FIAE Chapter 4

            This chapter expands more on the concept of assessment in a differentiated classroom. The two subjects this chapter focuses on are portfolios and rubrics. As a student, I disliked both of these. I never saw the value in portfolios and always found them to be more effort than they were worth. I also disliked rubrics, and would rather teachers explain their expectations of an assignment and return it with a traditional letter grade and notes explaining the reasoning for the grade. However, this text made me see the benefits of both portfolios and rubrics. I also see different ways of using them that I did not experience as a high school student.

            I now see that portfolios are useful because they show a “photo album” rather than a “snapshot.” If final assessments are required, I think that scoring a portfolio that the student has been working on all year/semester is a great way to get an overall look at the student’s achievements in the class. This is a good alternative to a high stakes final exam, big paper, or complicated project that most teachers use as a final assessment.

            I also found this chapter’s insight on rubrics to be helpful. I have attempted to write rubrics before and I know how difficult it was for me to write, even for a very simple assignment. The guide that this chapter provides of how to write a rubric was very helpful, as well as the suggested terms to use for the categories. Although I personally like the letter grade system, I can accept that education is moving away from that method of scoring and toward more rubrics. I think that I will like rubrics much more in practice than I do in concept.