Texts that Support Portfolio Assessment

Work in Progress, 6^th Ed., pp. 505-507

• Distinguishes between working portfolios and presentation portfolios.
• See separate handout.

The Call to Write, 3^rd Ed., Chapter 23

• Includes extensive samples.
• Explicitly discusses reflecting on peer commentary.
• Suggests strategies for representing collaborative writing in portfolios.

The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing, 4^th Ed., Chapter 25

• Presents portfolios as opportunities for reflection and self-evaluation.
• Provides extensive support for reflective writing, including analysis of rhetorical strategies.
• Suggests that portfolios should represent a variety of the writer’s abilities, should respond to course goals, and should reflect the writer’s personal investment in the individual pieces and the larger portfolio.

The New McGraw-Hill Handbook, pp. 133-139

• Introduces portfolios as a collection of work that represents a selection of a larger body of writing and emphasizes including a reflective element.
• Includes strategies for assembling a print portfolio or an electronic portfolio.
• Highlights strategies for reflecting on the writing process.

Note:   The texts on our short-list of recommended textbooks for English 110 (A Meeting of Minds, Everything’s an Argument, Work in Progress) all support students’ writing process, further facilitating portfolio assessment. A Meeting of Minds is particularly strong at providing explicit strategies for invention, drafting, revising, and editing, making it a good choice for classes that incorporate writing portfolios.

Tags: portfolios, rhetoric texts