VALUES AND ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT 3

Third, in contrast with traditional tests, which provide at best only a snapshot in time of the learner’s competence, portfolios aim to show the growth of that competence; to this end, they often include drafts of papers along with the final versions, or a series of written pieces that show improvement over time. Last, because a portfolio is assembled over the period of a semester or a term (or longer), the stressful practice of cramming all one knows into a single 2-hr exam at the end of the course is avoided. I truly believe that portfolios represent a huge improvement over traditional forms of assessment; I use them myself, and there is growing evidence that they constitute an effective assessment tool (Torrance, 1995). Nevertheless, as I mentioned earlier, portfolios are by no means exempt from the complex moral dilemmas that inform other kinds of evaluation. In the remainder of this section I outline the principal moral issues that the use of portfolios entails. First, we must acknowledge that, for many students, it is considerably easier to memorize a few vocabulary items and grammar structures than to compile a portfolio; that is, traditional form of assessment are often easier on certain students. In deciding whether to institute portfolio assessment, then, we face the moral decision of whether this innovation truly serves the best interests of the students. Can we be sure that the gains from the portfolio are worth the effort required of our students (and ourselves)? Related to this are what are sometimes termed ecological considerations: How does the portfolio relate to the broader curriculum and the educational and social system in which students are situated? In Japan, for example, many students need English primarily to pass The Morality of Testing and Assessment 74 grammar-oriented tests that in turn will allow them to enter a good college; in such cases, assessment by portfolio, while in principle justifiable, may not in practice be defensible if the students’ needs and goals are factored into the equation. Such decisions involve moral considerations of what is right and good for particular students in particular sociopolitical, cultural, and educational contexts. Even in contexts where portfolios might be more appropriate—for example, U. S. academic English programs—there is often considerable resistance from the learners themselves. Although I certainly do not believe that such resistance represents an absolute impediment to change, I also believe that we have a moral responsibility to take our learners’ viewpoints seriously. This is part of the dialogue that forms the foundation of the teacher-student relation. Furthermore, for education to take place, we cannot simply bemoan the fact that our students are not where we would like them to be. All true education takes the students where they are and leads them from there. This notion has been echoed by authors as diverse as Nel Noddings (1984) and Paulo Freire (1972). Another aspect of the teacher-student relation that arises here is that of responsibility. Though this varies from case to case, use of portfolios always involves a considerable shift of responsibility (for selecting material, ordering it, and presenting it) from the teacher to the student. Of course, practical problems often arise in such circumstances. Some students fail to take on this responsibility, whether out of rebellion, inertia, or some other reason. Yet underlying these practical matters is one of the fundamental moral paradoxes of our profession.