Carlson ends every school year with a flurry of activity toward a significant, culminating component of our student assessment system: portfolio presentations, at which students meet with their parents to review the contents of their portfolios.

Portfolios are purposeful collections of student work designed to provide evidence of student growth and achievement. They are designed not only to show samples of a students' best work but also to provide insight into students' thinking and learning processes.

To get ready for portfolio presentations, students and teachers work together to select samples of best work and complete entry forms stating reasons for selecting the included items. The process calls upon students to evaluate their progress, critique their work, set goals for the future, and communicate their thinking and learning processes to others. It also encourages them to become self-directed, independent learners.

Portfolios give parents and teachers opportunities to gain insights into how children think and construct knowledge, assess what a student is learning, plan learning experiences based on children's needs and interests, make judgments about a child's thoughtfulness about learning, assess the degree of effort expended, and determine goals that are developmentally appropriate for a child.