What assessment strategy would most effectively assess a student's progress in career development?

Student-created portfolios are particularly effective for assessing a student's progress in career development because they provide a comprehensive and individualized reflection of a student’s experiences, skills, interests, and accomplishments related to their career exploration. Portfolios can include a variety of artifacts, such as resumes, cover letters, personal statements, records of internships or job shadowing experiences, work samples, and evaluations from mentors or teachers. This diversity allows students to demonstrate their learning journey and how their skills have evolved over time.

Moreover, portfolios encourage students to engage in self-reflection and critical thinking about their career aspirations and development. This process not only showcases their achievements but also helps them set future goals aligned with their interests and strengths. By compiling their work and reflecting on their learning, students gain deeper insights into their career paths, making this method particularly effective for assessing progress in career development.

While online inventories, project presentations, and student self-rating scales can contribute valuable insights into a student's career readiness and interests, they typically do not provide the same in-depth representation of a student's journey and evolving competencies as a thoughtfully curated portfolio can.