice in selecting meaningful work and reflecting on those selections. (SR) Descriptors: *Elementary School Students; Grade 1; Portfolio Assessment; *Portfolios (Background Materials); Primary Education; *Self Evaluation (Individuals); *Student Evaluation ED382407 PS023336 Performance Assessment in Early Childhood Education: The Work Sampling System. ERIC Digest. Meisels, Samuel J. May 1995 3p. EDRS Price - MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. Document Type: ERIC PRODUCT (071) Performance assessment offers an approach to assessment different from that of group-administered standardized tests by documenting activities in which children engage on a daily basis. Flexible enough to reflect individual academic achievement and designed to evaluate elements of learning not captured by standardized tests, the Work Sampling System offers an exemplar of how performance assessment works in early childhood and the primary years. This system assesses and documents children's skills, knowledge, behavior, and accomplishments across a variety of education domains and as manifested on multiple occasions. It consists of three components: (1) developmental guidelines and checklists; (2) portfolios; and (3) summary reports. The developmental guidelines and checklists assist teachers in observing and documenting children's progress across seven domains of development. These domains are divided into functional components, each of which contains performance indicators that represent important skills, knowledge, behaviors, and accomplishments. The guidelines that accompany the checklists make the process of observation more reliable and consistent. The checklists and guidelines create a profile of children's individualized progress. Portfolios, which are collections of children's work, provide a rich documentation of each child's experiences throughout the year. In the Work Sampling System, portfolio collections are based on two types of work: core items, which represent a particular area of learning within a single domain; and individualized items, which offer examples of children's work across domains. Summary reports, completed three times a year, consist of performance and progress ratings in each domain, and teachers' reflections and comments about the child's development. They are a means of translating the information in the checklists and portfolios into a more easily understood document for parents, teachers, and administrators. Contains seven references. (BC) Descriptors: Academic Achievement; Check Lists; *Early Childhood Education; *Portfolio Assessment; Student Development; *Student Evaluation; Student Records Identifiers: ERIC Digests; *Performance Based Evaluation; *Work Sampling System (Meisels) ED380794 CS012103 Research Findings on the Use of Portfolio Assessment in a Literature Based Reading Program. Holmes, Julia; Morrison, Norma Mar 1995 13p.; Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Eastern Educational Research Association (18th, Hilton Head, SC, March 1-4, 1995). Best available copy. EDRS Price - MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. Document Type: CONFERENCE PAPER (150); RESEARCH REPORT (143) A study evaluated the effectiveness of a portfolio strategy to assess reading in the early primary grades. For a 12-week period, college students implemented portfolio assessment as they completed their reading block field experiences as part of their literacy/reading methods courses. Data included the portfolios, teacher surveys, journals of the preservice teachers, and observational notes and records recorded throughout the period. Results indicted that: (1) comprehension and language development could feasibly be tracked through the interviews, retells, running records, anecdotal data, text reconstructions, and language experience activities; (2) teachers and prospective teachers reported that the children were becoming better critics of their own work; and (3) during the on-site teaching of the methods course, classroom teachers were partners with higher education faculty as they cooperatively guided preservice teachers with hands-on experiences. Findings suggest that the awareness, acceptance, and utilization of portfolio assessment by practicing early primary grade teachers needs to be supported and ethnographic research continued. (Contains 29 references and two figures of data.) (RS) Descriptors: Field Experience Programs; Higher Education; Instructional Effectiveness; *Portfolio Assessment; Portfolios (Background Materials); Preservice Teacher Education; Primary Education; *Reading Achievement; Reading Comprehension; Reading Research; Whole Language Approach Identifiers: *Emergent Literacy EJ486474 EC609070 Portfolio Assessment: A Key to Identifying Hidden Talents and Empowering Teachers of Young Children. Coleman, Laurence J. Gifted Child Quarterly, v38 n2 p65-69 1994 Special Issue: Javits Grant Projects. ISSN: 0016-9862 Available From: UMI Document Type: JOURNAL ARTICLE (080); PROJECT DESCRIPTION (141) Early Assessment for Exceptional Potential of Young Minority and/or Economically Disadvantaged Students is a project which used portfolio assessment to identify exceptional potential in primary-level children and develop instructional plans. The project determined universal identifiers of exceptional potential and taught teachers to recognize them by providing authentic examples of such behavior. (Author/JDD) Descriptors: *Ability Identification; Demonstration Programs; Economically Disadvantaged; *Gifted; *Intervention; Minority Group Children; Models; *Portfolios (Background Materials); Primary Education; *Student Evaluation Identifiers: *Early Identification; *Portfolio Performance Appraisal Systems EJ483960 PS521886 Hey, Look Me Over Assess, Evaluate and Conference with Confidence. Barclay, Kathy; Breheny, Camille Childhood Education, v70 n4 p215-20 Sum 1994 ISSN: 0009-4056 Available From: UMI Document Type: TEACHING GUIDE (052); JOURNAL ARTICLE (080) Discusses a method for assessing, evaluating, recording, and reporting pupil progress in kindergarten classes. Describes how continuous assessment and evaluation becomes part of the instruction process, and is conducted through teacher logbooks, skills checklists, portfolio folders, and "pupil passport" folders forwarded to first-grade teachers. (MDM) Descriptors: *Classroom Techniques; Early Childhood Education; *Holistic Evaluation; Informal Assessment; Kindergarten; *Kindergarten Children; Parent Teacher Conferences; *Portfolios (Background Materials); *Student Evaluation; Student Records EJ480016 PS521666 Of Scribbles, Schemas, and Storybooks: Using Literacy Albums to Document Young Children's Literacy Growth. Roskos, Kathleen A.; Neuman, Susan B. Young Children, v49 n2 p78-85 Jan 1994 ISSN: 0044-0728 Available From: UMI Document Type: TEACHING GUIDE (052); JOURNAL ARTICLE (080) Discusses the observation and assessment of literacy development of young children in child care settings, and describes literacy goals and performance indicators for three- to five-year-old children. Introduces the "literacy album" as a means of gathering, observing, and interpreting information about children's literacy behaviors; and gives suggestions for using the literacy album to observe and assess literacy development. (BB) Descriptors: Classroom Observation Techniques; *Day Care; Early Childhood Education; *Early Reading; Parent Participation; * Portfolios (Background Materials); Preschool Children; *Student Evaluation; Teacher Role; Teaching Guides Identifiers: *Early Writing; *Emergent Literacy; Literacy Assessment EJ479952 PS521524 The Power of Portfolios for Communicating with Families. Diffily, Deborah; Fleege, Pamela O. Dimensions of Early Childhood, v22 n2 p40-41 Win 1994 ISSN: 0160-6425 Document Type: PROJECT DESCRIPTION (141); JOURNAL ARTICLE (080) Relates one kindergarten teacher's experiences while participating in a research project on the incorporation of portfolio assessments into student progress reports to parents. (BB) Descriptors: Academic Achievement; Case Studies; Child Development; *Evaluation Methods; *Kindergarten Children; *Parent Teacher Conferences; Parent Teacher Cooperation; *Portfolios (Background Materials); *Preschool Teachers; Primary Education; Research and Development; *Student Evaluation Identifiers: Parent Teacher Relationship; *Portfolio Approach ED377210 TM022368 A Guide for Judging Portfolios. Paulson, F. Leon; Paulson, Pearl R. May 1994 16p. Available From: Measurement and Experimental Research Program, Multnomah Education Service District, 11611 N. E. Ainsworth Circle, Portland, OR 97220. EDRS Price - MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. Document Type: NON-CLASSROOM MATERIAL (055); EVALUATIVE REPORT (142) A theory of portfolio assembly is presented and used to guide analysis of portfolios. Features of a portfolio evaluation approach known as the Cognitive Model for Assessing Portfolios (CMAP) are outlined. This model assumes that portfolios begin as relatively simple collections and gradually grow into complex, articulate stories of knowing. It is a purposeful, integrated collection of student work that shows student effort, progress, and achievement in one or more areas. CMAP is an organizing theory that serves as a lens through which one can view and think about any portfolio. It places the processes associated with portfolios into three major categories of concern: stakeholder, process, and history. A four- stage rubric is presented for evaluating portfolios, corresponding to the following stages of portfolio growth (1) the off-track portfolio; (2) the emerging portfolio; (3) the on-track portfolio; and (4) the outstanding portfolio. A pilot study involving 42 second-grade mathematics portfolios and 3 raters illustrates application of the model and rubric. Three figures and six tables illustrate the discussion. Contains 26 references. (SLD) Descriptors: *Educational Assessment; Elementary School Students; *Evaluation Methods; Grade 2; Mathematics; Pilot Projects; * Portfolios (Background Materials); Primary Education; *Scoring; Student Evaluation; Test Construction Identifiers: *Cognitive Model for Assessing Portfolios; *Performance Based Evaluation; Stakeholders ED376476 CS214601 Showcase Writing Portfolios: An Instructional Strategy for First Graders. Moening, Amy A.; Bhavnagri, Navaz Peshotan 1994 80p. EDRS Price - MF01/PC04 Plus Postage. Document Type: RESEARCH REPORT (143) A study examined the effectiveness of showcase writing portfolios, a 9-week intervention strategy to improve 18 first-grade students' writing. Students (who were from Roseville, Michigan) selected most of the entries in their "showcase" portfolios. Subjects' writing was assessed on three measures: the quality of writing was assessed using modified holistic rubrics; the quantity of writing produced was assessed using a count of the total words written and the number of words per paper; and the frequency of visitation to the writing center was used as a measure of their motivation to write. Results indicated a significant increase on all three measures. Correlational analysis established a positive relationship among the three measures. Findings suggest that showcase writing portfolios are an effective strategy to be used in the classroom to improve writing. (Contains 70 references, 2 tables and 4 figures of data. Appendixes present data, scoring rubrics, student writing samples, an observation checklist, and three lesson plans.) (Author/RS) Descriptors: Grade 1; Instructional Effectiveness; *Portfolio Assessment; *Portfolios (Background Materials); Primary Education; Student Motivation; *Writing Improvement; Writing Instruction; Writing Research Identifiers: Roseville Public Schools MI EJ465439 EC606210 Using Early Childhood Developmental Portfolios in the Identification and Education of Young, Economically Disadvantaged, Potentially Gifted Students. Wright, Lisa; Borland, James H. Roeper Review, v15 n4 p205-10 May-Jun 1993 ISSN: 0278-3193 Available From: UMI Document Type: JOURNAL ARTICLE (080); PROJECT DESCRIPTION (141) This article describes the Early Childhood Developmental Portfolios developed in Project Synergy at Teachers College, Columbia University, New York. The portfolios document the growth of young children with reference to developmental theory in specific domains and are used to identify, place, and develop curriculum for potentially gifted, economically disadvantaged kindergarten children. (Author/JDD) Descriptors: *Ability Identification; *Child Development; Curriculum Development; Early Childhood Education; Evaluation Methods; *Gifted Disadvantaged; Kindergarten; *Portfolios (Background Materials); *Student Evaluation; Student Placement Identifiers: Project Synergy EJ464817 SP522380 Portfolios: Windows on Learning. Taking an Integrated Approach. Buschman, Larry Learning, v21 n5 p22-25 Jan 1993 ISSN: 0090-3167 Available From: UMI Document Type: TEACHING GUIDE (052); JOURNAL ARTICLE (080) Target Audience: Teachers; Practitioners Second-grade teacher explains the benefits of student portfolios in his classroom. Besides providing a complete picture of students' academic abilities, portfolios allow students to reflect on their work. The article explains how students help choose work samples for their portfolios and describes the quarterly teacher-student portfolio conferences. (SM) Descriptors: Academic Achievement; *Classroom Techniques; *Evaluation Methods; Grade 2; *Portfolios (Background Materials); Primary Education; *Student Evaluation; Teacher Expectations of Students; *Teacher Guidance Identifiers: Reflective Thinking ED358964 PS021497 The Primary Language Record at P.S. 261: How Assessment Transforms Teaching and Learning. A Series on Authentic Assessment and Accountability. Falk, Beverly; Darling-Hammond, Linda Mar 1993 69p. Available From: NCREST, Box 110, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 ($8). EDRS Price - MF01/PC03 Plus Postage. Document Type: EVALUATIVE REPORT (142); NON-CLASSROOM MATERIAL (055) This report examines outcomes of the Primary Language Record (PLR), a program for systematically observing students in various aspects of their literacy development. The PLR uses classroom events and samples of student work to record students' progress and interests, recommend strategies for addressing needs and building on talents, and discuss ideas and perceptions with students, their parents, and faculty. This report examines the PLR in New York City's Public School 261, which has participated in this project since its inception in 1991. The following topics are covered: (1) concerns about standardized testing; (2) a general overview of the PLR; (3) a description of the PLR as implemented in P.S. 261; (4) the influence of PLR on teaching, learning, and assessment; and (5) lessons for implementing the PLR. Appendices include suggested parent interview questions; suggested student interview questions; PLR forms for observations; and work samples. (MN) Descriptors: *Classroom Observation Techniques; Elementary School Students; *Evaluation Methods; *Portfolios (Background Materials); Primary Education; *Program Evaluation; Program Implementation; *Student Evaluation; Test Use; Whole Language Approach Identifiers: New York City Board of Education; *Primary Language Record; Teacher Student Conferences ED358163 TM019962 Assessment of Student Learning in Early Childhood Education. Smith, Laura M.; And Others Mar 1993 27p.; For related documents, see TM 019 959-965. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (Atlanta, GA, April 12-16, 1993). Available From: South Carolina Center for Excellence in the Assessment of Student Learning, College of Education, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208. EDRS Price - MF01/PC02 Plus Postage. Document Type: EVALUATIVE REPORT (142); CONFERENCE PAPER (150) This report, part of a series of documents which describe assessment of student learning in various curriculum areas from prekindergarten through grade 12 focuses on assessment as practiced in early childhood education in South Carolina. An overview is provided of current practices used in the first few years of schooling that are now being questioned. Subsequent sections describe the early childhood perspective on how children learn, and include guidelines for appropriate curriculum and content in early childhood programs. A comprehensive discussion of assessment practices in early childhood education, including traditional methods and alternative approaches, follows. Among the observational methods discussed are anecdotal records, checklists and inventories, rating scales, and photographs and audio/video recordings. A discussion is also provided of assessment portfolios. A brief summary is given of selected alternative assessment projects and programs in early childhood. Four appendixes contain: (1) guidelines for appropriate curriculum content and assessment; (2) guidelines for the use of standardized tests; (3) observation forms; and (4) examples of a first grade reading record. Contains 25 references. (SLD) Descriptors: *Academic Achievement; Audiotape Recordings; Check Lists; Classroom Observation Techniques; Curriculum Development; *Early Childhood Education; *Educational Assessment; Evaluation Methods; Guidelines; Photographs; *Portfolios (Background Materials); Rating Scales; *Student Evaluation; Videotape Recordings Identifiers: Alternative Assessment; Anecdotal Records; *Performance Based Evaluation; South Carolina ED354079 PS021108 Sociodramatic Play: Assessment through Portfolio. Diffily, Deborah; Fleege, Pamela O. Jan 1993 14p. EDRS Price - MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. Document Type: NON-CLASSROOM MATERIAL (055) Many early childhood educators are beginning to experiment with and use portfolio assessment. Teachers are also observing young children at play and documenting their play activities for assessment purposes. Close observation of sociodramatic play gives teachers accurate perspectives on young children across the developmental domains of communication and cognition, and the aesthetic, physical, social, and emotional domains. However, insights gained through observation can be lost without some form of documentation. Teacher observations can be documented by means of checklists, rating scales, anecdotal records, photographs, and audio or videotaping. In addition to student work samples of writing, artwork, and individual or group projects, portfolio assessments should include documentation of children's sociodramatic play. (MM) Descriptors: Audiotape Recordings; Check Lists; *Child Development; *Classroom Observation Techniques; *Dramatic Play; Informal Assessment; Photographs; *Portfolios (Background Materials); Primary Education; Rating Scales; Student Evaluation; Videotape Recordings; Young Children Identifiers: *Portfolio Performance Appraisal Systems; *Student Centered Assessment EJ454870 PS519830 ERIC/EECE Report: Reporting to Parents. Goins, Brad Childhood Education, v69 n1 p56-57 Fall 1992 ISSN: 0009-4056 Available From: UMI Document Type: JOURNAL ARTICLE (080); REVIEW LITERATURE (070) Fifteen recent documents and journal articles from the ERIC database concerning reporting to parents are summarized. The documents and articles cover topics which include student portfolios, theme-based curriculum, writing and math assessment, parent-teacher conferences, and a national survey of report card entries. (LB) Descriptors: Communication (Thought Transfer); Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education; Evaluation Methods; *Parent Teacher Conferences; *Parent Teacher Cooperation; *Portfolios (Background Materials); *Report Cards; *Student Records Identifiers: *Portfolio Approach ED354082 PS021115 Portfolio Assessment: Practical Training in Evaluating the Progress of Kindergarten and Primary Grade Children in Individualized Portfolio Formats. Diffily, Deborah; Fleege, Pamela O. 16 Oct 1992 21p.; Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children (28th, Houston, TX, October 16, 1992). EDRS Price - MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. Document Type: NON-CLASSROOM MATERIAL (055); CONFERENCE PAPER (150) In contrast to standardized tests, which do not accurately reflect the achievement of young students, portfolio assessment is a valuable tool for documenting a student's development. Portfolio assessment can be conducted formally or informally through observation or by interview. Documentation of observations can take the form of checklists, rating scales, anecdotal records, audio or videotaping, and photographs. Portfolios should include samples of students' paintings, drawings, stories, letters, lists, signs, handwriting, and use of numbers. Teachers should adapt portfolio assessment to their specific situation, using portfolios to integrate curriculum and assessment and to reflect children's developmental progress. (MM) Descriptors: Audiotape Recordings; Check Lists; *Child Development; *Classroom Observation Techniques; Informal Assessment; Kindergarten; Kindergarten Children; Photographs; *Portfolios (Background Materials); Primary Education; Rating Scales; *Student Evaluation; Student Records; Videotape Recordings; Young Children Identifiers: *Portfolio Performance Appraisal Systems; *Student Centered Assessment ED351150 PS020940 The Portfolio and Its Use: Developmentally Appropriate Assessment of Young Children. ERIC Digest. Grace, Cathy 1992 3p. EDRS Price - MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. Document Type: ERIC PRODUCT (071); ERIC DIGESTS (SELECTED) (073) Educators use the term "authentic assessment" to refer to the practice of realistic student involvement in the evaluation of student achievement. Authentic assessments are performance-based and instructionally appropriate. One method of authentic assessment is the assembly and review of a portfolio of a student's work. The portfolio is a record of a child's process of learning, and includes work samples, records of observations, and screening tests. Ideally, a portfolio includes observations in the following forms: (1) anecdotal records, which are useful for recording spontaneous events; (2) checklists or inventories, which should be based on the development associated with the acquisition of skills; (3) rating scales, which are used to measure behavior that has several components; (4) children's responses to questions; and (5) screening tests, which identify children's skills. Besides containing a wide variety of work samples, portfolios used in early childhood education should contain a statement of purpose. Once the material in a portfolio is organized by chronological order and category, the teacher can evaluate the child's achievements. Portfolios are not meant for comparing children to each other, but for documenting individual children's progress over time. The use of portfolios also provides teachers with a built-in system for planning parent-teacher conferences. (BC) Descriptors: Check Lists; Early Childhood Education; *Evaluation Methods; *Portfolios (Background Materials); Rating Scales; Screening Tests; Student Development; *Student Evaluation Identifiers: Anecdotal Records; *Authentic Assessment; Developmentally Appropriate Programs; ERIC Digests; *Portfolio Performance Appraisal Systems Text: The subject of children's achievement and performance in school, and even before school, has received increasing public attention during the latter 1980s and early 1990s. A general consensus for assessment reform is reflected by the volume and variety of professional literature on various methods of assessment and the number of states that are seeking alternative means to evaluate students. Educators use the term authentic assessment to define the practice of realistic student involvement in evaluation of their own achievements. Authentic assessments are performance-based, realistic, and instructionally appropriate (Pett, 1990). One method of authentic assessment is to assemble and review a portfolio of the child's work. The portfolio is a record of the child's process of learning: what the child has learned and how she has gone about learning; how she thinks, questions, analyzes, synthesizes, produces, creates; and how she interacts--intellectually, emotionally and socially--with others. Arter and Spandel (1991) define the portfolio as a purposeful collection of student work that exhibits to the student, or others, her efforts or achievement in one or more areas. According to Meisels and Steele (1991), portfolios enable children to participate in assessing their own work; keep track of individual children's progress; and provide a basis for evaluating the quality of individual children's overall performance. Wide use of portfolios can stimulate a shift in classroom practices and education policies toward schooling that more fully meets the range of children's developmental needs. COMPONENTS OF THE YOUNG CHILD'S PORTFOLIO The portfolio can include work samples, records of various forms of systematic observation, and screening tests. Engel (1990) emphasizes that "work samples meet the need for accountability while recognizing and supporting individual progress." They keep track of a child's progress--in other words, they follow the child's success rather than his failure. Teachers and parents can follow children's progress by reviewing children's writings, drawings, logs of books read by or to them, videos or photographs of large projects, tape recordings of the children reading or dictating stories, and so forth. During systematic observation, young children should be observed when they are playing alone, in small groups, in large groups, at various times of day and in various circumstances. Systematic observation must be objective, selective, unobtrusive, and carefully recorded (Bertrand and Cebula, 1980). Ideally, a portfolio includes observations in several or all of the following forms: - Anecdotal records. Anecdotal records are factual, nonjudgmental notes of children's activity (Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, 1991). They are most useful for recording spontaneous events. They should be cumulative, revealing insights about the child's progress when they are reviewed sequentially. - Checklist or inventory. The checklist or inventory is one of the easiest tools for recording children's progress. It should be based on instructional objectives and the development associated with the acquisition of the skills being monitored. In general, observations should be based on regular activities, not on specially designed or contrived activities. - Rating scales. Rating scales are appropriately used when the behavior to be observed has several aspects or components, such as a child's success at following directions in different situations. - Questions and requests. One of the most effective and easiest means of gathering information is to ask direct, open-ended questions of individual children. Open-ended requests such as, "I'd like you to tell me about this," elicit samples of the child's expressive language ability. Asking children about their activities also often yields insights into why they behave as they do. - Screening tests. Screening tests are used to help identify the skills and strengths that children already possess, so that teachers can plan meaningful learning experiences for their students. Findings of screening tests and developmental scales should be considered with work samples and other, more subjective, material that the teacher assembles in portfolios. The assessment information revealed by such instruments is not appropriately used for grading, labeling, grouping, or retaining children. PORTFOLIO AUTHENTICITY Decisions about what items to place in a portfolio should be based on the purpose of the portfolio. Without a purpose, a portfolio is just a folder of student work. The portfolio exists to make sense of children's work, to communicate about their work, and to relate the work to a larger context (Arter and Paulson, 1991; Paulson and Paulson, 1991). According to Murphy and Smith (1990), portfolios can be intended to motivate students, to promote learning through reflection and self-assessment, and to be used in evaluations of students' thinking and writing processes. In early childhood education, portfolios should contain a statement of purpose and a wide variety of work samples, including successive drafts of work on particular projects. Children should be involved in choosing items to preserve so that they can analyze their work themselves. USING THE PORTFOLIO IN EVALUATION The material in a portfolio should be organized by chronological order and category. Since all information in the portfolio is dated, arranging the work samples, interviews, checklist, inventories, screening test results, and other information should be simple. Meisels and Steele (1991) suggest further organizing the material according to curriculum area or category of development (cognitive, gross motor, fine motor, and so forth). Once the portfolio is organized, the teacher can evaluate the child's achievements. Appropriate evaluation always compares the child's current work to her earlier work. This evaluation should indicate the child's progress toward a standard of performance that is consistent with the teacher's curriculum and appropriate developmental expectations. Portfolios are not meant to be used for comparing children to each other. They are used to document individual children's progress over time. The teacher's conclusions about a child's achievement, abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and needs should be based on the full range of that child's development, as documented by the data in the portfolio, and on the teacher's knowledge of curriculum and stages of development. The use of portfolios to assess young children provides teachers with a built-in system for planning parent-teacher conferences. With the portfolio as the basis for discussion, the teacher and parent can review concrete examples of the child's work, rather than trying to discuss the child's progress in the abstract. CONCLUSION Appropriate assessment of young children should involve the children themselves, parents, and teachers. The portfolio method promotes a shared approach to making decisions that will affect children's attitudes toward work and school in general. It frees the teacher from the constraints of standardized tests. Finally, using portfolios in assessment allows teachers to expand the classroom horizon and enlarge each child's canvas. Thus, the teacher can focus on the child and develop an intimate and enduring relationship with him. REFERENCES Arter, J., and Paulson, P. Composite Portfolio Work Group Summaries. Portland, OR: Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, 1991. Arter, J., and Spandel, V. Using Portfolios of Student Work in Instruction and Assessment. Portland, OR: Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, 1991. Bertrand, A., and Cebula, J. Tests, Measurements, and Evaluation: A Developmental Approach. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1980. Engel, B. "An Approach to Assessment in Early Literacy." In C. Kamii (Ed.), Achievement Testing in the Early Grades: The Games Grown- ups Play. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1990. ED 314 207. Grace, C., and Shores, E.F. The Portfolio and Its Use: Developmentally Appropriate Assessment of Young Children. Little Rock, AR: Southern Early Childhood Association, 1991. Meisels, S., and Steele, D. The Early Childhood Portfolio Collection Process. Ann Arbor, MI: Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, 1991. Murphy, S., and Smith, M.A. "Talking about Portfolios." The Quarterly of the National Writing Project. 12 (Spring, 1990): 1-3, 24- 27. EJ 429 792. Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. Alternative Program Evaluation Ideas for Early Childhood Programs. Portland, OR: Author, 1991. Pett, J. "What is Authentic Evaluation? Common Questions and Answers." FairTest Examiner 4 (1990): 8-9. Paulson, P., and Paulson, L. "Portfolios: Stories of Knowing." In Claremont Reading Conference 55th Yearbook. Knowing: The Power of Stories. Claremont, CA: Center for Developmental Studies of the Claremont Graduate School, 1991. ED 308 495. References identified with an ED (ERIC document) number are cited in the ERIC database. Documents are available in ERIC microfiche collections at more than 825 locations worldwide. Documents can also be ordered through EDRS: (800) 443-ERIC. References with an EJ (ERIC journal) number are available through the originating journal, interlibrary loan services, or article reproduction clearinghouses: UMI (800) 732-0616; or ISI (800) 523-1850. OTHER RESOURCES Calkins, A. (1991). Juneau integrated language arts portfolio for grade 1. Juneau, AK: Juneau Borough School District, 10014 Crazy Horse Dr. Koppert, J. (1991). Primary performance assessment portfolio. Mountain Village, AK: Lower Yukon School District, P.O. Box 32089. Mathews, J. (February, 1990). From computer management to portfolio assessment. The Reading Teacher, pp. 420-21. Paulson, P.R. (1991). Pilot composite portfolio: Developmental kindergarten. Beaverton, OR: Beaverton School District, P.O. Box 200. Villano, J. & Henderson, M.C. (1990). Integrated language arts portfolio. Fairbanks, AK: Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, P.O. Box 1250, Fairbanks, AK, 99707. -------- This publication was prepared with funding from the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, under OERI contract no. RI88062012. The opinions expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of OERI or the Department of Education. ED338329 PS019773 A Portfolio Approach to Assessment in a Developmentally Appropriate Kindergarten. King, Marian J. 1991 64p.; Ed.D. Practicum, Nova University. EDRS Price - MF01/PC03 Plus Postage. Document Type: PRACTICUM PAPER (043) This practicum was designed to provide an assessment instrument that would serve as an alternative method of documenting the progress of kindergarten students. The portfolio approach to assessment of student progress was implemented in a kindergarten class and applied as an ongoing process. During a 12-week period, teacher and student selected samples of the student's work for the student's portfolio. The teacher also recorded observations and added parental input, audiotapes, photos, and assessment results. Formal and informal conferences between parents, teachers, and students were held as needed, with the portfolio contents used as the basis for addressing strengths and weaknesses of the student. Analysis of the data revealed that the portfolio approach to the assessment of students in a developmentally appropriate kindergarten was a far more positive instrument of evaluation than the report card. Parents indicated that the use of the portfolio approach gave them tangible and visual proof of their children's achievments: an experience that far surpassed that of seeing a letter grade on a report card. (SH) Descriptors: *Evaluation Methods; Informal Assessment; *Kindergarten; Parent Attitudes; Parent Teacher Conferences; * Portfolios (Background Materials); Primary Education; *Student Evaluation; Student Improvement; Student Records Identifiers: *Developmentally Appropriate Programs ED335147 PS019786 Developing Student Portfolios for Young Children: A Grading, Marking and Reporting Alternative That Fosters Communication with Families. A Conference Paper. Gelfer, Jeffrey I.; Perkins, Peggy G. Apr 1991 14p.; Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Coalition for Campus Child Care, Inc. (Minneapolis, MN, April 10-13, 1991). EDRS Price - MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. Document Type: TEACHING GUIDE (052); CONFERENCE PAPER (150) Student portfolios provide information for the teacher, help children question and reflect on their work, communicate progress and growth to parents and teachers, and are useful in developing and evaluating children's school programs. To obtain a more adequate notion of what a student portfolio is, it is useful to ask five questions: (1) What do portfolios look like? (2) How is a portfolio organized? (3) What contents are included in a portfolio? (4) What type of selection process could one use to determine the portfolio's contents? and (5) How will the portfolio be evaluated and reported? These questions are discussed. (RH) Descriptors: *Communication (Thought Transfer); *Day Care; *Definitions; Early Childhood Education; Educational Practices; *Family School Relationship; Guidelines; *Organization; *Portfolios (Background Materials) Identifiers: *Functional Properties