A Study On Teacher's Portfolio Assessment

Evaluation reform, including not only the reform of evaluation ideas, but also ways of evaluation , plays an important part in the curriculum reform. As traditional teacher evaluation methods are so limited, teacher's portfolio assessment, which is a new method of developmental teacher evaluation and popular in Europe and America, has been introduced into the curriculum reform in China. Teacher's portfolio assessment is a qualitative way of assessment. With the teacher professional development as the primary purpose, it can greatly help teachers with their self-reflection and self-development. However, many problems exist in the implementation. For example, it is seldom used and it has no definite process and criteria of evaluation. It is under such a practical background that this thesis explores its theory and practice deeply, taking 5 elementary and middle schools in Zhengzhou as the research object.The thesis starts with a few concepts related to teacher's portfolio assessment and its development course, Then the thesis analyses not only the rationales, (i.e., the theory of multi-intelligence, constructivism and post-modernism), but also their possible contributions to teacher's portfolio assessment. Next, the thesis dissects the four problems centrally existing in the current teacher's portfolio assessment. The problems include ideas, criteria, implementations and feedbacks. After this, the author analyzes the reasons behind these problems. They are as follows: the influences of the tool theory, the uses of foreign evaluation criteria, continuation of teacher's inertia, lack of organization and cooperation cultures.After the profound reflection of the present-day teacher's portfolio assessment, the research has constructed a system of the teacher's portfolio assessment on its own. The author tries to clarify the assessment ideas, to reform assessment contents and criteria, to construct a multi-dimensional assessment pattern with teachers' self-assessment as the core, and to improve its feedback mechanism. Thereby, a system of assessment theory will be established and this also can provide the solution to the problems which have appeared in the process of implementation. With the effective implementation of the theory as the main purpose, the thesis presents the practical operations of teacher's portfolio assessment through its construction, teacher's reflection, its demonstration and exchange and its implementation. Finally, the research establishes an effective guarantee mechanism from such three aspects as systems, cultures and methods.Finally, the thesis takes school A as the object of case analysis, explores its practice, analyzes its status quo and excites more thinking about teacher's portfolio assessment.Some problems will definitely arise in the implementation of teacher's portfolio assessment because of the differences of national identity and cultures. But the assessment concept will remain the same when we pay more attention to the qualitative development of man and to the future, which requires us to stick to regarding human's development as an important task and building developmental evaluation ideas. Besides, we should base our theory on our own school environments and put it to use accordingly.