What happens to opportunities for learning when some of the structures of schooling are remodelled? What do children and young people do with these new opportunities? Drawing on research into creative projects in a primary and secondary school, and an after-school club for looked-after children, this paper examines a different way of working in…

This paper reports results of intensive field work in urban high school mathematics and science classrooms based on research with students attending eight high schools located in large, disparate urban sites across the U.S. During the course of our observations and interviews we recorded students' activities as well as their impressions of…

Portfolios can demonstrate student mastery of material and their work with concepts and content, as well as their ability to link material with other knowledge. Portfolios can closely relate what students learn to what teachers believe they teach. The decision to use portfolios requires planning, professional development, decision making, and a…

Issues are discussed regarding requirements for standardized, written tests for licensure and certification for individuals with hearing impairments who wish to undertake professions such as teaching and social work. Alternative approaches to testing and the use of multiple measures in assessing candidates who have hearing impairments are…

This guide discusses possibilities for implementing a mathematically powerful program in the classroom. The chapters highlight such issues as a constructivist perspective on learning, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics goals and curriculum standards, the classroom climate, integrated learning, and alternative assessment procedures.…

This paper examines the policy ramifications of district-wide portfolio assessment design and implementation in Rochester (New York). A survey of 189 primary grade Rochester teachers with respect to their beliefs about, and uses of, portfolio assessment examined the link between policy decisions and classroom practice. The major finding is that…

A portfolio is a folder assembled by the learner, containing samples of the learner's work collected over a period of time. The kinds of items reflect the nature of the course content. Each individual who decides to use a portfolio approach must develop unique expectations, guidelines for content, and assessment criteria suitable for the purpose…

Assessment of students' progress and learning is "sine qua non" to effective curricula and instruction. Assessing what students know and can do as well as analyzing their attitudes, behaviors, and interests have become an integral part of planning curricula which are responsive to and supportive of students' educational needs and…

By blending elements of inquiry with the components of portfolios, learning and thinking in teacher preparation courses can be extended and possible tensions between "covering content" and allowing "open-ended investigation" can be mitigated. Over the years, the author mused about how she might nudge graduate students in her…

In 1990 the Kentucky legislature passed the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA). The law mandates the use of performance-based assessments, including portfolios in mathematics and writing. This paper presents findings of a case study of a fourth-grade classroom teacher's experiences in implementing instructional changes to help students produce…

This paper focuses on how career and work activities can be incorporated into the everyday curricula of elementary students and made part of their records through use of Individual Career Development Portfolios (ICDP). It promotes use of the ICDP as both a collection of student works that result from career awareness activities and experiences…

This booklet illustrates and compares three important standards (levels of expectation) set for diploma examination writing in Social Studies 30: excellent, proficient, and satisfactory. Sample papers are used to illustrate the scoring criteria for group leaders and markers are presented, along with accompanying commentaries, or rationales, that…

Several phenomena surrounding the institution of writing portfolio assessment in Kentucky schools have been observable and measurable for some time now, and many writing instructors in higher education have watched developments with delight and curiosity. One acknowledged benefit is the increased use of writing as a learning tool across the…

This guide presents a step-by-step portfolio assessment method for teachers who want to implement portfolio assessment in their classrooms. Portfolio assessment is not neat or tidy in its early stages, but tidy and organized portfolios can be constructed if the outlined steps are followed. These are: (1) storage and establishing a file for each…

The implementation of the Dallas (Texas) Public Schools 1995-96 Title I PK-2 reading and language arts portfolio entailed monitoring and data collection to determine the student outcomes and the technical quality of the instrument. A total of 2,001 portfolios were reviewed for prekindergarten through grade 2. The components were generally in place…