Educators use the term "authentic assessment" to refer to the practice of realistic student involvement in the evaluation of student achievement. Authentic assessments are performance-based and instructionally appropriate. One method of authentic assessment is the assembly and review of a portfolio of a student's work. The portfolio is a record of a child's process of learning, and includes work samples, records of observations, and screening tests. Ideally, a portfolio includes observations in the following forms: (1) anecdotal records, which are useful for recording spontaneous events; (2) checklists or inventories, which should be based on the development associated with the acquisition of skills; (3) rating scales, which are used to measure behavior that has several components; (4) children's responses to questions; and (5) screening tests, which identify children's skills. Besides containing a wide variety of work samples, portfolios used in early childhood education should contain a statement of purpose. Once the material in a portfolio is organized by chronological order and category, the teacher can evaluate the child's achievements. Portfolios are not meant for comparing children to each other, but for documenting individual children's progress over time. The use of portfolios also provides teachers with a built-in system for planning parent-teacher conferences. (BC)