This paper discusses a technological enhancement of traditional portfolios, electronic CD-ROM portfolios. The Division of Technology at San Jose State University offers a concentration in document design and management (DDM) to prepare students for the future in global communications. As part of the requirements for graduation in the DDM…

The teacher who has become dissatisfied with the snapshot-type evaluation offered by most tests is probably ready to begin to use portfolios as assessment tools, but may not know how to go about it. Essentially, a portfolio is a collection of samples of student work that is developed over time, chosen according to specific criteria to represent…

This paper describes a new portfolio-based assessment program for beginning science teachers who seek a license to teach in Connecticut's middle and high schools. This is part of the comprehensive Beginning Educator Support and Training (BEST) induction program for beginning teachers in Connecticut. The science portfolio assessment requires all…

This report describes the development of a portfolio assessment process for the bachelor of business administration (BBA) program at Mount Vernon Nazarene College in Mount Vernon, Ohio. The BBA program is designed primarily for working adults. This process was developed by reviewing the literature on portfolio assessment, examining the use of…

If portfolios are to be used to assess students' progress, it is essential for preservice teachers to have the opportunity to become familiar with the use of this technique prior to beginning their teaching career. At Eastern College, Pennsylvania, portfolio assessment is first introduced in the Developmental Reading course and further refined in…

This paper suggests that the mathematics teacher needs to do much reading and studying of important trends in improving the mathematics curriculum. Recommendations are made for what teachers need to look for in research studies in mathematics in order to help them recognize what would make for a quality study. Collaborative and individualized…

This book presents ideas to help middle and high school physical education (PE) teachers develop performance based assessments. The book: identifies problems in traditional PE and explains how using performance based assessment can improve student learning; notes that it is unnecessary to totally rewrite the PE program, offering guidelines for…

This report explains how students with significant disabilities who submit portfolios for the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) Alternate Assessments are evaluated to meet state requirements for a "competency determination" needed to receive a regular high school diploma. The reasoning behind the Massachusetts approach and the…

The purpose of this professional development manual is to provide materials and activities for developing and using assessments in social studies. The manual came about through the efforts of the 25 state consortium Comprehensive Social Studies Assessment Project (CSSAP) to make the alignment of assessments, curricula, and instructional programs…

E-portfolios have an ease of use that former paper-based portfolios do not. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University uses e-portfolios as a method to assess students in the Instructional Technology graduate program. A core of volunteer graduate students assumed the responsibility of designing a model for using e-portfolios based on the…

As more and more states and districts develop their alternate assessments for those students unable to participate in the regular assessment, they are faced with the challenge of setting standards for their alternate assessments. Despite the variability in alternate assessments currently developed, including checklists, structured and unstructured…

A set of constructed portfolios containing achievement products and background information for a simulated student was used to investigate how teachers formulate the evaluation of achievement of their students. The materials, developed for a simulated student named "Chris," were presented to 147 student teachers who graded the 8 product…

In this book, teachers, students, administrators, and assessors all show that a carefully rendered portfolio becomes an increasingly internalized standard against which learners can assess their own growth. Essays in the book share diverse portfolio projects from across the United States and reflect the spirit and enthusiasm the authors shared as…

The use of portfolios in assessing student achievement is contrasted with the use of standardized tests. Portfolios are considered more subjective than scores from standardized tests, and they present different issues in assessing and reporting student progress. Interscorer reliability may be a problem because of a lack of agreement about the…

This paper discusses some of the ways to assess learner achievement in history. Standardized tests are used frequently by states to measure learner achievement. There are many weaknesses inherent in using standardized tests to measure student achievement in history, especially the fact that the test may not be valid for the local classroom since…