To level this playing field for my students, I have decided to encourage the use of electronic portfolios. This has been a particularly effective assessment tool in a Instructional Technology Management Course. Students design web pages and create links to the activities and experiences they wish to include on their website. All of my students are education majors and create their website with the goal of using these sites in their classrooms. Their own students can access other educational links for their own research, view power point presentations, do assignments, view calendars, and respond to bulletin boards.
Children can also use their teacher's electronic portfolio too house their own work.
They portfolios are in our main office and the students can view them at any time. I'm not sure I understand what you mean about how knowledge of the student affects assessment. The point is to catch the students who need remedial work. And to encourage those who are performing appropriately at their level. We are definitely tying the portfolios to the foreign language national standards.