The purpose of this project was to facilitate Portfolio-Based Language Assessment (PBLA) implementation in the context of government-funded Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) programs through a documentary analysis of four PBLA guiding documents. There are five chapters in this project: Chapter one provided an introduction to PBLA, significance and background of the project, researcher’s personal location, and purpose of the study. Chapter two shed light on some relevant literature on the topic. Three major themes were discussed which include the history of assessment and the gradual shift from summative to formative assessment in language instruction in recent years; the second theme explained PBLA and its salient benefits for learners while the last theme covered theoretical foundations of PBLA and discussed how principles of Assessment for Learning (AFL), principles of classroom-based instruction, and the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) interact to define classroom instruction and assessment. Chapter three discussed research methodology based on qualitative orientation and documentary research design, which reviewed and analyzed four PBLA guidelines text documents. Chapter four presented a teacher-learner friendly action plan for PBLA implementation in the classroom through two sample teaching units, instructional materials and assessment tasks. Chapter five is the summary, conclusion and researcher’s reflections.
