In this course, participants will create a portfolio of instructional strategies and assessment tools applying current trends and research in a standards based educational environment. Authentic assessment as a means by which to accurately assess students’ learning will be experienced, discussed, and analyzed. Participants will discover the importance of communicating learning goals to their students and aligning those goals with the various assessments implemented to guide instruction and evaluate student progress. Participants will investigate resources provided by their state Department of Education that will enable them to develop instructional and assessment materials for their own learning environments. Participants in this course will discover diversified assessment tools and spend time creating those for practical application in their teaching and learning environments. Discussions and debates will be held regarding motivation, feedback, and grading policies and participants will be prompted to question their current practices and focus on improving systems. The use of portfolio assessments will aid in allowing participants to experience the benefits of taking an ipsative and developmental view of each student. Participants will create and work toward reaching goals they set for themselves in the area of assessment.