What does Portfolio Plus mean for the teacher?

Teachers will be able to use a variety of task formats to determine students’ individual learning styles and problem solving techniques, measure individual student achievement, and gauge the effectiveness of their instructional practice. This will be accomplished through an iterative process over time that is supported by high-quality professional development with colleagues.

Portfolio Plus will provide tests that show student achievement at a point in time, but it will also provide teachers with additional tools for assessing how students manage their time. They may show the planning involved in creating a product, the trial and error that accompanied the creative process, and the student’s ability to reflect upon both the process and the finished products of art-making. For example, portfolios that contain reflective components show metacognitive thinking – the ability to think about one’s own thinking in meaningful ways.