This research explored how two teachers in South Australian primary classrooms developed portfolios with their students using the English Statement and Profile as a resource. The study was conducted in a year 7 and a reception/year 1 class in the same school during the first term of 1994. The focus of this research required a detailed investigation of the ways the teachers developed student portfolios and used the English Statement and Profile as a resource. For this reason, an interpretive approach, employing a case study methodology was used. In particular, the study focused on: the key features of the teachers' English language programs; the strategies the teachers used to develop portfolios; the uses the portfolios served for teachers' planning, assessing and reporting; the ways the teachers used the English Statement and Profile to develop student portfolios; and the uses of the English Statement and Profile as a resource for teaching. The research site was an independent Catholic, reception to year 12 school close to the city of Adelaide. Data collection took place during the first term of 1994. For the remainder of 1994, analysis of the data and writing of the thesis occurred and was concluded in February 1995. The key informants were the two teachers and three focus students in each class. The primary sources of data used were: transcripts of interviews with teachers and a range of documents, including samples of students' portfolios and the teachers' written planning and records. Other data included observations of the teachers and students, interviews with the focus students and reflections kept by the researcher. The following six findings resulted from this study. Identifying uses for the portfolios played an important role in their development. The teachers' English language programs and the English Statement and Profile influenced what went in the portfolios. The teachers' choice of a portfolio system was based, in part, on the age of the children. The portfolios became an integral part of the teachers' English language programs. The English Statement and Profile influenced different aspects of the teachers' programs. The demands on time meant that teachers delayed using the English Profile to make judgements about student achievement. To conclude, the implications for teachers and researchers were discussed.