PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT OF MULTICULTURAL COUNSELING COMPETENCE

Portfolio assessment is an alternate approach to the measurement of mu lticultural counseling competency. Most approaches to the assessment o f multicultural counseling competency have focused on the development of point-in-time instruments that determine the degree to which an ind ividual has acquired the awareness, knowledge, and skills associated w ith being a multiculturally competent counselor. A portfolio assessmen t encourages the learner to present concrete evidence that demonstrate s his or her current level of multicultural counseling competency. Thi s approach can be effective at both identifying the level of multicult ural counseling competency for purposes of evaluation and for stimulat ing the development of further competence. The strengths and weaknesse s of this approach to assessment of multicultural counseling competenc y are also discussed.