In this article, I describe how I used a portfolio assignment to facilitate learning and provide a useful resource for future research experiences. Forty-eight students from 2 introductory methods and statistics courses compiled a portfolio that reflected their individual approach to understanding the major topics of the class. The portfolio…

This article describes an innovative pedagogical strategy, the use of teaching portfolios in peer interviews. It will first describe the process designed to prepare preservice teachers to demonstrate professional competence through the use of a standards-based working portfolio developed during a reading practicum. Then it will report on…

Programs of professional development for preservice teachers of young children in the United States attempt to align their program goals and candidate performances to The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Association of Childhood Education International (ACEI), and their particular state standards. In addition they…

Examines the reliability and validity of high stakes standardized tests and the impact of linking state-level high stakes testing to the standards movement on middle school curriculum, instruction, and student achievement. Asserts that such testing ends up harming the most vulnerable students and schools. Offers a vision of student assessment that…

This article presents a qualitative case study that explored preservice teachers' perceptions about their own learning within the culture of a branch-campus, cohort-model teacher preparation program and through their first year of teaching. This study investigated how a cohort of twelve preservice teachers--many of whom were nontraditional-aged…

This article outlines the experiences of a first-year writing program's adoption of large-scale portfolio assessment as part of its move from student-focused assessment to programmatic assessment. This research is an attempt to provide evidence to support the claims benefits associated with portfolio assessment and to chronicle the changes that…

This study examines the attitudes and future plans of students who discontinued their studies in university certificate programs. These non-returning students were separated into three groups: opt-outs, stop-outs, and drop-outs. Two separate surveys were undertaken; one survey consisted of students enrolled in a certificate program offered by the…

Purpose: This paper aims to describe a qualitative study of a four-year, state-wide portfolio evaluation system for new principals. The State of Ohio (USA) was one of five states that participated in a field test of the Portfolio Assessment for School Leaders designed by the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) and the…

Practice-based or experiential learning has come to be dominated by mentalist models of reflection on experience. The argument here is that these models split mind from body and subject from environment in ways that yield problematic practices. An alternate conception of practice-based learning is offered here, based on the notion of…

Using recent experience at Carleton College in Minnesota as a case history, the authors offer a model for assessment that provides more flexibility than the well-known assessment feedback loop, which assumes a linear progression within a hierarchical administrative structure. The proposed model is based on a double helix, with values and feedback…

A portfolio assessment is an individual collection of daily drawings, photographs, writings samples, audiotapes, video recordings, and other materials that provide visual and/or auditory documentation of a child's strengths. In this article, the authors present steps on how to complete a portfolio assessment. These are: (1) Identify type of…

When new students arrive at either Cranston High School East or Cranston High School West in Cranston, Rhode Island, they quickly learn that they must meet a set of clear expectations to graduate. This system allows everyone--including students, parents, teachers, and administrators--to assess progress and meet individual and schoolwide goals. For…

Electronic portfolios are a "collection of work captured by electronic means, that serves as an exhibit of individual efforts, progress, and achievements in one or more areas" (Weidmer, 1998, p. 586). Because of the rapid growth and updates in technology, keeping electronic portfolios is becoming increasingly common in a variety of educational…

This paper explores motivational factors underpinning undergraduates' learning of research skills through individual research projects with collaborative tutorials. Research has long pointed to group support, positive affect and scaffolding as important for motivating and facilitating learning. Furthermore, UK government priorities have placed an…

As electronic portfolios become institutionalized in undergraduate education, it is imperative to understand the types of evidence students select to represent attainment of identified learning outcomes. This article presents an action research inquiry, which analyzes 26 completed graduation portfolios, to determine the type of artifacts selected…