A small-scale action research project was carried out on students' feedback histories on one undergraduate module. Old grades and comment sheets were collected and analysed by staff for recurring advice to individual students on the target module. This advice was then synthesized to create simple individual learning plans for the students'…

In recent years, there has been a movement in the USA towards performance-based evaluation of teachers. As a result, many schools, colleges, and departments of education have moved towards integrating performance-based approaches into their programs. This has involved many promising practices, but none have caught on more than the use of teaching…

This qualitative study investigated P-12 school administrators' perceptions of teacher education candidates' online digital portfolios for hiring purposes. Over the course of three semesters, focus group interviews and an online questionnaire gauged administrators' perceptions of selected candidates' portfolios and how they might be used to help…

This qualitative case study examined implementation of the ePortfolio, developed by the Hawai'i Department of Education as a system to store formative and summative assessment supporting standards-based education. The focus of the study examined factors increasing teacher willingness, confidence and knowledge in implementation of electronic…

The 2009 proceedings of the Association for Continuing Higher Education represent the professional presentations of the keynote sessions, the concurrent sessions, and the business meeting of the association's 71st annual conference, held at the Sheraton Society Hill Hotel in Philadelphia on November 15-18, 2009. The conference provided an engaging…

How the use of portfolios in the classroom will influence the higher order thinking skills is the main focus of this project. The introduction of portfolios as assessment tools is rather new to educational research, but does offer a legitimate area for serious study. Portfolios when used by students can offer them not only a way to showcase their…

Suggestions are given for evaluation of school principals by teachers. In developing an evaluation instrument to appraise principal performance, one need not start from scratch. The Organizational Climate and Description Questionnaire (OCDQ) of Halpin and Crofts (1963) is a useful tool for pinpointing areas of strength and weakness. Four subtests…

Whether it is standardized test data, student journals, or informal classroom question and answer, assessments provide invaluable, ongoing diagnostic information for making key instructional decisions. In this engaging and comprehensive resource, the authors demonstrate practical ways for embedding test preparation into teaching by integrating…

While the author was completing his doctorate in music education, part of his workload as a graduate assistant included observing student teachers. One of the requirements of the Education College was for each student teacher to create a digital portfolio of his or her work. The students were to author web pages containing examples of their work…

This evaluation determined the workability of the Northeast Ohio Principals Academy Pilot Entry Year Program, noting the differential effects of its major components in developing portfolios and as a contributing factor to school improvement. The program provides leadership and support to beginning principals, provides collaborative learning…

Within a conceptual and research framework about the usefulness of portfolios, this book suggests methods to organize the process, and provides tools that will be used not only during preparation programs but also for professional and academic advancement. Key features include: (1) Provides a conceptual framework for portfolio development: Readers…

This paper focuses on the role of prior learning assessment in the life long learning of adults in the United States. The introduction stresses the increasing importance of life long learning in American society. The second section reviews prior learning and its assessment. Prior learning is formally defined as learning which has been acquired…

Alternative assessment ideas are presented in an effort to help teachers understand how and why alternative assessment is necessary. Suggestions for preservice teachers in mathematics that meet the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Assessment Standards are included. Portfolios and reflection rubrics are presented as possible…

This booklet provides information about the basic principles of portfolio development, outlining three types of portfolios and offering examples and reflections. The three types of portfolios are process, product, and showcase. Each is compiled for a different reason, though they all: have a specific purpose, are developed for a specific audience,…

The use of portfolios and rubrics in assessment developed in part as a reaction to limitations of standardized tests for student evaluation. Portfolios relate directly to what students are learning, but there are many problems in evaluating their contents. These center on: (1) time involved in scoring; (2) lack of validity statistics; (3) relative…