PORTFOLIO
ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES
SECONDARY
EDUCATION MASTERS PROGRAM
Portfolio Assessment Guidelines
Secondary Education Masters
Program
All students in the
masters in secondary education program must submit and successfully complete a
teaching portfolio. This document
is the primary, culminating measure of student outcomes for the program and is
considered the university’s master’s degree comprehensive
assessment.
What is a
Portfolio?
A portfolio is a collection of
materials—bound in a single document—that shows what students know and are able
to do as teachers. It is a picture of professional competence–a detailed
snapshot of students’ unique skills, understandings, and dispositions. All
portfolios will be quite different, as they represent the distinct abilities of
individual students. However, there are elements common to each. In the
portfolio students must demonstrate their acquisition of competencies required
by the Education Unit Conceptual Framework, Connecticut Common Core of Teaching,
and respective professional organization in their field, namely the National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the National Science Teachers Association,
the National Council of Teachers of English, or the National Council for the
Social Studies.
The portfolio contains the following sections:
1.) a cover page and table of
contents,
2.) a narrative,
3.) a collection of documents samples
of professional work, drawn from classes and teaching experiences, which
demonstrate specific competencies.
The documents comprise the largest section of the portfolio and may
include such items as lesson plans, curriculum webs, constructed instructional
materials, samples of students’ work, photographs of classroom activities,
software reviews, resource files, and other artifacts that show students’
abilities. All entries in a portfolio are authentic–that is, they are
drawn from real life situations and reflect students’ very best thinking and
teaching. All entries will be captioned as explained later in this
handbook.
How is the Portfolio To Be
Used?
The portfolio will be used in four ways:
1.) It will
be evaluated by faculty to ascertain whether each student has acquired all
necessary competencies in the program.
2.) It will
guide self-reflection. As students make choices about portfolio entries and
prepare the completed document, they must identify their own professional
knowledge, understandings, strengths, beliefs, and dispositions and review their
accomplishments during the program.
3.) It will serve as the university’s master’s degree
comprehensive exam. The narrative will be guided by questions developed and
distributed by faculty and the Graduate School (explained below).
4.) It will
be used as a tool for presenting one’s professional competencies to future or
current employers. Students will use their portfolios to demonstrate beliefs and
abilities during job interviews. Once students are employed in teaching
positions, their portfolio may serve as a starting place for on-going, life-long
professional assessment. Many schools now use portfolios in the evaluation of
teachers. The Connecticut State Department of Education requires a portfolio in
the assessment of all new teachers (BEST).
Steps in Portfolio
Construction
The following are major steps in the construction of the
portfolio:
Step 1: Starting Early/Collecting Artifacts:
The portfolio process begins at the time the student enters the master’s
program. Students should identify a container–perhaps a large file box–in which
to store papers, projects, and teaching materials from all courses and
experiences of the program (as well as from any professional experiences outside
the university). A good idea is to have six files representing the six
strands of the Education Unit Conceptual Framework so as materials are collected
students are organizing them by each strand and will therefore be able to
identify areas of need. Later, these materials will be weeded and
organized, but in this step all materials should be
saved.
Step 2: Photographing Work: The adage, “show, don’t tell,” is very
apropos in portfolio development. As students begin to collect artifacts,
they should take photographs of as many accomplishments as they can. Learning
materials and projects developed for classes should also be
photographed–particularly those items that are too large to place in a portfolio
binder. Even in-class projects–bulletin boards developed with other students,
for example, or materials and games constructed with peers within the
classroom–can be photographed. All photos should be saved in the file box.
Students should informally caption photographs to ensure that they later do not
forget the activity or how it demonstrates their understanding/application of a
standard.
Step 3: Buying and Organizing a Binder: As students
progress in the program, they begin to make decisions about which documents to
include in the portfolio. It is suggested that they purchase a
professional-looking, three-ring binder--no later than halfway through the
program--and begin to place in it their very best examples of their
teaching. As students choose items to place in the binder, they should keep in
mind the required competencies. Over time, students will remove some items and
replace them with others. They will continue to add new documents throughout the
program.
Step 4: Writing Preface Documents: In the program’s
prerequisite courses, students should begin writing a philosophy statement.
Furthermore, in each graduate course students should identify two (2) to three
(3) documents that demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and use of at
least one of the strands from the Education Unit Conceptual Framework. These artifacts must also be captioned
as described below.
Step 5: Reviewing the Portfolio using the “Value Added”
Principle: During capstone, students review and reorganize the documents
in their binder, based on three criteria: 1.) Are all required competencies
addressed in the portfolio? 2.) Is there at least one entry for each course of
the program? 3.) Do all items adhere to a “value added” principle? This
principal holds that each entry reveals something new and different about
the student’s professional competence. If two items are found to show roughly
the same thing about a student, one should be removed. In this step the
portfolio should be transformed from a collection of many of materials, to a
sleek, organized, focused expression of professional
abilities.
Step 6: Captioning Entries:
Throughout the program, students should be identifying and
captioning possible portfolio entries. A caption is a two or three
sentence statement, placed just before each item, that tells three
things:
1.) What
the document is (e.g., a
photograph of a science learning center, a lesson plan that shows adaptations
for students with special needs, a review of developmentally appropriate
software), and
2.) What
the document shows about the
student as a teacher (e.g., her/his commitment to a constructivist theory, skill
at adapting materials for students with special needs). The following is a
sample caption: “This is a photograph of, and a written plan for, a
technology-oriented classroom which I developed in my tenth grade classroom. It
shows my commitment and ability to use technology in a constructivist
environment,” and
3.) How does the document demonstrate your
understanding of one or more
of the key elements listed under your professional organization’s standards such
as NCTM, NSTA, NCSS, or NCTE.
The following is a
sample caption:
(1)
This
is a lesson plan with adaptations I developed to meet the needs of a student in
my tenth grade classroom. (2) It shows my knowledge, understanding, and use of
adaptations to allow for individualized curriculum. (3) The adaptations to this lesson plan
demonstrate my understanding of the key element of NCTM/NSTA/NCSS/NCTE Standard
(List the standard.).
Step 7: Graduate Portfolio
Narrative:
Overview
Graduate students will write an in-depth narrative to accompany their
portfolio entries. This narrative will be an elaborate statement of beliefs
about teaching, learning, and development. It will show how students’ thinking
has been influenced by current research and theory and the classroom
discussions, activities, and assignments in their graduate program. The
following are required features of the narrative:
1.
The narrative must be organized, well written, fully referenced in APA
style, and of graduate-level quality.
2.
The narrative must be a thorough and thoughtful piece of writing that
includes in-depth reflection on issues and topics in the
field.
3.
The narrative must include ideas gleaned from all courses in the
graduate program. (Direct reference to specific courses is
encouraged.)
4.
The narrative must make reference to readings, including key works in
the respective field of Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, or English at the
secondary level.
5.
The narrative must make reference to the artifacts that have been
submitted. (In the text, direct reference should be made to specific
items--e.g., “See the curriculum web in Appendix C for evidence of my
understanding of the constructivist curriculum.”)
Guiding Questions
In the narrative, students will express their
beliefs about the teaching of mathematics, science, social studies, or English
at the secondary level, guided by the following questions:
1.
What is your
philosophy of mathematics, science, social studies, or English education? What
are the ultimate goals of your subject area (mathematics, science, social
studies, or English)?
2.
What kinds of
connections do you see between the content (mathematics, science, social
studies, or English) you learned at the undergraduate and graduate levels and
the content you will be teaching at the secondary level? How do you utilize the university
content knowledge to teach the secondary subject area in your
discipline?
3.
How do
secondary school students learn? What are some of the major theories of learning
that influence your beliefs about student learning in your discipline?
4.
What are the
relative roles of the teacher, the student, and the classroom environment in
learning? How will you facilitate student learning in your classroom?
5.
What are the
major steps in curriculum development and assessment? What roles do the national
and state standards play in curriculum development and assessment? How do
students benefit from curriculum integration in the middle and high school?
6.
How extensively
and in what ways should classrooms, the curriculum, and teaching be adapted to
address diverse needs due to students’ culture, language, ethnicity, gender,
socioeconomic status and challenging conditions?
7.
How does the
development of new technologies and the Internet influence your discipline and
your teaching?
Step 8: Evaluation of the
Portfolio: Students will
submit their portfolio to the faculty for review. Two faculty members will
independently score the portfolio using the following rubric. Based on the
outcome of this scoring, portfolios will be judged as: Distinctive, Acceptable
(Pass), or Unacceptable (Fail). The
evaluation rubric is provided at the end of this document.
Timeline for Completion
Students will complete their portfolio following this
timeline:
Immediately:
See your advisor.
Begin collecting projects, papers, and learning materials–from each
class–in a storage box or file system. In each class you will identify and
caption at least two artifacts that demonstrate your knowledge, understanding,
and use of the Education Unit Conceptual Framework, the Connecticut Common Core
of Teaching, and the disciplinary standards in your field.
Begin photographing projects
and experiences in classes and work settings.
Write a draft of philosophy statement.
Collect additional entries– from each class.
By 15
Credits:
See your advisor.
Purchase a binder and begin to place preliminary items in it.
Begin to weed and organize
the portfolio, based on the “value added principle.”
Revise the philosophy statement.
Continue captioning items.
During
Capstone:
Create an outline for the narrative.
Complete the organization and weeding of entries.
Continue to write, revise and polish captions.
Prepare a cover page and
table of contents and make tabs for sections of the
portfolio.
After
Capstone:
Write the narrative and submit completed portfolio for
evaluation.
Portfolio Evaluation
Rubric
Target (Score 3:
Evidence of exceptional performance, beyond
what one would typically expect of a graduate student.)
The student demonstrates: a.) extensive knowledge and understanding of the area addressed in the guiding question, which is fully grounded in current research drawn from readings and courses, b.) an ability to reflect deeply on and communicate clearly, logically, persuasively, and passionately about this area, c.) an ability to readily, effectively, and creatively apply their understandings in professional practice, d.) an excellent documentation of high quality materials such as classroom photographs, student work, excerpts from lesson and unit plans with clear, logical, and meaningful captions, and e.) an ability to use APA formatting consistently with no spelling and grammar errors.
Acceptable
(Score 2: Evidence
of satisfactory performance and above.)
The student demonstrates: a.) solid knowledge
and understanding of the area addressed in the guiding question, which is
grounded on research drawn from readings and most courses, b.) an ability to
reflect on and communicate clearly and logically about this area, and c.) an
ability to effectively and creatively apply their understandings in most
planning and teaching experiences, d.) documentation of materials such as
classroom photographs, student work, excerpts from lesson and unit plans with
clear, captions, and e.) an ability to use APA formatting with minor spelling
and grammar errors.
Unacceptable
(Score 1: Unsatisfactory performance)
The student responds to the standard in a way that shows: a.) a knowledge base that is out-of-date and/or lacks a sound foundation in research, b.) an inability to reflect on or articulate ideas about many topics or issues in this area, and c.) a failure to apply key concepts in the field in many planning and teaching experiences, d.) a lack of documentation of portfolio materials and captions, and e.) inability to use APA formatting with significant spelling and grammar errors.
Missing (Score 0: Unsatisfactory)
Two faculty members will evaluate the student
portfolio using the following scoring rubric. They will discuss their ratings and
negotiate a compromise score.
Scoring Rubric
|
Guiding
Questions |
Target
(3) |
Acceptable
(2) |
Unacceptable
(1) |
Missing
(0) |
|
Philosophy |
|
|
|
|
|
Content
Knowledge |
|
|
|
|
|
Learning
Theories |
|
|
|
|
|
Role of the
Teacher |
|
|
|
|
|
Curriculum Development
and Assessment |
|
|
|
|
|
Adapting to Diverse
Needs |
|
|
|
|
|
Use of
Technology |
|
|
|
|
|
Professionalism |
|
|
|
|
|
Overall Learning
Experience |
|
|
|
|
|
Readers’ Overall
Impression |
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Score:
/30 | ||||
Evaluation of the
Full Portfolio:
Based on the above
scores, the full portfolio will be assigned one of the following designations:
Distinction
(Score of 29-30): Recommended for
master’s degree in secondary education
Pass (Score of
20-28) but no scores of 0 or 1 in more than two
indicators:
Recommended for
master’s degree in secondary education
Fail (Score
below 20) or score of 0 or 1 in more than two indicators: Not recommended
for master’s degree in secondary education
Student unable to pass the portfolio may
revise and resubmit no sooner than one semester after the original
evaluation.