Electronic Portfolios (hereafter ePortfolios) were incorporated into courses run by the English Language Centre at the City University of Hong Kong from Jan 2009 to Aug 2010. Experience with this innovation constitutes the substance of this report. Major challenges included: 1) Making the ePortfolio platform user-friendly by providing technical…

Composing from sources may no longer be the exclusive domain of reading-to-write activities. The ever-increasing presence of video technology and broadcasting in academic settings could place listening-to-write tasks on a similar footing. This article describes a listening-to-write task, the video-based short comment, which (1) uses video as…

This report describes research on the portfolio process that the Oceanside (California) Unified School District uses to identify and plan instruction for students in the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program. The report is based on interviews conducted with educators in two elementary schools that participated in the GATE curriculum,…

This paper discusses strategies that can be used in an inclusive elementary classroom to give gifted children the opportunity to choose, plan, and develop individual projects that will add meaning and purpose to their education. The steps toward providing instruction for gifted students are described, including the beginning of the year assessment…

This article presents a comprehensive model of daily, classroom informal writing assessment that is constantly linked to instruction and the characteristics of proficient writers. Methods for promoting teacher, student, and parent collaboration and their roles in dialoguing, conferencing, and reflection are discussed. Strategies for including…

This final report discusses the outcomes of a federally funded study of nine toddlers and preschoolers (ages 29-63 months) with a variety of disabilities. The project investigated the effectiveness of embedding systematic instruction within inclusive, developmentally appropriate practice (DAP), play-based environments to teach young children with…

Public schools are increasingly investigating portfolio assessment as a means of evaluating student performance. A project examined student participation in portfolio assessment and cooperative learning in a "Reading in the Content Areas" class for preservice teachers. Students were a diverse group which included preservice middle school…

This paper provides an overview of a teacher evaluation system designed to improve the education of preservice teachers at Auburn University (Alabama) by promoting self-assessment, reflection, and professional growth. The system uses a portfolio approach which includes a simulation exercise in pedagogical decision making. The portfolio contains…

This final report discusses the activities and outcomes of the Early Intervention Specialist Program, a preservice personnel preparation project designed to develop, implement, and evaluate a new interdisciplinary certificate/credential process for early interventionists providing services within Connecticut's early intervention system. The…

The "Practice Teaching Portfolio" is one component of an authentic assessment system for evaluating student teachers that has been implemented in nine professional development schools associated with the University of Memphis. Designed to develop an authentic record of the student teachers' performance, the system combines full lesson…