To enhance student performance, prevent attrition, and build a learning community, two courses were linked together by requiring concurrent enrollment. "Writing Effectively," an upper-division composition course, was linked with "Abnormal Psychology," an upper-division clinical psychology course, requiring concurrent enrollment in both. In short,…

Computer-mediated distance education holds potential for providing professional development opportunities for teachers. This study investigated teaching and learning through written asynchronous and synchronous communications in an online graduate education course. Types of student participation during four weeks of discussions in the course, two…

Relying on only one method of assessment does not necessarily yield an accurate picture of student achievement. This paper discusses aspects of designing, implementing, and evaluating portfolios in a mathematics methods classroom; describes how the use of portfolios has influenced teaching practice; and contains excerpts from student portfolios.…

A practicum was designed to help high school students become more creative by encouraging them to be audacious, divergent thinkers capable of entertaining several contradictory ideas simultaneously. Tolerating paradox and ambiguity are vital components in developing creativity. These goals were achieved by developing a nurturing, caring, accepting…

Since the first definitive references to portfolio evaluation in assessment literature, metaphors have been significant in shaping students' and teachers' understanding of the role of the portfolio in the writing classroom. Consider the range of metaphors employed in discussions about portfolios. Margie Krest, for instance, emphasizes the social…

This publication is part of a series of monographs on the art of teaching. Each volume, focusing on a specific discipline, explores theory in the context of teaching strategies Three techniques for using the series: dialogues (as self-evaluation and in study groups), shop talk (review of current professional literature), and teacher-to-teacher…

This book details the theory and practice of portfolio assessment in mathematics and science for the elementary and middle grades as implemented in the Authentic Assessment for Multiple Users Project funded by the National Science Foundation. Included in this document are specific assessment tasks, teacher directions for administering these tasks,…

Much speculation abounds concerning how expensive performance assessments are or are going to be. Recent projections indicate that, in order to achieve an acceptably high generalizability coefficient, many additional tasks may need to be added, which will enlarge costs. Such projections are, to some degree, correct, and to some degree simplistic.…

In January 1986, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) issued several recommendations with far-reaching implications for Virginia's colleges and universities, namely, "that all state-supported institutions of higher education establish procedures and programs to measure student achievement." By all accounts the…

This paper discuses a "basic" writing pilot program using portfolio-based instruction in two-year college English courses at the St. Louis Community College at Forest Park (Missouri). The first section of the paper offers a comprehensive overview of the benefits of portfolio-based instruction to students, teachers, and the…

Portfolio process differs according to learners' purposes, audience, ownership, and the teacher's philosophical views of learning and evaluation. In a yearlong investigation of portfolio process, the teacher-researchers developed their own portfolios along with their students. This instructional resource illustrates a multi-purposed, multiple…

A study assessed how literacy professionals acquire knowledge as well as what knowledge they possess and value. A questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of K-12 teachers, reading specialists, administrators, library-media specialists, and teacher educators in the United States. Results were based on 1,519 responses and are discussed in terms…

This paper discusses the results of three pilot projects in which portfolios developed by beginning teachers were used as the basis for the decision to award or deny a continuing teaching license. Highlights are outlined from each project: Project ACT, an alternative certification program through East Carolina University; Project TEACH!, a 3-year…

This digest discusses some of the practical implications of using alternative methods of assessing students in foreign or second language classrooms. First, assessment and testing are contrasted, and assessment is defined as an ongoing strategy through which student learning is not only monitored, but by which students are involved in making…

This portfolio project reports on an effort to help Utah school districts prepare students for a smooth and successful transition out of high school and into post-secondary education or the workplace. Through the project, three important school processes were identified: (1) career guidance; (2) long-term planning and goal-setting; and (3)…