Portfolio assessment: Practices in special education teacher education

Reform in teacher education has made teacher education preparation programs re-examine their current practices and makes changes in the assessment and instruction of teacher candidates. In the search for more authentic assessments of teacher candidate knowledge and abilities, portfolios have been offered as a viable option. After more than 20 years of portfolio use in teacher preparation programs, there is little empirical information on portfolio assessment use across special education teacher candidate preparation programs. The purpose of this study was to examine, using quantitative and qualitative methods, the practices, satisfaction, and issues associated with portfolio use across multiple institutions that offer special education teacher preparation programs. Results, implications for practice, and future research are discussed.