The use of portfolios has had a positive impact on students, faculty, and the program in the Chemistry Department at Berea College. The portfolio allows for the inclusion in the curriculum of activities that occur outside of the classroom and offers a convenient means to monitor student participation in those activities. In addition to guiding students through the curriculum, the portfolio is a document that summarizes their skills, a vehicle through which they can interact with faculty, and a model for professional development. Because tasks outlined in the portfolio are linked to programmatic learning goals, portfolio assessment guides faculty in curricular development. The greatest strength of the portfolio, as it has been implemented, is as a device for program-level assessment that requires all students to attain acceptable levels of skill. (Contains 4 figures.)