A pilot validity study was conducted of the use of eighth-grade language arts portfolios for ninth-grade English placement decisions (academic or general) in a school district that consists of a city and an independent borough. Portfolios offered an opportunity to collect and examine multiple measures of performance for decisions previously made…

Although portfolio assessment is becoming increasingly popular, it may not survive unless portfolio scoring can meet the demands of large-scale assessment standards. The results of studies of interrater reliability with large-scale portfolio assessments have been mixed. This paper reports the scoring results of a nationwide portfolio pilot in…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of the Kansas Services for Students with Dual Sensory Impairments Project, a project focusing on: (1) provision of services to infants, toddlers, children, and youth with deaf-blindness; and (2) technical assistance to public and private agencies, institutions, and organizations serving…

A case study examined how one elementary school teacher negotiated her response to VAP (Vermont Assessment Program), Vermont's requirement for a portfolio assessment. Two questions guided the study: (1) how does one fifth-grade teacher use portfolios in classroom writing assessment and instruction? and (2) to what extent do portfolios, as mandated…

The motivation to explore the use of portfolios in the Bank Street College (New York) program of teacher education emerged in response to a range of serious concerns about how the program met the needs of today's teacher and classrooms. The portfolio process as implemented at Bank Street is designed to be learner centered. It asks students to: (1)…

A study examined student writing portfolios to determine improvement of student writing due to instructional changes under the guidelines and standards established for the Kentucky Writing Program. A random sample of 1991-92 and 1994-95 fourth-grade portfolios were analyzed, 10% from each of the 8 elementary schools in the Muhlenberg County school…

This publication contains reports on six research projects proposed, developed, and conducted by teachers in their own classrooms. The projects were conducted during the 1995-96 school year. The projects are: (1) "M..M..M..Math (Making More Meaning out of Math)" (Naomi Rose); (2) "Effect of Student Achievement as a Result of Individualized Use of…

What does a student achieve and learn by the time he or she graduates from high school? How are various schools educating and evaluating students in their final year of school? Interdisciplinary senior courses at Phillips Exeter Academy encourage students to exercise their analytical, interpretative, and decision-making skills; to define their own…

This paper describes a framework for authentic instruction and assessment for the New York state alternative program of integrated mathematics, science, and technology (MST). The paper includes the rationale for the assessment framework, description of tasks, students' work, and suggested evaluation scheme. The MST framework consists of seven…

Using reflective writing throughout the composition course yields better reflective writing for composition portfolios. As writing courses make increasing use of portfolios for individual and program assessment, reflective writing will become more and more important. Brief reflective statements of as little as one paragraph, even when done as a…

In response to recommendations from a 1992 accreditation visit, Flathead Valley Community College (FVCC), in Montana, designed and implemented a new faculty evaluation system. The college's Personnel Committee, comprised of seven full-time faculty members and the Academic Dean, was charged with developing the new system, beginning by reviewing…

This guide is designed to do the following: (1) serve as an implementation resource for technology education teachers as they integrate technology education with Missouri's Academic Performance Standards; (2) provide a source of activities and activity ideas that can be used to integrate and reinforce learning across the curriculum; and (3)…

The 55 conference papers, the annual review of research, and the student-award-winning paper in this yearbook cover such diverse topics in the field of reading as assessment, content-area reading, early literacy, teacher education, teacher behavior, and construction of meaning through writing. The yearbook opens with the presidential address to…

In 1991 the School District of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) invited elementary and middle schools to participate in a pilot project to develop and implement portfolio and performance-based assessments. Twenty-five schools began work in winter 1992. Research for Better Schools, Inc. analyzed the progress reports submitted by the schools. The…

Based on a survey conducted in 1992 by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a study examined the types of writing students performed in school, the quality of their classroom writing, and the relationship between their classroom writing and their performance on the NAEP writing assessment. A nationally representative subgroup of…