While scholars--Elbow (1997), Dolphin (1997)--have suggested contract grading, most contracts are initially created from the top down to promote the accountability required by administrators. Additionally, Radican (1997) describes issues of accountability in portfolio assessment. This paper describes the use of contracts along three major…

Literacy portfolios were studied in two different schools (Washington and Hawaii) with four teachers from each representing primary and intermediate grades. Results suggest that portfolios contained authentic artifacts of students' literacy experiences, although a substantial amount of evidence was judged to be missing from the portfolios. (SLD)

Examined the reflective writing in English language arts portfolios of 11 young adolescent girls attending an alternative, single-sex school. Found that girls often distorted their literacy accomplishments and disclaimed and devalued their achievements. They tended to silence themselves, use literacy to stay connected to family and friends, and…

Mandating portfolios on a systemwide or statewide basis may destroy one of their greatest assets: allowing students to reflect on their learning and feel a sense of hope and control. Once standards are defined by an outside authority, teacher-student collaboration is minimized and the importance of students' own goals and learning assessment…

Discusses a collaboration in the design and implementation of student portfolios to examine growth in foreign-language proficiency. Analysis of the portfolios showed that many factors should be considered by teachers in deciding on contents and objectives of the portfolios. (Author/JL)

Argues that assessing how teachers apply their teaching knowledge requires an approach that examines their cognitive development and attitudes, allows teachers to demonstrate their competencies, and recognizes the complexities of learning to teach. One such approach is portfolio assessment with its three components to portfolio design: purposes,…

Describes how to create a rubric for portfolios which includes quantity and quality. Presents suggestions for implementing a two-tiered portfolio rubric. (RS)

Asserts that as the demand for authentic, standards-based assessment of teacher performance grows, teacher educators need to develop new tools to record and organize evidence of successful teaching. Electronic portfolios that document professional growth, reflective practice, and demonstrated competencies on set standards or principles can be such…

Documented an elementary school that implemented student portfolios as port of a comprehensive school reform effort. Findings indicated that portfolios were an important mechanism through which teachers came to deeper understanding of their professional practices. Teachers began to recognize changes in classroom practice and school-wide…

This article highlights current thinking and practice regarding the use of student portfolios to document performance of authentic teaching tasks in undergraduate special education teacher education programs. It describes ways to use portfolios for student and program assessment and includes suggestions for overcoming the subjectivity associated…

Describes the use of teaching portfolios to evaluate faculty at Florida's Miami-Dade Community College, focusing on the development of portfolio criteria between 1991 and 1994. Discusses positive and negative opinions expressed by faculty during a two-year evaluation of the project. Presents a revised portfolio developed in response to comments.…

Discusses the use of portfolio assessments to evaluate students with hearing impairments. It addresses reasons for using portfolios, problems with conventional assessments, how a portfolio looks, what should be included in a portfolio, and practical considerations when implementing portfolio assessments, including time requirements and student…

Presents excerpts from a student's year-end self-evaluation, including a few excerpts from her portfolio. Includes her teacher's comments, intended to confirm what the student knows, and to consider how the teacher's classroom practices may have influenced or contributed to Sarah's learning. Appends an evaluation form to help students evaluate…

Four articles address topics related to projects and themes: (1) "Supporting Young Children as Activists: Anti- bias Project Work" (Pelo); (2) "A Study of Hands: Chicago Commons Explores Reggio Emilia" (Harger, Rodriguez, & Schroeder); (3) "A Personal Experience with Portfolio Books" (Meinen); and (4)…

Considers the use of electronic portfolios in teacher education, evaluating survey responses of preservice teachers who used presentation software and multimedia to recreate instructional units they had taught to elementary students. Respondents rated the assignment positively, noting such advantages as opportunities to learn about educational…