Minggu, Maret 11, 2012

Portfolio as a Competence-Based Curriculum Assessment

Makalah ini mengenai Penialian Portofolio yang digunakan sebagai konsekuensi diperlukannya penilaian alternatif lain dari penilaian tradisional.

Introduction

Recently, the emerging of the competence-based curriculum (CBC) has got more attention from scholars and policymakers in educational system either in primary and secondary education or in higher education. Such curriculum is promising as a tool of educational system to produce competence graduates that meet with communities need. This is in line with Klenowski’s views who explained that the trend of 21st century curriculum is majored for producing competence graduate (Klenowksi, 2002). CBC which uses a performance-based learning process in the instructional system is widely known to fulfill such kind of purpose.

Consequently, this new idea of arranging CBC has implications for assessment. Schools and scholars in the field of education have formulated different models of assessment that suit this new concept. One of the assessments model offered by scholars is portfolio assessment. This kind of assessment is strongly believed that can measure students achievement.
Further in this paper, we would like to discuss some of the ways that portfolio can be used as a good way to measure pupils achievement. The purpose of this paper is to deeply explore the nature and key concept of portfolio as a tool of assessment in educational environment for the consequences of the flourishing CBC in educational system. To begin with, it is worth to discuss about the competence based curriculum and the nature of assessment in education. Then, this paper would provide an overview about the nature of portfolio, the key concept and key process of portfolio, the relationship between portfolios assessment and competence based curriculum, and the conclusion will be presented in the last part of this paper.

Competence-Based Curriculum
Referring to Singla et al (1997), competency can be defined as the ability of a student enabling him to accomplish task adequately, to find solutions and to realize them in work situations. While curriculum, according to Jenkins & Shipman (1975), is the formation and implementation of an educational proposal to be taught and learned within the school or other institution and for which that institution accepts responsibility at three levels: its rationale, its actual implementation, and its effect. Furthermore Muslih, M (2004) asserts that the emphasis of CBC is more on outcome-based education paradigm rather than input-oriented education paradigm. CBC is designed to meet all these competency purposes. This kind of curriculum enables the learner to demonstrate his/her level of attainment on subject-area.
The most obvious characteristic of the curriculum is the development of the three domains in education referring to Bloom’s taxonomy, cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains. Therefore, classroom activities should develop the students’ cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains. The objective of implementing CBC is among others to produce the educational democracy. The CBC accommodates the development of students’ skill and the individual achievement. The outcome of CBC is graduates who appreciate diversity in the world and further are able to implement their life skills in the real life.

Assessment in Education
 The word of assessment frequently associated with tests, examinations, grades and certificates. In educational environment, assessment is the process of gathering, interpreting, recording and using information about pupils’ responses to an educational task (Harlen et al., 1994 in Bartlett et al, 2001). In order the assessment to be successful, it should be integrated with learning experiences, address a range of attributes – personal, social, and communicative, be developed along descriptive and positive lines (recording achievements), undergo devolution of responsibilities, and certification should be fully extended into lifelong learning. In addition, Gipps in Klenowski (2002:43) added that good assessment practice should support learning and reflection, including formative assessment, be open and connected to clear criteria rather than be linked to comparative performance of others; and include a range of assessment strategies so that all learners have a chance to perform well.

The Nature of Portfolio
The reason why portfolios has been popular in regard to the emergence of competence based curriculum has many theoretical and practical explanations. There has been dissatisfaction with traditional assessment approaches which is more quantitative. This has been the case in England as many claims appear that students are becoming over-examined (Hacket, 2001 in Klenowski, 2003). Therefore, the portfolio has been an alternative to be used for assessment and learning offering the opportunity to redress the imbalance caused by testing and mechanistic and technicist conceptualization of curriculum and assessment. Recently, there has been an issue of the need to develop theoretical unity align with pedagogy. As Sheppard (2000) and Looney (2000) suggest, the need to built a symbiosis between curriculum and assessment policy that is reflected in pedagogical practice is emphasized (Klenowski, 2003). The use of portfolios offers the realization of this important integration of assessment with the curriculum and has been the potential tool to foster metacognitive development in the associated curriculum and pedagogic practice. Similarly, Klenowski (2003) claims that tools for metacognition and their connection to the skills needed for learning and understanding need to be understood.
Portfolios contain pieces of evidence and the more relevant the evidence the more useful it is for assessing the level of achievement The use of portfolio is widely spread for any branches since its concept and nature can help the users to examine their development. Portfolio is best used due to that such kind assessment that can measure objectively the pupil’s performance. Portfolio is different with the traditional assessment in nature. The differences of traditional assessment and portfolio can be simply identified as follows:

For more detailed see here.
List of References
Bartlet, S., Burton, D., & Peim, N.(2001). Introduction to Education Studies, London: Paul Chapman Publishing.
Driscoll, M. P.(2000). Psychology of Learning for Instruction. 2nd Edition, Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Houghton Mifflin Education Place (1997). Portfolio Assessment. Retrieved 13 September 2006, from http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/res/literacy/assess6.html
Klenowski, V.(2002). Developing Portfolios for Learning and Assessment, London: RoutledgeFalmer.
Muslih, M. (2004, January). Selamat Tinggal Kurikulum 1994, Retrieved 3 November 2006, from http://www.suaramerdeka.com/harian/0401/19/kha2.html
Singla, P. K., Jain, S. R., & Rastugi, K. M. (1997) Competency-Based Curriculum, Retrieved 13 September 2006, from http://www.cce.iisc.ernet.in/nsee
*) Thanks to Ridwan Maulana. Paper submitted for an MSc course: Foundation of Education, University of Groningen.