The convergence of the teaching as assessment movement and Total Quality Management (TQM) has implications for higher education, and communication department should adapt their pedagogy to the best of the thrusts in higher education. The Department of Communication at Central Missouri State University contains 2 of the original 10 programs that…

This book offers information on fostering effective use of teaching portfolios by college faculty. The first chapter, "The Teaching Portfolio Concept" (Peter Seldin), discusses how the teaching portfolio concept differs from other evaluation approaches, what is and is not included in a portfolio, and why the content depends on the purpose of the…

Based on a two-day presentation workshop on early reading and writing approaches, the 12 essays in this book discuss the development of literacy, natural approaches in developing literacy, and supporting literacy development. Essays in the book are: (1) "Theories of Natural Language" (Carolyn N. Hedley); (2) "Oral Language…

Looking in depth at the curricular and instructional framework of a student-centered classroom, this book describes learning strategies in detail and illustrates with student samples that demonstrate how portfolios can assist students in reflective self-evaluation. The book chronicles the experiences of two teachers over their three years of…

This paper describes the uses of portfolios for the preparation and continuing professional development of educators, with a focus on the use of portfolios as an important part of administrator development. It looks at the use of portfolios as a way to promote more effective and intensive continued learning among educational leaders. A brief…

To prepare preservice teachers to implement performance-based assessment in their eventual classrooms and to give them experience in developing their own academic portfolios, some teacher educators are moving toward the portfolio method for assessing their preservice teachers in methods courses. A study evaluated the nature of preservice teachers'…

This paper discusses a study of student-teacher discourse during the process of portfolio assessment in a college reading assessment course. Data were collected during one semester in which portfolio process was one means of student assessment. The portfolio process allowed students multiple opportunities to reflect in written and oral formats. It…

The essays in this collection consider the meaning of authentic assessment and the implications of its use. "Section 1: Assessing Assessment" includes the following essays: (1) "The Nation's Report Card Goes Home: Good News and Bad about Trends in Achievement" (Robert L. Linn and Stephen B. Dunbar); (2) "Budgets, Politics, and Testing" (Chris…

In order to achieve its goal to improve learning and ensure success of students, Valley City State University (VCSU) implemented a comprehensive and multidimensional agenda for institutional change. A central component, Improving Learning with Technology (ILT), involves integration of learning and assessment that is facilitated by, and contingent…

This book details a process for using student portfolios to support improved learning for children, teachers, and families, with the goal of encouraging reflection and goal-setting by individual learners and engaging parents in assessment and evaluation through frequent and varied communication. The book provides three major features: portfolio…

Portfolios are central to the Bachelor of Science program in scientific and technical communication at one large state university in the midwestern United States. At the beginning of the program, students who want to gain admission must submit a portfolio that demonstrates both their ability to communicate in written form and an interest in the…

The Quality School Portfolio (QSP) Initiative was a partnership among the Chicago Public Schools, Illinois, the Joyce Foundation, and the National Center for the Evaluation of Research, Standards, and Student Testing. The project infused data-informed, question-driven, and technology-rich processes into school improvement planning, teacher action…

The Inland Empire Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Program (IE-BTSA) is in its third year of funded development and implementation of assessment strategies designed to guide support of beginning teachers. The IE-BTSA program is grounded in a cognitive and developmental model of how beginning teachers move along the continuum from novice…

This guide presents portfolio criteria and a corollary assessment instrument for physical therapy students enrolled in the Nova Southeastern University Physical Therapy Program. The paper begins by listing the program's desired outcomes for its graduates, the definition of physical therapy, the components of a portfolio, and providing a glossary…

The weaknesses of standardized testing are apparent in assessing student achievement in the social studies. State mandated criterion referenced tests, aligned with objectives on the state level, may be better for assessing social studies achievement, but they also have weaknesses. The development of portfolios has been an attempt to compensate for…