STYLE

How is the information presented?

• Is the portfolio organized in a logical manner (either by your guidelines or by the student’s design)?
• Is the text easy to read?
• Are there spelling and/or grammatical errors in the text?
• Are the images edited?
• Are there distracting backgrounds, animations or sounds in the presentation?

CONTENT

What does the portfolio tell me about the student?

• Are all required sections included in the portfolio?
• Does the artist’s statement follow the guidelines provided?
• How does the artist’s statement compliment the featured artwork?
• How does the portfolio communicate what the student knows about art?
• How does the portfolio reflect the growth of the student artist?

DESIGNING A RUBRIC

Some basic suggestions:

• Have an even number of rankings. This forces the individual evaluating the portfolio to commit to a “higher quality” or “lower quality” of the portfolio- it does not allow ranking “in the middle”
• BE SPECIFIC WITH DESCRIPTIVE LANGUAGE THAT SUPPORTS THE RANKING NUMBERS.
• Give examples of portfolio elements at each level- “A level 2 artist’s statement would have these qualities…”
• Involve the students in the process of establishing quality characteristics at each level of the rubric
• Give the rubric to the students at the beginning of the portfolio process
• If possible, do a “dry run” evaluation with the rubric to see if the descriptions and the numbers REALLY evaluate expectations. Revise the rubric if necessary
• Build in time for revisions by the student

These are some sample numbers. There are many books and websites with information about designing rubrics.

0- Did not complete the requirement

1- Far below the expectation of the requirement

2- Almost meets the expectation of the requirement

3- Satisfies the expectation of the requirement

4- Exceeds the expectation of the requirement

A few specific statements related to quality (or lack thereof) of the portfolio components would follow each ranking for clarification of the expectation.

Consider including written comments to the students further clarifying strengths and weaknesses of their portfolio.  

Creating and Maintaining an Electronic Portfolio    Planning page (Word file)

Presentation Style

Writing the Artists Statement

Assessment of Portfolio

By Amanda Linn