Wikipedia:School and university projects/Kentucky Portfolio Acceptable Practices

Introduction

The Kentucky Writing Portfolio is the only component of the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System administered and scored by instructors. As such, there are several requirements for writing instruction and revision that accompanies the portfolio. These requirements are outline in the Program of Studies for Kentucky Schools, Writing Portfolio Procedures (Saving Time with Writing Portfolios), and the Administration Code for Kentucky's Educational Assessment Program. Writing instruction and revision practices, when specifically aimed toward portfolio pieces, must be in compliance with these legal documents.

In the Kentucky Writing Handbook, three types of writing are describes as essential for any successful writing program. The three types of writing are:

Writing to learn
Writing to demonstrate learning
Writing for publication

Writing for publication, or for an authentic audience, is the only form of writing acceptable for portfolios. Such writing must demonstrate authentic purpose, student ownership, and idea development.

Prompts

When creating prompts, teachers must keep in mind authentic purpose, student ownership, and idea development. Writing assignments must allow for student choice, and should not be targeted toward a contrived or non-existent audience. The Administration Guidelines specify compliant practice as that which is based on student inquiry and choice. Non-compliance occurs when students complete the portfolio by responding to prompts that do not allow for choice.

The Kentucky Writing Handbook identifies the use of story starters as a cautionary practice. Story starters may be utilized in the portfolio, but the starter itself must be cited as another person's work. Failure to document the use of a story starter is considered plagiarism, and will result in an incomplete score for the entire portfolio.

In the Summer 1995 issue of Kentucky Writing Teacher, a Kentucky Department of Education publication, an extensive list of writing practices and assignments are analyzed for portfolio appropriateness

Editing

During the editing and revision process, students may risk losing personal ownership of their pieces. Teachers must follow the guidelines and regulations for editing and revision to ensure that student work is portfolio-appropriate.

When reviwing student papers, teacher may not add, edit, or delete student writing. They may identify mistakes by circling, underlining, highlighting, or writing in the margin. They may identify a word as misspelled, or a sentence as a fragment, but they may not correct the mistake. Students must make all changes.

Conferencing

The Writing Portfolio Procedures outline acceptable practices during conferencing. Teachers may not add, edit, or delete student writing, either in writing, or verbally. They may not provide revisions, but they may ask questions to focus the student's attention on a particular concept. If pattern arises with several students, the teacher may choose to present a mini-lesson on a particular concept. However, individual conferences should not be held in order to focus on only one mistake. An excess of individual conferences may serve to diminish student ownership. Conferencing should not be an attempt to improve the student's work, but, as stated in the Kentucky Writing Handbook, "to foster the growth of the writer."

Students may individuals other than the teacher. Other adults or peer tutors, after undergoing training, are acceptable responders to student work. Responders must adhere to the same guidelines and regulations in order to ensure portfolio-appropriate pieces. The Kentucky Writing Handbook, on pg. 59, outlines several appropriate revision practices.

Resources

Kentucky Writing Handbook http://education.ky.gov/KDE/Instructional+Resources/High+School/English+Language+Arts/Writing/Kentucky+Writing+Handbook.htm

Adminstration Gudielines http://education.ky.gov/users/jwyatt/writing/Adm.%20Guidelines%20Final.DOC