International Journal of Language & Linguistics

The Writing Portfolio as Exit Evaluation: A Brief Argument against Anti-Pluralistic Approaches to Teaching and Learning
Jason De Polo

Abstract
All too often American students’ learning is measured by the quantitative expedience of standardized testing. Ultimately, these tests fail to demonstrate how much a student has learned and at what level, the student has engaged with the material. Standardized testing or single-sample approaches become particularly problematic when used to assess writing. In this brief argument, I position the writing portfolio as a more pluralistic approach to assessing student writing. The purpose of this discussion is to evaluate the benefits of portfolio-based instruction and how portfolios can be used for evaluation.

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