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Portfolio Assessment Literature Review
Portfolio Assessment Literature Review
Portfolio Assessment Literature Review
A literature review
Philip Smyth
English Centre
The University of Hong Kong
Overview
Historical perspectives
Defining the portfolio
Purposes of portfolios
In a class
Across more than one class
Statewide
A slim collection?
Research in portfolio
assessment
Validity and reliability
Fairness
Impact
Validity
Vermont program
Correlation ranging from .47 to .58
between writing portfolio scores and
direct writing assessments
Similar correlation between portfolio
scores and multiple-choice maths test
scores
(Koretz 1993 cited in Herman and Winter 1994)
Validity
Gearhart and others (1993) cited in Herman
and Winter (1994) found:
No relationship when comparing writing
portfolios with standard writing assessments
Two thirds of students classified as
“masters” on the portfolio assessment would
not have been so classified on the standard
assessment.
Validity
Gearhart and others (1993) cited in Herman
and Winter (1994) also found:
When portfolios were scored in two different
ways (holistic and individual pieces scored)
correlations were in the .6 range
Half the students who would have been
classified as masters on the single portfolio
score would not have been so classified
when individual pieces were averaged
Which assessment best represents an
enduring capability?
Validity
CUNY (Song and August 2002)
2 groups, 1 assessed by portfolio and writing
test, the other only a writing test
Students twice as likely to move to the next
course when evaluated by portfolio
At the end of the next course the pass rate
and grade distribution for the two groups
were nearly identical
Reliability
Nature of feedback