This study was conducted in response to the growing need for an alternative to traditional assessment instruments in schools. Standardized tests no longer adequately measure a student's knowledge. Curriculum and teaching methods continue to change, and educators are demanding an assessment method which reflects not only what, but how, a student learns. In response to America 2000, a national plan for school improvement, several states have already adopted more "authentic" methods of assessment, portfolio evaluation being one of the more common. The Florida Department of Education is currently considering various alternative assessment methods, and the implementation of a state portfolio program seems imminent. This project was designed to help those educators who are unfamiliar with the concept of portfolio assessment to implement a successful program. First, on the basis of a thorough review of the literature, concerns associated with portfolio assessment were identified. Then, specific strategies for addressing these issues were recommended, in order to offer a design for a manageable portfolio program.

The goal of this paper is to provide classroom teachers a more unified theory of cognition. The current cognitive theories of information processing, schema theory, and constructivism exhibit limitations and a lack of cohesion that make their implications for teachers unclear. This paper will be presented in five sections. 1) The first describes problems with current cognitive theories and the need for a unified theory of cognition 2) The second provides a review of the literature of current cognitive theories. 3) The third section consists of research in the history of cognitive theory both in philosophy and psychology. 4) The fourth describes how a fresh look at the philosophy of Immanuel Kant can provide a more unified cognitive theory to educational psychology. 5) Finally, the paper offers specific implications for instruction under these headings: Teachers should describe the concept to be taught as a rule. Teachers should introduce the concept rule by experience or by example. Teachers should use the concept rule as a framework for effective questioning. Teachers should describe the rule with abstract language only after students have understood the rule.