Outlines three forms of electronic portfolio based on a student's work, a class project about a specific topic, and a class seminar on a broad topic. Discusses logistical problems of management, access, and cross-referencing; technical problems of input, access, and copying; and theoretical issues of the lack of realia, of ownership and copyright,…

Provides guidelines for using portfolios for speech-language evaluations and assessments in school settings. Following a case example, specific guidelines are presented for initiating the use of portfolios into case management procedures. The relevance of portfolios to federal, state, and district special education policies are addressed. (CR)

Describes the Portfolio Research Project, a three-year research project ultimately involving 20 teachers of grades 6-12 from a variety of schools, in which teachers acted as primary researchers, developing their own research projects to explore the use of portfolios to assess literature learning. Describes what participants researched, how…

Introduces an issue devoted to teaching portfolios in teacher education. The articles present initial research and reflections on the use of portfolios and share lessons learned through practice. They address such issues as the purposes of portfolios in teacher education; portfolio organization, management, and evaluation; and strengths and…

Presents an overview of teaching portfolios in teacher education, defining and describing the strengths and limitations of three portfolio models (the learning portfolio, the assessment portfolio, and the employment portfolio). The article emphasizes that portfolios can serve a variety of purposes and take many forms and notes the relationship…

This article presents outcomes of a 15-month project to integrate portfolios in one undergraduate special education preparation program. The process of defining portfolios, how they will be used, evaluation of portfolios, and the benefits of portfolio use are discussed, along with recommendations for future research on the efficacy of portfolios.…

Presents research that demonstrates how local institutional practices can preclude benefits of portfolio evaluation. Finds that communal portfolio assessment shifts the primary site of authority negotiation for new composition teachers (teaching assistants) from their relationships with students to their relationships with their more experienced…

A study of 206 Kentucky special education teachers examined the amount of time required on alternative assessment. Results found teachers spend many hours outside of class time completing one portfolio. Instructional variables, such as the extent to which portfolio items are embedded into instruction, are strongly related to student scores.…

Student portfolios in undergraduate health education professional preparation programs help students develop appropriate responsibilities and skills. Data from Illinois State University's first year of implementing portfolios indicated that faculty and students perceived the portfolio process favorably, and students were better able to link…

Describes a study of General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ) science students (n=50) in which each student was interviewed 3 times throughout the school year. Interviews probed student attitudes toward science and analysis of the data explored the effectiveness of the grading criteria, a portfolio-based assessment tool. Results indicate…

Identifies the difference between measurement and evaluation and considers how to use a variety of assessment tools (seating charts, rating scales, age-appropriate tests, and portfolios and grade books) to the best advantage. Reveals the benefits of assessment both in general and to music teachers. (CMK)

Describes using an outstanding portfolio created by an average fifth grader to study and reflect on the author's teaching and to consider connections between her teaching, the Michigan Language Arts Content Standards, and her District's new standards-based curriculum. Discusses the portfolio process, preparing for portfolio presentations, and the…

Describes a research seminar for sophomore college students structured around the preparation of a research portfolio that later becomes the core of their departmental assessment portfolio. Explains that the departmental assessment portfolio provides a means for (1) documenting history majors' achievements and (2) overall department assessment of…

Portfolio construction is a complex social practice with intentions, rules, and standards. This definition is not typically found in teacher education literature and has implications for evaluating students' portfolios. The paper examines teacher education students' recollections of creating portfolios in one Canadian program and argues that…

This article discusses what happens when students are asked to tell some of what they know about something on which they are experts-- themselves. Students' views of their own learning are shared, and reasons for engaging students in self assessment and goal setting through the use of portfolios are discussed. (Contains 17 references.) (Author/CR)