Describes and evaluates the exit assessment for writing at Simpson College. Provides background, reflection, results, a numbers analysis, and thoughts about the next steps. Argues that portfolios are a feasible means of large-scale and high-stakes writing assessment. (TB)

Describes a word processing class project in which students create a business and develop relevant documents for a portfolio. Explains portfolio evaluation criteria and types of skills the project develops. (SK)

Describes the development of a program portfolio to document and evaluate the accomplishments of an adult literacy program as a whole--program staff as well as students. Offers suggestions for those who want to use portfolios in program evaluations. (JOW)

Portfolio-based assessment of prior learning typically follows Western assumptions about universal, value-based knowledge. It can be strengthened by recognizing that knowledge is embedded in specific social, cultural, and historical contexts. (SK)

Dennie Palmer Wolf's career has taken her from teaching in a two-room schoolhouse to groundbreaking research on portfolios and alternative assessments. Today she directs PACE (Performance Collaboratives for Education) and is a senior research associate at Harvard Graduate School of Education. In an unequal society, schools are obligated to help…

Describes the use of portfolios in grading and assessment. Discusses advantages of portfolio assessment, Showcase Portfolios, Checklist Portfolios, Open-Format Portfolios, student self-reflection, portfolio scoring, and student perceptions of portfolios. (JRH)

Discusses teachers' use of portfolios by teachers for instruction. Describes ways to use them effectively: integrating portfolio assessment into the instructional day, making decisions about its content as the teacher works with the child, and holding portfolio conferences frequently. Reviews research on the contribution of portfolios to teachers'…

Developed a video portfolio technique of teacher assessment and evaluated the technique through studies of six teachers and their raters. Results show that teachers are consistent in observing teaching functions and using their observations to evaluate teaching. (SLD)

Four issues to be considered when critiquing the use of portfolio assessment are (1) change in teacher and learner status, (2) problematic nature of teacher authority, (3) what counts as work products in a portfolio, and (4) effect of the educational environment on the freedom of choice that portfolio assessment entails. (JOW)

Use of standards-based portfolios for assessment was evaluated using responses from 36 nursing students. They regarded the method as fair, felt it was a useful learning resource, and believed their final grade reflected their understanding of course content. However, the theory-practice link was not as strong as expected. (Contains 38 references.)…

Classifying assessment by the reason for assessment and the use of the results facilitates the separation of assessment for accountability and for credentialing from assessment for enhancing teaching and learning. Current trends in assessment include the use of portfolios and computer-administered tests. (JOW)

Investigates how student portfolios can be used as an effective strategy for improving and communicating desired competencies and foundation skills. Describes various types of portfolios such as showcase, descriptive, evaluative, and composite. (Author/JOW)

The teaching portfolio has been promoted as a vehicle for collecting and documenting information about an individual's teaching performance. The problem of how best to assess the information has not yet been addressed adequately. This article describes how a teacher's colleagues can provide assessments of portfolios. (JM)

Portfolio thinking is characterized by a personal awareness of one's own contribution, value, and responsibility. It requires individualized thinking, technology-based knowledge management, and a context-creating communication infrastructure. (JOW)

The Advanced Placement Program (AP) has gone through many changes. The AP Program was initiated in the 1950s in response to colleges and public schools that wished to establish and assess college level curricula for academically advanced high school students. From inception, the AP Program has remained focused on and committed to the education of…