Examines student teaching portfolios in action within preservice teacher education, describing how the University of Colorado mandated student teaching portfolios for preservice educators. A study examined whether portfolio construction would enhance student teachers' reflection on practice. Data from interviews and students' written reflections…

Surveys of teacher educators in 24 teacher education programs nationwide examined their use of teaching portfolios with preservice teachers. The educators provided documents, assignments, and guidelines used in connection with portfolios. Results showed that they recognized the positive impact, but not the full value, of portfolios. Portfolio use…

Suggests that students continue to regard teacher responses as directives that leave them few options in revisions. Finds that students generally look to their teachers to show them the "correct" way to write and resist the notion of making independent judgments about their writing and the necessary revisions, primarily because they could not…

Describes a study of how portfolios are used in grade seven with particular attention to three conversations between a professional writer and students who use portfolios. Argues that portfolios must not be static compilations of work but rather ever-evolving organic creations. (TB)

This exploratory study used interviews, essays, and survey data to examine efforts of 212 college students studying elementary education to think reflectively through the process of constructing portfolios based on their experiences in a community service-learning program. Recommendations include encouraging student ownership and individual…

A grade 7-8 generalist teacher attempting to implement new student-centered assessment practices was influenced by his beliefs about the nature of teaching and learning, his understandings of the new forms of assessment and their influence on other classroom practices, his involvement in the collaborative research program, and contextual…

Suggests that becoming an expert teacher and judging teaching quality are complex and situational, exploring the use of a conceptual framework for analyzing eight teaching portfolios submitted by new university teachers as an assessment and qualification requirement. The study made a case for analyzing portfolios by asking whether teachers held…

Introduces the process of developing an outcomes-assessment plan. Includes citations to functioning assessment plans. Explores testing, portfolios, capstone experiences, questionnaires, interviews, job placement, and classroom assessment. (DDR)

Investigated Finnish kindergarten teachers' evolving information and communications technology (ICT) capabilities in the construction and use of digital web portfolios. Teacher surveys indicated that access, competence, and motivation in ICT use intertwined during diverse cycles of portfolio development. Teachers had an enormous need for formal…

Analyzes "Key Skills Qualification" component of broader curriculum reform effort in England. Provides historical overview of policy and discusses problems associated with its implementation, including strong student resistance. Discusses two approaches to addressing implementation problems, the "tweaking" approach and the…

Examines the academic potential internships offer sociology students and the reasons that many internships fail to achieve this potential. Discusses four components that provide structure to maximize learning within internships: (1) an appropriate site; (2) a learning agreement contract; (3) a concurrent seminar; and (4) a means for assessing…

This commentary on "Accountability for All Students: Kentucky's Alternate Portfolio Assessment for Students with Moderate and Severe Cognitive Disabilities" (Kleinert and others), points out that Kentucky includes the assessment scores or results in the larger accountability system of the school and state. Noteworthy components and…

This response to comments on "Accountability for All Students: Kentucky's Alternate Portfolio Assessment for Students with Moderate and Severe Cognitive Disabilities" (Kleinert and others), discusses changes in the ways Alternate Portfolios are now scored and answers concerns on the inclusion of students with mild and severe disabilities…

Studied the organizational issues that arose in the implementation of portfolio assessment in 11 eighth and ninth grade classrooms in Ontario, Canada during the field trial of a generic content selection framework. Results suggest the formulation of three sets of research hypotheses related to organizational issues in the portfolio implementation…

Discusses portfolio assessment, self assessment, and peer assessment, and introduces a networked portfolio system that combines all three assessment types. Describes briefly a study conducted with undergraduate student in Taiwan that investigated student preferences in a networked portfolio system. (LRW)