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Cedar Rapids School District Adopts ePortfolio™ Model ePorfolio™ Model Available to All Iowa Schools Leading the World of Testing

Cedar Rapids School District Adopts ePortfolio™ Model

When Rebecca Anthony (MA '75), director of the College's Educational Placement Office, and John Achrazoglou (BA '81/MA '94), director of the College's Educational Technology Center, first developed the ePortfolio in 1996, their short-term goal was to provide a meaningful tool for College of Education students to learn web-based technology. But Anthony and Achrazoglou always knew that others outside the University could benefit from the concept. And that's exactly what has happened this spring.

The Cedar Rapids School District (CRSD) is the first organization outside the College to use the ePortfolio™ model as a web-based data repository to more easily track its teachers' progress toward meeting new and tougher state licensure requirements.

Ann Feldmann, CRSD's executive director of human resources, says the decision to adopt the ePortfolio™ was fueled by a new teacher licensing documentation and evaluation process required of Iowa teachers and administrators, largely because of the federal No Child Left Behind Act's call for greater accountability among schools. By the end of this academic year, districts must be prepared to demonstrate that they are meeting the new requirements.

Storing all the data in paper files would be a cumbersome task and the information contained in them difficult to assess by busy administrators. With the web-based system, the information will be just a mouse-click away.

Iowa City Suprintendent Lane Plugge (L) and Iowa City West High School Principal Jerry Arganbright discover the possibilities of the ePortfolio™.When Iowa's educational leaders were introduced to the idea, they found the best thing about the ePortfolio™ was the ease by which a teacher and evaluator can manage their data.

Judy Jeffrey, administrator at the Iowa Department of Education said the ePortfolio concept continues to demonstrate the collaborative spirit between educational partners in Iowa. "This kind of spirit is what continues to build an even better educational structure for Iowa."

The ePortfolio™ fosters professional conversations for Ann Feldmann and an early-career teacher. Feldmann is also excited about their partnership with the College of Education. "It is another example of how the University and Iowa's K-12 schools can work together for all learners and professionals," she said. "I have been familiar for some time with the cutting edge use of technology by University of Iowa College of Education students, and this work brings the experience and ideas of the university to the doorstep of our teachers and principals."

Feldmann hopes that by this summer, all first-year teachers will be trained how to upload their information and then serve as mentors for other teachers.

The web space will be used to store instructional strategies and other written, graphic, photographed, or videotaped evidence that demonstrates the teacher is meeting state standards-information that can then be viewed by supervising administrators. To satisfy the requirement that the teacher demonstrate competence in content knowledge, the teacher might put on the webpage a Quicktime video explaining to a group of students how to interpret data on a line plot, as well as a list of questions the teacher uses to ensure One Iowa administrator writes, "This concept is great! Finally, we're using technology to enhance what we do, not only in the classroom as a presentation vehicle, but also as a convenient and practical tool for fostering our professional growth." that students are adequately grasping the material covered in the class.

"Collaborating with the Cedar Rapids team has allowed us to strengthen school-to-work relationships, foster professional conversations, and enhance and advance teachers' career development," Anthony said. "This technology-based framework is accessible, easily negotiated, and is a compelling multidimensional tool that demonstrates the dynamics and complexities of good teaching practices. We invite all Iowa schools to use this model as a demonstration instrument and as a powerful means of documenting compliance with Iowa licensure requirements."

A recent white paper written on the ePortfolio™ project is available online at

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ePorfolio™ Model Available to All Iowa Schools 

Iowa City Community Schools are also partnering with the College of Education to adopt ePorfolio™ model.

"New teachers may have the option to use ePorfolio™," said Jim Pedersen (BA '70), Iowa City Community School District director of human resources. "It has many aspects of great value to us with 24/7 accessibility, no storage hassles, and the richness of documentation his media provides."

Ann Feldmann agrees that there are tremendous benefits in using the model. "Having this live document promotes existing dialogue between teachers and administrators about their practices," she said. "It encourages discussions centering around state standards, focusing on teaching strategies and student learning."

Iowa Department of Education Director Ted Stilwill says he thinks it is important for the teacher education programs at our state universities to be part of local educational improvement in addition to meeting their commitment to prepare teachers and administrators. "There are benefits for both the university faculty and the local practitioners in these relationships," Stilwill said. "The work that The University of Iowa has done has the potential to make it much easier for beginning teachers and their supervisors to discuss and to document effective teaching. This type of technology has great potential."

This summer, the College of Education will offer one-day ePorfolio™ evaluation training sessions for Iowa school districts interested in incorporating the model. The day's activities will center around web management, digital media, privacy issues, and have a major focus on meeting state standards through mentoring and cohort assistance.

"Participants will leave the session with their individual web site completely finished, ready to be uploaded to their school's web site, and ready for implementation," said Rebecca Anthony.

To register for the training session, visit

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Leading the World of Testing

Advancing the Testing Tradition (center directors L to R): Don Yarbrough, Tim Ansley, Robert Brennan, and H.D. Hoover.In a move certain to cement its reputation as one of the nation's leaders in testing and measurement, The University of Iowa College of Education created the Center for Advanced Studies in Measurement and Assessment (CASMA) last September.

"The mission of the new center," says CASMA director, Professor Robert L. Brennan, E.F. Lindquist Chair in Measurement and Testing, "is to expand upon the ongoing activities in the College and the University with innovative, interdisciplinary, and research-based studies into the methods and practice of educational measurement and assessment."

The University of Iowa has long been synonymous with educational testing. The Iowa Testing Programs, started in 1928 by Professor E.F. Lindquist, is the developer of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and the Iowa Tests of Educational Development. So well known are the tests and the program that educators often simply refer to the "Iowa Tests" when discussing educational measurement. These tests have become the most extensively used standardized tests in the world.

Other well-known tests spun off from this program include the General Educational Development (GED), National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (MSQT), and the ACT Assessment.

Another valuable testing center in the College of Education is the Center for Evaluation and Assessment (CEA). Created in 1992, the CEA conducts a wide variety of program evaluations in collaboration with faculty across campus and with school systems, colleges, and universities throughout Iowa and the United States. Associate Professor Don Yarbrough, director of the CEA, says, "Project evaluations range from higher education minority recruitment and retention programs to science, history, engineering, technology, and health care training and curriculum projects."

In addition to these centers, College of Education graduates can be found leading and working in just about every major testing company.

"It is our hope that these three centers will take this long tradition of excellence in testing and measurement," said Dean Sandra Damico, "and extend the College of Education's reputation to being recognized as one of the premier colleges of testing measurement and evaluation in the world."

For more information, visit the centers online.
Iowa Testing Programs
Center for Evaluation and Assessment
Center for Advanced Studies in Measurement and Assessment

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