2010-2011 georgia alternate assessment the importance of portfolio review prior to submission...

2010-2011 Georgia Alternate

Assessment

The Importance of Portfolio Review Prior to

Submission

February 2011 Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent

The Importance of Portfolio Review

Missing forms/ pieces of evidence

Ineligible dates Insufficient documentation

Alignment issues Grade-inappropriate materials Student is not engaged or

showing progress

The importance of portfolio review during and after completion of a portfolio cannot be overstated!

Should any of these issues be discovered during any phase of the review, there is still time to make the necessary adjustments.



• Rescore requests are often predicated by the statement that the portfolio has been reviewed.

• However, for a portfolio review to be effective, it is critical that the peer review process go beyond counting pieces of evidence and consider all of the portfolio requirements.



Portfolio review by the teacher should be an ongoing process. Have I selected the best standard and element for this student?

• Does he seem engaged?• Is he making progress?

Are the tasks and materials appropriate?• Is he able to demonstrate what he knows?• Can he communicate with a reliable response?



Use the Checklist for Teachers and Portfolio Reviewersto ensure that all evidence and documentationrequirements have been met.• Each of the 4 tasks submitted for the entry must be

reviewed for alignment. Tasks must be academic All 4 tasks must demonstrate connection to the standard

and element Instruction precedes assessment; task must provide

evidence of student’s assessed performance after instruction.



When reviewing evidence documentation, the teacherand portfolio reviewer must ask himself or herself thefollowing questions:1. What, specifically, was the student asked to do as it

aligns to the academic benchmark?2. What were the actual questions/actions asked of

the student?3. What were the students’ answers? How did he/she

respond? Has evaluation of student performance by the teacher been clearly documented?

4. Were the answers/responses correct?February 2011 Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent


• Task descriptions, though brief, must be clear and written with sufficient information.

• Observation and Interview Forms must be written to describe the specific responses and level of performance for each individual student.

• If documenting a group activity, be specific about what was asked of the individual student, how and in what manner he/she responded, and whether his/her response was correct.

• Annotations that are too generic or non-specific could result in the entry being nonscorable.


Strategies for Ensuring Scorable Entries

• Each type of evidence, whether Primary or Secondary, has specific requirements that must be met in order to be scorable.

• Explanations and samples of each type of evidence are included in the 2010-2011 GAA Examiner’s Manual on pages 15-35.

• Be certain to review the samples and evidence requirements with both new and returning examiners.



• Recommendations as to when and how to use each type of evidence can be found on pages 16 and 17 of the manual.

• Use the GAA Evidence Checklist in order to familiarize test examiners and portfolio reviewers with the conditions that must be met for each type (found on pages 55-57 of the manual).



• Complete and thorough documentation of evidence is critical! Incomplete, ineffective, or generic documentation can

result in lower scores or in the entry being Nonscorable. The student’s response must be clearly and specifically

evaluated or graded.• If the correctness of the student response cannot be verified, the

entry will receive the Nonscorable Code of IE (Insufficient Evidence).

• Nonscorable entries due to insufficient evidence can be avoided by following the evidence requirements.


Structuring a Portfolio Review

Who should conduct the portfolio review? Trained GAA Administrator Designated GAA Trainer Core Access Teacher School Test Coordinator (trained) SPED Coordinator (trained) Building Administrator (trained)



When should the review be conducted? 1st Review: mid-administration, after Collection

Period 1 evidence has been compiled Final Review: before submission, after all

evidence has been compiled and organized in the portfolio binder



Steps to complete a peer review of the portfolio:

1. Carefully review the Entry Sheet Student name Teacher name Required standard Eligible standard Strand, standard, element match Characteristic of Science documented Task Descriptions



2. Consider all aspects of the evidence requirements

All four pieces of evidence align to standard and element Primary and Secondary included for each collection period 14 calendar days from Primary to Primary Type of evidence is the best choice to clearly demonstrate

the student response Grade-appropriate materials



3. Review documentation to ensure that all necessary documentation has been provided somewhere within the evidence

Name (Who) Dates (When) Task (What) Setting (Where) Student performance (How well) Interactions (With Whom and Describe) Independence (Prompts) Collection period labels (Optional)February 2011 Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent


4. Date and sign Checklist for Teachers and Portfolio Reviewers

5. Validation Form must be signed by Building Administrator and Person Responsible for Submitting the Portfolio

6. Recommend and verify that the Release to use Portfolio for Training has been signed and included in portfolio


Checklist for Teachers and

Portfolio Reviewers


The Checklist for Teachers and Portfolio Reviewers is provided in the portfolio binder to ensure that all procedures and requirements have been satisfied before the portfolio is submitted.

• The checklist can be part of the portfolio validation process as the reviewer signs and dates the form after each content area entry is checked.

• It is recommended that the portfolio be reviewed twice - once after the first collection period has been completed and again before the portfolio is submitted.

• The GAA Evidence Checklist, specific to each type of evidence submitted, is a helpful tool for use during the portfolio review process.


The GAA Validation Form will be provided in the portfolio binder to verify that all requirements and procedures have been followed and that the contents are the work of the student being assessed.• This is an important step– the signatures validate the contents of the portfolio.• Be certain that signatures have been obtained from both the person submitting the portfolio and the Building Administrator.• For transfer students, Validation Forms must be submitted by both the sending and the receiving schools/systems.

Required signature

Required signature

Administrator checks

one box


Portfolio Security

• Given the unique features of the GAA (such as the test window), test security must be considered and attended to throughout the school year and not just during the portfolio submission phase.

• Content entries are considered secure once they are included in the assessment binder.

• The assessment binder should not be removed from the school building, except when sign-out procedures are in effect, for the purpose of peer reviews.



• Effective portfolio review can be the difference between a low scoring or nonscorable entry and an entry that truly represents what the student knows and can do in relation to the academic content standards and elements.


Contact Information

Questions About Test Administration

GaDOE Assessment Administration Division By phone: Toll free (800) 634-4106

Deborah Houston, Assessment Specialist By phone: (404) 657-0251

By E-mail: [email protected]


Contact Information

For information about access to the GPS for students with significant cognitive disabilities

Contact: Kayse HarshawDivision for Special Education Services

By phone: (404) 463-5281 By E-Mail: [email protected]


Contact Information

Questions About Materials, Distribution, or Collection

Questar’s GAA Customer ServiceBy phone: Toll free (866) 997-0698

By Email: [email protected]


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