The student portfolio can be defined as a purposeful collection of a learner’s work assembled overtime as a record constituting evidence of this effort, achievement, success and failures. The portfolio is made up of materials the learner judges to be relevant to and illustrative of his or her progress during the course. Pupils are evaluated on the basis of a record of work compiled during the course. The advantages of portfolio assessment promotes learner critical thinking: The learners think about their needs, goals, weaknesses and strengths. Portfolios provide the student, parents, teachers and other educators with opportunities to trace a student’s progress over time. Portfolios can promote greater responsibility and learner involvement in the assessment process. They also promote greater ownership of the learning process. Portfolios provide a holistic view, a general picture of the learner’s language abilities, competences, awareness. Portfolio assessment promotes a feeling of security; a healthier, non threatening learning environment is created. Portfolios provide opportunities for collaborative work between students themselves and between students and teachers. The disadvantages of the use of portfolios as a means of assessment may increase the teacher’s workload. Portfolios are susceptible to cheating as we can’t guarantee that the piece of work included in the portfolio is produced by the pupil himself.
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