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Deb and Ed, I too believe that an assigment like a portfolio is ideal.  However, teachers like Stephanie and Rachel indicated yesterday that, at times, they have up to 35 students per classroom.  Do the portfolios then become a hindrance to education?  Is it possible for teachers to assess, with inquiry in mind, so many students on the level of this open-ended project?  I would think, ideally, that this were possible, but from a reality-driven point, I can see possible problems.  In the computer science institute, a woman also had to assess up to 75 students (7th grade reading teacher) and we tried to brainstorm open-ended, inquiry-based assessments.. but we kept getting hit and driven back by the sheer number of people to assess and the short time limit.