The Benefits, Tensions, and Visions of Portfolios as a Wide-Scale Assessment for Teacher Education

Abstract Wide-scale use of portfolio assessment in teacher education is becoming an increasingly common practice. Explorations of portfolios as tools to stimulate personal reflection, to chart ongoing professional development, and to validate professional credentials are predictable given current understandings of teaching and learning. However, wide-scale use of portfolio assessment requires modification of some basic attributes of a portfolio concept. The purpose of this study is to examine the benefits, tensions, and visions that emerged when the College of Education at Auburn University developed and implemented a college-wide portfolio. Results indicate that a commitment to a portfolio approach to teaching and learning in a teacher education program is a commitment to an ongoing journey of revision and problem solving-a process that represents the essence of the portfolio movement.