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In order for a portfolio to properly assess learners' work,
you need to be explicit about what the learners are doing- what the
work and the goals actually are. Otherwise you fall into that common
trap: you test what is testable. You assess what is easy to assess,
and neglect important progress or achievement that does not fall into
easily assessed categories.19
For learning to be effective and satisfying, it needs direction.
Before setting off on a vacation you need to decide where you want to
go and then how you will get there. The same two components are a part
of planning a learning journey: deciding on the destination, then
deciding how you will get to it. The long-term goal is your
destination; the short-term goals are how you get there. Goals are
different from outcomes: goals identify where an individual wants to
be as opposed to what an individual has learned to reach that
destination. As an example, a learner's goal might be to go to college
but the outcomes of instruction for this individual might be to be
able to research and use information or use measurement for various
purposes.
Demonstrations listed in the foundation level outcomes may resemble
a learner's list of short-term goals. The short-term goals will
represent the smaller steps necessary to achieve the long-term goal.
The long-term goal will take time to achieve. It will be substantial,
but at the same time it should be realistic and achievable.
To borrow from Literacy Link Eastern Ontario's Common Assessment of
Basic Skills (CABS) document:
Goal setting is an ongoing process. The success of the process
depends on how well you know yourself and how familiar you are with
the options available to you. Goals may be personal, academic or
vocational. They may be based on interests, abilities, the anticipated
results of achieving the goal. knowledge of alternatives, values,
personal commitments, and societal or personal conditioning, to name a
few. |