Portfolio Assessment

Technological advances offer new ways and approaches to teaching and learning and have affected traditional methods of instruction and student assessment. Portfolio assessment is one way to document a student's progress over time and has been the subject of considerable research. This mixed method study explored the extent to which portfolio assessment enhances learning development in the area of reading for preschool children. The participants included 30 preschoolers, 3 teachers, and 1 moderator. Quantitative data in the form of standardized reading grades from the creative curriculum assessment battery and reading grades of assignments before and after the use of portfolio were compared.Qualitative data were collected from interviews of participating teachers and the moderator.The findings suggested that portfolio assessment increases learning development in reading in preschool children. The use of portfolio assessment with preschoolers benefits the students because students are taught at a young age how to think critically, which improves their logic and problem-solving abilities and will reduce the risk of academic failure.