This study investigated the Individual Learning Plans of eighty-eight students who were deaf and hard of hearing attending facilities and schools for the deaf in Victoria Australia. The students' assessment and planning portfolios were scrutinised for evidence of formal and informal assessment used to generate goals for the Individual Learning…

Based on questions asked by teachers in classes, workshops, and conference sessions, this paper provides brief answers to eight of the most frequently asked questions about portfolio assessment. The questions answered in the paper are: (1) What is a portfolio?; (2) What should be put in the portfolio?; (3) How much should be put in the portfolio?;…

A rationale for the recognition of prior learning is first based on the fact that learning experientially may be as necessary as learning through theory. One basis for the rationale is that adults in everyday life may have to acquire skills that belong to three domains: psychomotor, cognitive, and affective. Furthermore, the rationale supports the…

A portfolio approach to classroom literacy assessment offers a different way to evaluate and document students' growth and progress in literacy. Portfolios place a high premium on using a variety of real literacy activities over a period of time which involves the interaction of teachers and students in the development and maintenance of the…

Offers an overview of the steps taken by Orange County Public Schools in Florida to move to a portfolio approach to literacy assessment. (MG)

Argues that informal assessment is an important bridge between formal assessment and classroom instruction. Notes that one way to keep an informal record of a student's progress is to maintain a portfolio, a collection of student work that reveals both affective and cognitive growth. (RS)

Discusses the uses of teaching portfolios, collections of documents, and reflections designed to assist both administrators and teachers to determine the scope and quality of teacher performance; and reviews pros and cons in their use. Suggests methods for developing portfolios and briefly describes successful portfolio projects. (MAB)

Noting that the term "assessment" sounds formal and institutional and frequently generates fear and anxiety, this book presents 14 essays that demonstrate that assessment can help students, teachers, and administrators in writing across the curriculum (WAC) programs learn about what they are doing well and about how they might do better. The first…

Incorporates and integrates various aspects of portfolio development, implementation, and evaluation into a portfolio model for the evaluation of counselors-in-training. Considers ethical implications and the importance of providing feedback to students. Also outlines the structure of and the time involved in the evaluation process. (RJM)

Considers the rationale for and some of the uses of portfolios in an educational context. Discusses assessment and teacher education uses for portfolios and offers portfolio development guidelines. (MG)

Informal assessment ties evaluation and teaching together. Through systematic observation, teachers gather useful, instructional information as learners engage in the processes of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Informal assessment measures suggested by researchers and language arts teachers include anecdotal records, informal…

Teachers need to help students determine which items in the students' portfolios should be saved for the following year. If the portfolio moves with the child to the next teacher, it is important to preserve items that show educational growth and progress. Teachers can also keep their own records using progress report forms. (MDM)

Credential portfolios as a selection tool in the hiring of new teachers is not a new idea. Their importance has been stressed in the professional literature. For the purpose of this study, we developed a portfolio checklist of items to be included in the beginning teacher's professional portfolio. After a pilot study was conducted, 400 surveys…

Portfolio assessment has become a standard mechanism for the evaluation of prior learning for experienced students. An informal survey of portfolio narratives receiving faculty approval for credit at various postsecondary institutions indicates a wide range of declarative, analytical, and interpretive assertions recognized as "learning" in these…

Various formal and informal literacy assessment measures are described and evaluated in this report. Specifically, the extent to which such measures reflect or distort the literacy performance of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, or economic background is noted. Although the report supports a flexible approach to assessment--giving…