This 3-part developmental support and assessment process program workbook is based on the State of California expectations for beginning teachers. It focuses on interactions between and among beginning teachers and support providers. The workbook has three parts. Part 1, "Gathering Assessment Information: Developing a Professional Growth…

This paper documents efforts to implement portfolio assessment projects at Bank Street College (New York), with a larger goal of fostering reflective practice among student teachers. The use of portfolios was adopted as an alternative option for students' culminating projects, and was found to mesh well with the college's institutional and…

A study examined how a portfolio might be utilized to present student growth, or lack of growth, in narrative writing within a 12-week period. It addressed the problem of establishing specific portfolio assessment criteria for narrative writing samples, and effectively utilizing portfolios as an evaluation tool for parent/teacher/student…

The activities in this booklet bring together research and practice in formats that enable communities to define and implement strategies for meeting their educational goals. The seven training activities will help teachers, administrators, school board members, parents, and community members transform their schools into places where learning is…

Case study methodology is used to explore the progress of one cohort of graduate students at Bank Street College of Education (New York). The portfolio process requires students to: (1) identify and discuss the artifacts that they find most significant in their personal and professional development; (2) identify connections between and among…

This report describes a portfolio review process used as an admission requirement for preservice teaching internships at a college of education. The study began during the fall semester of 1994 and is continuing. Data sources include formal and informal interviews, surveys, documents, and field observations. The research shows that teaching…

This book provides a guide for early childhood educators in implementing and using portfolio assessment to measure children's learning. Chapter 1 focuses on, "How Young Children Learn." It explains that children are active learners who learn by doing things repeatedly, by making mistakes, and by being exposed to varying approaches,…

This resource for teachers lists 40 elementary career development materials that have been collected to assist teachers in helping elementary students to make the connection between the world of school and the world of work. The materials include articles, bibliographies and annotated bibliographies, guides, hands-on kits, papers/presentations,…

The goals of the Curriculum and Instruction Research Symposium are to promote the professional sharing of current education issues, provide a forum for dialogue concerning relevant educational topics, and share faculty research interests. The 10 papers presented at the 1996 conference are: (1) "Appreciative Listening: The Forgotten Art"…

The central role of writing in Kentucky's Education Reform Act is most evident in Kentucky's new assessment system, which employs writing on all levels. Even tests that have recently included multiple-choice items may be replaced by response items that require students to apply knowledge, concepts, and skills in a writing format. Writing itself is…

A study examined the background, methods, and results of the pilot year of Vermont's Writing Assessment program. Students and teachers from 46 Vermont schools were invited to participate in the 1990-91 pilot year of portfolio assessment. Students in grades 4 and 8 chose samples of their best writing from the school year. Each portfolio was…

Demonstrating to teachers how to experience the joys of the craft along with their students, this book examines portfolios, record keeping, and methods for teaching conventions, spelling, and literary genres including fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Each chapter includes a varying number of "Actions," glossed objectives providing new…

One of the most influential contemporary trends in educational evaluation in the United States is the move away from traditional testing methods toward "authentic assessments," which are designed to measure student performance of skills, abilities, and knowledge directly. While there is no consensus as to precisely what constitutes authentic…

Responding to the growing consensus among researchers and educators that prevention of learning problems makes more sense than remediation, this book presents essays that suggest ways to improve literacy instruction for all children, particularly those who are at risk. Essays in the book discuss practical matters such as funding, curriculum,…

There are many procedures to use in the evaluation of student achievement in reading. Each has its pros and cons. No single approach will be perfect, but with a variety of approaches a teacher may determine how much progress each student has made. Standardized, norm-referenced tests, once so popular, have come into disfavor as reading evaluation…