Implementing the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards: Portfolio Assessment: Making It Work for the First Time

The search to find better ways to assess students' learning is supported by teachers who for years have been saying, “Tests don't show what my students have learned.” Portfolio assessment is being used in many state assessment programs (Aschbacher 1990) and appears to focus on strategies that are consistent with the NCTM's Curriculum and Evaluation Standards (1989). Of course, the practice of having students keep a notebook or folder of work over time is not new, but “assessment portfolio” is more than a new name for an old classroom practice. Recognizing the difference will insure that portfolios do not become “fat grade books,” which are inefficient burdens for both teachers and students to manage.