Portfolios: Authentic Assessment

Do you use portfolios? 

A portfolio is a great way to collect and save work throughout the year. It provides parents, teachers, and even students with a tool for assessment. It also serves as a wonderful keepsake of the kindergarten year.

What goes in a portfolio? You can include anything that you consider important. Some suggestions include writing samples, recordings of science experiments, and art or construct projects. Include a variety of other work such as periodic handwriting and math work pages to show the scope of your curriculum. To round out your portfolio, add a few photos. You may even want to include copies of report cards or testing results.

If you haven’t started collecting items for a portfolio this year, it’s still not too late to begin. Start simply, saving one or two selections each month. Collate the pages, punch holes in them, and place in a 3-prong folder. If you save three or more samples each month, you will need a binder for each student.

Students and parents will enjoy looking through the portfolios. They can show growth while preserving memories of the year. For ideas and templates, check out these products: