Portfolios and Public Presentations as an Assessment Culture in a Charter High School

• In Event: Division H VP Session: Past Designs, Present Tensions, Future Paths: Reimagining Educational Assessment Across Contexts

Abstract

This proposal examines how a public charter high school in an urban setting in the Southeastern United States leverages its autonomy to shape an assessment culture that emphasizes student portfolios and public presentations of learning (Birenbaum, 2016). In an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence (AI), the cultivation of communication and presentation skills remains a critical area where human capabilities are least replaceable (AlAfnan et al., 2024). This school’s deliberate investment in portfolio-based assessment and oral presentations provides a unique opportunity to study the relationship between such practices and a broad set of student outcomes.
Two guiding research questions frame the study:

1. To what extent do portfolio-based presentations support student development in academic achievement, academic self-efficacy, well-being, attendance, and behavior?
2. How do students and teachers perceive the role of portfolios and public presentations within the school’s assessment culture?

Methods and Data Sources
We are conducting a mixed-methods study that builds on both quantitative and qualitative data. Across two semesters, we will attend fall and spring student conferences where learners present their portfolios to peers, teachers, families, and community members. Presentations will be evaluated using school-provided rubrics, assessing both presentation skills and content quality. This design enables us to compare:
- Growth in presentations from fall to spring,
- Differences between 10th graders who experienced the portfolio process as 9th graders and those who entered from other schools
Presentation scores will then be correlated with multiple indicators: IXL benchmark scores in English/Language Arts and Math, self-reported academic self-efficacy, student well-being measures, attendance data, and student behavior records.
To capture lived experiences and perceptions, we will conduct short interviews or focus groups with students immediately after their presentations. Quarterly teacher focus groups will complement this by providing educator perspectives, contextualizing the implementation process, and helping triangulate findings across sources. Incentives include pizza for students on conference days and small gift cards for teacher participants.

Anticipated Findings
We expect to present three key findings:
1. Evidence of growth across time and cohorts. Early analyses suggest that students improve significantly from fall to spring, with returning students demonstrating stronger performance than peers new to the portfolio system.
2. Positive associations with student outcomes. Preliminary correlations indicate that higher presentation scores align with stronger benchmark scores, greater academic self-efficacy, and improved attendance, suggesting that portfolio-based assessment may extend benefits beyond communication skills.
3. A culture of accountability and authenticity. Students report feeling both challenged and empowered by the public nature of their presentations, while teachers highlight the role of portfolios in fostering reflection, ownership, and community engagement.
Contribution
This study illustrates how a charter school’s autonomy enables the creation of an assessment culture that prioritizes skills often undervalued in standardized testing regimes yet highly relevant in the AI era. By linking presentation-based assessments to academic and non-academic outcomes, the study offers insights into how assessment cultures can balance rigor, authenticity, and future-ready competencies.

Authors

• Natalie Neugebauer Schoettler, Auburn University

• David T. Marshall, Auburn University

• Tim Pressley, Christopher Newport University