Portfolio Assessment

As part of the American school reform movement, administrators are searching for ways of measuring students' skills and progress within the system. Courts and McInerney focus on the qualitative assessment possible through the use of student portfolios, particularly at the college level. The authors are concerned that the teaching and learning process will be subsumed by assessment and will become even more test-driven than it now is. A critical look at multiple-choice, standardized examinations shows how unmindful our educational testing is of psychosocial diversity. The authors warn that in upgrading American education nationwide, more effective and self-confirming measures should be faculty developed and locally controlled. The authors propose a new compact among teachers and students as they take mutual responsibility for the learning process and changing curriculum.

"At a moment when educational reform seems to be rushing pell-mell into a barren & sterile search for yet another right answer, this book is essential reading. I was compelled to read on & to reread." Deborah W. Meier Author of The Power of Their Ideas: Lessons for America from a Small School in Harlem "Fascinating.... These papers will serve as a flint to ignite interesting & meaningful discussions." Annemarie Palincsar University of Michigan

The Research Review for School Leaders, Volume III is specifically designed as a practical resource for school leaders whose schedules preclude opportunities to locate and review key research on every issue they must address. It places comprehensive, current, and accessible reviews of educational research at their fingertips, and is organized to make the research and practices it summarizes useful to them in their professional endeavors. This is the third volume of the Review. Although the title has changed, its purpose and substance is continuous with the work of the earlier volumes. The first Annual Review of Research for School Leaders (1996) summarized research on the status of public schooling, interdisciplinary curriculum, and educational applications of computers. The second volume (1998) addressed the topics of middle-level education, the extracurriculum, mathematics education reform, and drop outs. The present Volume III offers educational leaders reviews of research on five timely educational issues: * citizenship education; * multicultural education; * gifted and talented education; * classroom assessment; and * scheduling. A basic premise of this volume is that, to make sound decisions, professionals need to be up to date on current research related to the problems with which they grapple. A second premise is that research cannot simply be imposed in a formulaic way on a local setting; the nature of the particular problem to be solved will always bear upon the relevance of research to a specific context. Thus, this volume is envisioned as a helpful resource for school leaders as they engage in important discussions of the research with teachers, school board members, parents, and other interested parties as they collaboratively seek effective resolutions to local educational problems.