Value Added

ePortfolio supports the integration of standards into day-to-day work in schools. Teachers can use ePortfolio to communicate with parents and students about expectations and progress. Individual and groups of teachers can use ePortfolio data to plan, assess, and revise the curriculum. Students can use ePortfolio to internalize schools standards for their own work.

ePortfolio helps school leaders coordinate instruction and establish shared practices across a school
The ePortfolio system is designed to encourage discussions among school staff about instruction and assessment. For example, ePortfolio prompts staff to ask the following questions: What do we want students to know and do? How do we help students know and do these things? Looking at student work as evidence, teachers can develop mutual understandings about standards, work that meets standards, and assessment practices. They can also plan, assess, and revise curricula based on student work. Bringing questions about student work into public view provides an opportunity for coordination and building of professional communities.

ePortfolio helps teachers plan instruction and communicate with parents and students
ePortfolio can pull together students' assessment information from their school career and display it in a variety of ways that were ordinarily very difficult with a paper-based system of organizing student artifacts. Information visualizations of student progress on standards can highlight areas of need, both at the individual and classroom level. In discussions with parents and students, ePortfolio can help teachers communicate where students are in their academic progress and illustrate where students should be headed with exemplars.

ePortfolio helps students understand expectations and take ownership of academic progress
By allowing students to collect their own work, self-assess according to explicit rubrics, and create portfolio presentations, the use of ePortfolio can help students understand learning goals, assessment criteria, and their own strengths and weaknesses. This self-awareness can provide motivation as well as information students can use to seek help and focus in their activities.