Presents an overview of features central to conducting assessment in project-based learning (PBL). Focuses on critical assessment issues and discusses multiple assessments; assessment as a learning activity; student involvement in setting standards for assessment; and outside assessment of the final artifact. Describes technological tools that can…

Provides overview of purposes and formats for student portfolio development. Highlights history of the portfolio process at the University of Dayton (UD), illustrates how UD education faculty prepare middle school teachers to collect evidence using National Middle School Association guidelines and the PRAXIS III framework, to be used for assessing…

Discusses ways that whole-language teachers can address the concerns raised by administrators, teachers, and parents about the use of portfolios in language arts classes. Suggests that teachers can use student self-evaluation and other methods to assign grades in portfolio-based classes, and master various techniques to reduce the time needed to…

Portfolio assessment is a method of teacher evaluation that is consistent with a professional rather than a technical view of teaching, enabling graduate students to document their creativity and wide-ranging skills. This article describes the development of a portfolio model of evaluation in a graduate program in behavior disorders at Western…

The purpose and evolution of educational assessment are considered. Alternatives to standardized assessment include performance assessment, authentic assessment, and portfolio assessment. Issues concerning outcomes of the assessment revolution include appropriate standards, associated changes in curricula and grading, and questions regarding…

Presents a model for theoretical consideration of classroom practices by teachers themselves. An example of this interpretive process of theory informing practice, and reflection on practice then reshaping theory, is provided in this case study of two teachers who introduced portfolio reading and writing assessment programs in their secondary…

At Mundelein (Illinois) High School, alternative assessments of student learning (portfolios, debates, learning logs, interviews, mock trials, and research reports) are replacing traditional testing practices. Alternative assessment bumped into everything else, necessitating changes in master scheduling, records management, curriculum, and teacher…

The Performance Assessment System (PAS) is a portfolio-assessment mechanism used to evaluate beginning teacher performance as a function of the teacher's approach and effectiveness at increasing student learning. The development, scoring, and use of the PAS are described. (SLD)

The shift from multiple-choice testing to performance assessment has brought a subtle shift in measurement philosophy. Selecting assessment tasks based on inherent value complicates inferences from test scores to nontest situations. A measurement-driven reform strategy relying on performance assessments to drive curriculum and instruction seems…

Describes how the faculty of a counselor-education program developed and implemented a social-advocacy model of counselor preparation. States that preparing counselors to be advocates for change puts counseling in action. Encourages counselor educators to consider the value of social advocacy in counselor preparation. (Author/MKA)

A survey of 44 national authorities in best practices for students with severe cognitive disabilities found a high degree of professional congruence on the core of best practices embodied in the performance criteria for Kentucky's alternate assessment for students with significant disabilities. Concerns about more limited learner outcomes are…

Outlines five popular alternative assessment measures that can be used to provide a multidimensional perspective of students' educational needs and enhance instructional programming, including portfolio assessment, performance-based assessment, authentic assessment, curriculum-based assessment, and criterion-referenced assessment. Guidelines for…

Authentic assessment requires students to think critically while applying skills to solve real-world problems. Integrating traditional and authentic assessment can provide accurate pictures of what students know. This paper describes one elementary teacher's experiences with alternative assessment, discussing possible concerns with using authentic…

Discusses the development of self-advocacy in adolescents with learning disabilities and describes eight guidelines for creating collaborative communications among teachers, parents, and students. Guidelines stress the importance of using portfolios for monitoring progress, encouraging parents to volunteer, having students evaluate themselves, and…

Assessment provides feedback to teachers so that instruction can be modified. It also provides feedback to students during and after the course. Discusses approaches to assessment in geology courses that relate assessment to instruction. Three student assignments are described: (1) Personal Question Sheets; (2) a report on Personal/Social Issues…