AWEJ Volume.5 Number.1, 2014 Pp.59-70
Rethinking Teachers Accountability and Evaluation through Portfolios
Majida “Mohammed Yousef” Fahmi Dajani
Al-Quds Open University, Palestine
&
English Language Supervisor at Al-Eman Schools
:Abstract
This study explored teachers’ views on the use of portfolios as part of accountability and evaluation system. It was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the use of portfolios to evaluate teacher performance both for the purpose of being accountable and for ongoing professional development. The teaching portfolio at Al-Eman Schools in Jerusalem/ Palestine is a careful and thoughtful compilation of documents that teachers create to highlight their teaching philosophies, methodologies and goals as well as their experiences, expertise and growth- things that couldn’t be achieved during the traditional way of evaluation which was based only on classroom observation. The introduction of teaching portfolio assisted Al-Eman Schools administrators to take better decisions for achieving the quality of teacher performance. The data showed that teachers viewed the portfolio as a better way to evaluate their performance but they also had some concerns about the demands of time commitment. Further research is needed to help teachers better develop the creation of their own portfolios for their own professional growth and development.
Keywords: Teaching portfolios, evaluation, accountability, professional development, analytical reflection