Innovation Proposal Letter

April 5, 2026

Dear District Leadership Team,

Portfolio assessment has long been recognized as a best practice in early childhood education.  Research emphasizes that young children are best assessed through observation over time rather than isolated snapshots (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009).  However, it has become rare because teachers lack efficient ways to capture, organize, and analyze evidence of learning in real time. As a result, practice has drifted toward separating instruction from assessment, missing the learning happening during play-based centers, and even defaulting to worksheets. Essentially, teachers struggle to capture the wide range of learning throughout the day because of the narrow formal assessment lens that’s disconnected from authentic learning experiences.  This matters because single-point measures cannot capture the full range of what young children know and can do (National Research Council, 2008).  To reverse this trend, teachers need systems that embed assessment into learning rather than interrupting it.

The good news is that the solution does not require the invention of some novel unproven tactic. Rather, it involves the implementation of a foundational assessment practice in early childhood education known as portfolio assessment.  “Portfolio assessment provides a systematic way of observing and recording children’s development over time.” (Grace, 1992, p. 2).  Although the old way of collecting paper and hard-copy pictures for the portfolio has become too cumbersome, digital portfolios now allow teachers to document learning efficiently without interrupting instruction. In addition, most learning artifacts in Pre-K are not written, they are hands-on creations using manipulatives and objects that would otherwise be difficult to record. Hence the digital portfolio becomes a tool that enables teachers to capture learning, guide instruction, and embed assessment into the learning process.

With the advent of technology that can efficiently capture, organize, and analyze evidence of learning in real time, the time is right to strategically implement digital portfolios. This is an instructional model that frees up learning time because artifacts can be captured authentically in real time. This allows the teacher to analyze the data, determine student needs, and guide instruction. The goal is to embed assessment into learning rather than interrupting it. The tool that makes this proposal practical is Seesaw.

Seesaw supports the digital portfolio model by enabling students, teachers, and families to participate in documenting learning. It empowers students to photograph work, record audio explanations, and capture learning artifacts through multiple modalities. Students become active learners because they are the ones who record their work. They are not just posting artifacts, they are building a record of their own work which gives them the opportunity to reflect on their learning as well. On the flip side, teachers are able to categorize, organize, tag standards, document progress, and give feedback. Furthermore families are also able to connect with their child’s portfolio, receive notifications of the latest work in real time, and even comment on their child’s work with audio messages. This promotes a sense of relevance for the child as they now sense that they are communicating their work to an audience they care about. This combination of recording artifacts and communication creates a learning environment that is both rigorous and highly motivating. Ultimately, Seesaw helps fulfill the original intention for portfolios by capturing authentic learning, documenting growth, and strengthening the learning process.

I have laid out below what is specifically needed in order to roll out this plan.  Thankfully, it will not cost us money to implement.  Rather, it will require an intentional use of resources, and an intentional, consistent plan of implementation.  

Resources Required:

• A set of iPads in every classroom, which we already have

• Access to the Seesaw app, which we already have

• A contract with Seesaw, which we already have ($8,213.00 for 849 students).  

• Permission needed to make the implementation mandatory for all teachers

• Permission needed to focus training and PLCs on portfolio and authentic assessment 

It would take at least two years to roll out this plan; ideally three years for maximum impact.   With a concerted, intentional, and consistent plan we will see a thriving culture of learning in all of our Pre-K classrooms.  Thank you for your consideration. 

Sincerely,

Erich Wimberly

Bryan ISD Early Childhood Coordinator