Portfolios: An Odyssey in Organization

The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex

overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one. Mark Twain

Assessment information is to be collected in a portfolio. Each content area tested requires a separate portfolio. I know, it seems like it would be easier to put all of the assessment data for one student into a single notebook or folder, but the state doesn't see it that way. It makes sense in a way. You are giving up to three separate tests so they should be represented individually. In addition, if your student is one of the lucky ones to be chosen for an audit, assessments are audited by different groups according to subject area.

Setting up the portfolio:

• The portfolio itself should be something that secures the information contained within and facilitates easy review. Three-ring binders or brad-style presentation folders are a good choice. I prefer the folders as they take up less space, cost less, and give me pockets to store documents until I'm ready to organize them.
• Each portfolio should be clearly labeled with the student's name, grade, year (ex. 2007-08), and assessment.
• The first page of the portfolio is essentially a table of contents regarding which indicators were chosen for that student. This is easily generated using the CETE website. Under "Students" select "Print lists of chosen indicators." Follow the on-screen instructions to generate an EXCEL list for each of your students and print.
• Next you will place the three pieces of evidence for each chosen indicator. I generally use a colored sheet of paper to divide my assessment folders into five sections with post-it tabs to label by indicator.
• Remember: only 3 pieces of evidence are allowed per indicator!
• Each piece of evidence must have an Evidence Label. Evidence labels are available from the CETE website. There is also a downloadable dopy on the Resources and Documents page of this wiki OR email Alicia to send you a copy in Word. 
   

  Go here for a portfolio checklist:

  http://www.ksde.org/Portals/0/Special%20Education%20Services/assmts/ksalt/KAA_Check_List.pdf  Alicia 1/22/2009

   

The following is taken directly from the Teacher's Guide located at www.kansped.org:

 Summary of Requirements for The Folio

1.  Provide a separate folio for each content area being assessed.
2. Be sure to have at least 3 pieces of evidence for each indicator.
3.  Each piece of evidence should document at least 5 opportunities (e.g., trials, elements of a task analysis, problems to solve, etc.) that the student had to respond.
4.  Each piece of evidence must be unique. Evidence can be collected in the following ways; (a) different environments, (b) different people, (c) different times / dates, or (d) different materials.
5.  Date all evidence and every Evidence Label.
6. If numbers / codes are used, be sure to provide a detailed explanation for them. Scorers need to know how to interpret your data. For example, a + means correct; a – means incorrect; a check means correct; a 0 means incorrect; etc.
7. Provide raw data for any graph.

 Evidence Label Importance

Evidence Labels are important. The information on the Evidence Label becomes the only reference

point for scoring. The information provided on the Evidence Label should help the scorer know

expectations for the individual student.

1.  Setting: Where were the data collected? What type of setting?
2.  Task: What was the student expected to do (with the materials provided) in order to demonstrate competence on this indicator?
3.  Instructions: What were the instructions provided to the student?
4.  Accommodations / Supports: What accommodations, including acceptable supports, were used for the student to respond accurately?

 Evidence Label Considerations

1. Explain the connection between the task the student is asked to perform and the selected Extended Indicator, particularly when this connection might not be readily obvious to a scorer who is not a special educator and/or is not familiar with the clarifying examples in the extended standards documents.
2. Explain all acronyms and abbreviations that appear on any evidence labels. Be sure to remember that not all scorers are familiar with terminology commonly used by special education teachers.
3. Be sure there is an Evidence Label for each piece of evidence. Scorers can only score one piece of evidence one time for each Evidence Label.
4. Be sure the indicator number and the piece of evidence are correctly labeled and match. CHECK THIS EVERY TIME. The indicator and the evidence sample number are both identified on the Evidence Label.

 Precautions

The following should be avoided when developing folios for the alternate assessment:

1. use of language that assigns a description of the student
2. descriptions of the student’s behavior that may provide a negative image of the student
3. information about the student’s disability
4. use of any assistive device that is not a regular part of the student’s daily instruction (e.g., the student uses assistive technology for a folio entry, but does not use the same system as a part of his or her daily instruction)
5. data collection that might be considered a violation of personal privacy