ABSTRACT
The introduction of the Period for Integrated Study (PFIS) in the revised National Courses of Study (NCS) in 1998 played a major role in advancing the reform of the assessment of academic achievement in Japan. This chapter explains the definition and key points of portfolio assessment and outlines basic points for promoting portfolio assessment in the PFIS. It introduces how portfolio assessment is actually utilised in Japan by presenting the example of Ms. Miyamoto's implementation of portfolio assessment in the PFIS. Portfolios are used mainly in school subject education and career education in the United Kingdom and United States. In Japan, the introduction of the PFIS prompted the spread of portfolio assessment. Ms. Miyamoto's teaching practice shows that using portfolios in the PFIS enables the teacher to teach students to suit their learning process.
