Describes use of portfolios with middle school students, highlighting assessment purpose, structure, evidence, implementation, grading, validity, and cost considerations. Portfolios have the potential to revise schools' roles in preparing students for the future. Convincing parents and the public that portfolio completion is a demanding task will…

Shares a model for a teacher education portfolio, presents reasons why portfolios might be useful for assessment in teacher education programs, delineates characteristics of an educational portfolio, and describes how to design and develop portfolios. Also includes case examples. (SM)

Defines a portfolio as a container of documents that provide evidence. Suggests the following questions that most be considered in using portfolios in educational assessment: (1) What does the portfolio contain evidence about? (2) What will count as evidence in the portfolio? (PR)

Describes the research of Stanford University's Teacher Assessment Project which studied alternative modes of performance-based assessments for potential use in licensing and certifying teachers. The article discusses how researchers combined assessment center exercises and portfolio development to create a new form of assessment center…

Unit plans presented by 18 high school biology teachers as part of portfolios designed to represent their work were compared. Portfolios are increasingly being considered in the assessment of master teachers, beginning teachers, and preservice teacher candidates. The research staff of the Stanford University Teacher Assessment Project designed a…

The Teacher Assessment Program (TAP) presents alternative modes of teacher evaluation to inform the deliberations of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). Three experimental methods of assessment--simulation exercise, portfolios, and simulation-based portfolios--were implemented by various groups of teachers. Practical…

The research of the Biology component of the Teacher Assessment Project (BioTAP) of Stanford (California) University is described. BioTAP uses portfolio development as an important aspect of teacher assessment. Advantages and drawbacks of teacher portfolios are discussed, including issues of validity and reliability. (SLD)

Explored three modes of performance-based assessment: portfolios, portfolio-based simulations, and simulation exercises. Fifteen high school biology teachers completed 11 assessment activities. The primary finding is that performance-based assessments can be designed and administered, teachers can complete them, the assessment can be rated, and…

Research of the biology component of the Teacher Assessment Project (BioTAP) was conducted to explore the feasibility of using performance-based assessments to evaluate high school biology teachers. Three modes of performance-based assessment were employed: portfolios, portfolio-based simulations, and simulation exercises. Fifteen high school…