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Uniform Portfolio Model

O-PAS Manual

Introduction

Business as usual is no longer an option. The Adult Education and Family Literacy Act of 1998 requires programs to re-evaluate the way they deliver educational services and the way they assess the effectiveness of these services. In addition to this external factor is the desire of adult educators to make learning more meaningful for learners with individual differences in their abilities, needs and goals.

According to the NRS, "Each state will use common definitions for NRS measures and collect the measures using the same or equivalent methods".

The NRS goes on to establish the following common definitions and procedures:

Standardization of assessments. Each state must establish standardized methods for assessing students' educational functional levels. Assessments may be standardized tests or performance-based assessments with standardized scoring rubrics that reflect the skills areas identified in the NRS educational levels.

Student Record System. The NRS requires local programs to have an individual student record system.

Because it is required by the NRS that the data collected concerning student progress and advancement be consistent and tied directly to the federal functioning levels, it is imperative that Ohio create a system that is uniform and consistent across all ABLE programs. However, it is also important that the system be flexible to allow programs to develop a local assessment and evaluation plan that determines how the system will be implemented throughout their program.

The Ohio Uniform Portfolio System (Ohio-UPS) was created as an assessment and accountability system for collecting and analyzing student work in order to make consistent conclusions on student's progress and advancement from one educational functioning level to the next.

The Ohio-UPS does not replace standardized assessment, but in fact, serves the basis of how each program monitors learner progress. Without this approach, programs would be forced to rely solely on a standardized pre-test/post-test match for each student to document student success.

From the Ohio ABLE Annual Performance Report, we know that the average student stays approximately 40 in our programs. These few hours may not be sufficient instructional content to see increases in some standardized tests. Many times, students leave before a valid post-test can be administered. These two situations clearly illustrate the importance of implementing a portfolio assessment process that includes both standardized and non-standardized assessment strategies.

The Ohio-UPS can be used in a variety of ways:

• to monitor learner progress, effort, improvement and advancement
• to better document outcomes detailed in the NRS and reported in the APR
• to aid teachers in instructional decisions
• to show students, and the public, what learners can do by illustrating what they have accomplished

What is Portfolio Assessment?

Portfolio assessment is a type of evaluation that involves building a collection of learner work. The collection process is selective and collaborative, making the portfolio dynamic. Materials may be added or replaced by the learner instructor. The portfolio is developmental and shows growth over time. The evaluation responsibilities are shared by the student and the instructor.

Some basic principles of portfolios are:

• portfolios are collections of student work that reflect all facets of Ohio's ABLE delivery system (basic literacy, GED, ESOL, workplace, family, etc.)
• portfolios are organized and planned cooperatively by the student and the instructor
• portfolios are an ongoing commitment to assessment and evaluation
• portfolios are evidence of the value of learner involvement in self-evaluation and are vehicles to help adult learners develop an awareness of their increasing skills
Portfolio assessment is not a substitute for standardized assessment, but rather, they supplement each other. Standardized assessment gives instructors information on the learner's skill relative to the skills of other learners. Portfolio assessment gives instructors and learners information about learners' progress, effort, improvement and achievement relative to their own previous performance on tasks and objectives meaningful to them.

What is the Role of the Instructor

As instructors begin to implement the Ohio-UPS, their roles expand. Although instructors continue many of their previous activities unchanged, other activities have a shift in emphasis, and some new activities are introduced or evolve naturally. The Ohio-UPS allows instructors to make greater use of their skills as facilitators.

Some of the activities on which instructors may need to spend more time are:

• helping students establish realistic learning goals
• planning for learner involvement, interaction and self evaluation
• providing time for individual meetings with students to discuss their portfolios
• helping students manage their portfolios
• using information and student work to report to administrators and complete their requirements for the Annual Performance Report.
In this time of transition, it may be helpful to often confer with your program administrator and colleagues to collaborate and share resources more often. Change is often easier to manage when one feels less alone. Programs are encouraged to use their regularly scheduled staff meetings to discuss strategies for implementing the Ohio UPS. Programs are permitted and encouraged to provide paid planning time for instructors to help implement the Ohio UPS in their classroom.

What Are the Advantages of Using the UPS in our Programs?

There are numerous advantages to us as a delivery system for implementing a uniform portfolio system. Portfolio assessment helps us comply with the mandates of the NRS, but most importantly, portfolio assessment is a sound educational strategy. Without using portfolio assessment, we may not be able to easily document the success of the students in our programs.

The linkages of portfolio assessment with academic skills, life skills, ESOL, workplace skills and family literacy are features that should help sell the idea of portfolios to students and adult educators.

Some other advantages of portfolio assessment are

• portfolios show the uniqueness of each learner
• portfolios show a more holistic picture of the student than standardized tests do
• portfolios encourage learner self-evaluation, an important life and workplace skill
• portfolios can be used beyond the ABLE program to help students show employers and prospective employers what they can do

Content and Format

This page focuses on record keeping portfolios. Unlike a showcase portfolio, in which one shows only the very best samples, record keeping portfolios are used for accountability and instructional purposes.

Programs will be responsible for creating their own physical portfolio. In this way, programs will have the opportunity to reflect the uniqueness of their program and their students. Contents of the portfolio can be contained in a binder, file folder, pocket notebook or whatever the learner prefers, as long as it is able to hold all the material. Another consideration is the management of the contents. Some programs might also wish to have the design of their students portfolios reflect their agency, community or mission.

The Ohio Department of Education requires the following items in all portfolios:

• record of student attendance
• documentation log with documentation of mastery attached.
• goal sheet
• Individual Learning Plan
• test results record or log
Additional student work that may be included within the portfolio will may be chosen by the program.

The student and instructor should have easy access to the contents. This brings up the question of confidentiality and who should have access to the portfolios. If the portfolio contains confidential information, then you need to establish guidelines for access. Many programs have decided not to place confidential information in the portfolio as a means of addressing this important issue. Programs should also consider that they will need to retain copious of the portfolio contents for accountability purposes. The Ohio Department of Education will provide guidance to programs on how long accountability documentation must be retained.