Learners can contribute to the planning process by suggesting relevant purposes and audiences for portfolio, and meaningful kinds of learning to document. They also can offer important feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of portfolios as you develop and experiment with different approaches. Purpose and audience are significant factors in determining the type of portfolio that will be most appropriate. While a portfolio may serve more than one purpose and audience, it is probably best to be selective at first in what you plan to assess. Try to have realistic expectations about how the portfolio process will work and the final products of the process.
Portfolio assessment places new and different demands on teachers and learners.
Attempting to use a new system with all learners in every class may be overwhelming for everyone concerned, and lead you to abandon portfolio without sufficient trial. A less overwhelming approach is to pilot portfolios with a small sample of students, or to document only selected instructional outcomes. Planning time in advance to evaluate and revise the portfolio process can give you a greater sense of freedom to innovate and experiment. Typically, the responsibility for creating and evaluating portfolios is shared by learners and teachers. Portfolio assessment requires learners to be actively involved in gathering evidence and assessing their own learning.