THE EXIT PORTFOLIO
A Standards-Based Presentation of Evidence for
The Licensure of Beginning Teachers
Purpose
The exit portfolio is
a performance-based assessment completed during the candidate’s
internship. It should contain
documentation of the essential teaching skills and dispositions as required by
the State Standards for Beginning Licensure.
The contents of the exit portfolio should document reflective practice.
Overview
The Exit Portfolio is
a collection of materials and reflections providing a record of the intern’s
teaching experiences and growth. The
portfolio synthesizes learning from the intern’s coursework and school-based
experiences. It encourages the intern’s
active involvement in monitoring and reflecting on his/her development as a teacher. Quality teaching is both a performance-based
profession and an on-going learning process.
A significant part of this process is the ability to reflect on
attitudes, skills, and ideas, and to be willing to change and update these
areas through continued learning. The
Exit Portfolio demonstrates readiness to move into his/her own classroom. The Exit Portfolio should be evidence of
one’s ability to impact student learning.
The Exit Portfolio
should be a demonstration of a sufficient level of professional and pedagogical
knowledge, skills, and dispositions; a sufficiently developing knowledge of the
school culture; a sufficient level of expertise concerning systemic and
developmentally appropriate practices; and a sufficiently developing liberal arts
background, with emphasis on issues of diversity, technology, parents and
community, oral and written communication, leadership structures and processes
within the school culture, and purposeful reflection. Following is a list of questions that should
guide you in the development and presentation of your Exit Portfolio:
§
What are your beliefs about teaching and
learning, and how does the evidence presented in your portfolio represent your
beliefs?
§
How does the evidence presented
demonstrate how effective you were in increasing students’ achievement?
§
How does the evidence demonstrate that
you consider all students in the teaching/learning process?
§
How does the evidence demonstrate your
preparedness in and understanding of the State Standards for Licensure of
Beginning Teachers?
The Exit Portfolio is
a requirement for the successful completion of the internship. It will be one of several factors considered
in the determination of your internship grade and the recommendation for
initial provisional licensure.
Guidelines for Preparing the Exit
Portfolio
§
All evidence included in the Exit
Portfolio should be developed during your internship experience.
§
The Exit Portfolio should include select
and significant examples of your standards-based growth and performance and the
standards-based growth and performance of your students.
§
The appearance of the portfolio,
electronic or hard copy, should not overshadow its contents; however, be
professional in presentation caring for organization, technical detail and
thoughtful reflection. Any written
documents submitted should use 12 pt. Times New Roman font and double
spacing. Be sure to include your name on
the covers and/or title pages.
§
Every task of the Exit Portfolio should
include a reflective statement(s) that examines the sample(s) presented, and
analyzes the significance of the sample(s) in terms of your achievement of the
Standards for Licensure of Beginning Teachers focusing on student learning.
§
Reflections do not merely provide a
description of the sample presented.
Reflections should tell why a
particular item or strategy was selected, what
the student(s) learned, what you
learned, what you would do
differently the next time, and how
you might use this information in the future to improve your professional practice.
Role of the University Reviewer
Your assigned reviewer
will guide you in the development and completion of the Exit Portfolio,
providing clarification and feedback.
Suggested
Schedule for Exit Portfolio Development
Week 1 of Internship
Begin to refine the document concerning your beliefs about
teaching and learning as you begin observing, getting to know your students and
the curriculum, familiarizing yourself with your school and its routines, and
establishing a working rapport with your Field-Based Supervisor/Clinical
Practice Instructor (CPI) and students.
Clarify the purpose and format of your Exit Portfolio. Familiarize yourself with the portfolio
guidelines. Continue to carefully
examine the Arkansas Standards for Licensure of Beginning Teachers.
Week 2 of Internship
Begin to plan for the gathering of evidence from your
teaching that exemplifies the standards.
Week 3 of Internship
Share progress on your Exit Portfolio with peers,
Field-Based Supervisor/Clinical Practice Instructor, and Campus-Based
Supervisor.
Week 4 of Internship until
exit portfolio due date
Select significant evidence
from your teaching as you take on increasing teaching responsibilities. Your portfolio should reflect the teacher you
are, and be a reflective summary of the standards you have internalized. Submit
your portfolio to your assigned reviewer for feedback on or before the
portfolio due date (review dates are communicated with the assignment of your
reviewer at the beginning of the internship semester and are posted on the
internship web page for your reference).
Evaluation of the Exit Portfolio
A rubric for
evaluating the evidence presented in each task of the Exit Portfolio is
provided following the task description given in these guidelines for
development of the Exit Portfolio. These
rubrics should assist you in determining your level of readiness to teach as
they reflect not only the guidelines for development of the portfolio, but
they, also, describe the State Standards for Beginning Licensure. You must complete all portfolio tasks to pass internship. Any task that is rated below “acceptable”
must be revised until satisfactory completion is achieved. Any
case of academic dishonesty in completion of the portfolio will be addressed
following the procedures outlined in the
The following table provides a summary of
products that should be included in your exit portfolio for each task. This table serves only as a checklist to assist
you in your compilation of necessary information.
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TASK |
b
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BRIEF TASK PRODUCT
DESCRIPTIONS
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Task 1 |
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§
An approximately 3-5
page “My Beliefs about Teaching and Learning” document |
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Task 2 |
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§
Two 3- 5 page case
studies/reflections (one for each student observed) |
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§
Student work from each of these two students that
evidences learning over time |
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Task
3
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§
A rationale for the
unit (Why is it important for students to know or be able to do this?) |
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§
A planning web
(concept map) of your unit |
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§
A unit of lesson
plans (5 – 10 lessons) including supporting materials and resources |
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§
Copies of student
work from 3-4 typical students from the class or classes in which the unit
was taught demonstrating the progression of learning during the unit |
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§
A table showing the
connection between learning activities, lesson objectives and state standards
for your unit |
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§
A 2- 3 page typed
reflection concerning the effectiveness of your unit |
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Task 4 |
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§
Two lesson/learning
plans |
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§
Videotape of one
lesson and another videotape or documented live observation for the
second lesson (20-30 minute videos) |
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§
Student pre- and
post-work sample(s) from 3- 4 students who participated in the lessons taught |
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§
Copies of relevant
handouts, transparencies, etc. |
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§
A 3-5 page
reflective analysis for each of the two individual lessons |
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Task 5 |
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§
A copy of an
informal assessment with two marked student copies |
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§
A 1- 2 page
reflection upon the assessment and the information it provides you |
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§
A copy of a formal
assessment with two marked student copies |
||
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§
A 1- 2 page
reflection upon the assessment and the information it provides you |
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Task 6 |
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§
Two formal
evaluation forms from your supervisor(s) |
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§
A 1- 2 page
reflection for each formal observation |
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Task 7 |
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§
A 2- 5 page
professional development plan §
A resume |
Any Video presented should be 20 – 30
minutes in length in VHS
format and may be submitted separately by mail or hand
delivery.
Scanning should be saved as JPEG (.jpg)
TaskStream will be used for creating the
If a TaskStream problem occurs you can get help in a number of ways:
·
Use the “Help Index” within
TaskStream.
·
Call the TaskStream toll free
telephone number… Call toll free 800-311-5656 and ask for Mentoring Services for immediate
assistance. TaskStream is available from
·
Send an email to TaskStream… Email help@taskstream.com for prompt answers within one business day.
Task #1
A Premise for Student
Learning—My Beliefs about Teaching and Learning
Purpose: As you began your introductory experiences,
you were asked to write about your beliefs concerning teaching and
learning. Since you have had many more
experiences with learning, you will now be asked to revisit your beliefs for
making learning happen. As a teacher it
is important that you carefully think about what you believe about teaching and
learning. Teaching is a vital part of the purpose and process of
education. In order for your beliefs
about teaching and learning to provide you with a guide for action, they must
be more than “your opinions about things.”
Process:
Reflect on the Professionals for the Future dispositions to teach. These dispositions set forth in our
conceptual framework and integrated into each course and experience in your
preparation can be found listed under each of the five Arkansas Standards for
Licensure of Beginning Teachers. You
will find a copy of these standards in the internship handbook. Among the issues are such questions as:
§
What
is important for your future students to know and be able to do?
§
What
are some strategies that you would use in your classroom?
§
What
type of diversity do you expect to find in the classroom, and how would you
modify your instruction to accommodate this diversity?
§
What
is your understanding of human growth and development and its importance to
teaching and learning?
§
What
are your beliefs about how people learn?
§
What
human relation skills do you possess, and which ones will be most important to
you in the classroom?
§
How
will you develop a positive classroom environment?
§
How
will you develop a positive working relationship with students, colleagues,
parents/guardians, and the community?
§
What
do you believe about the statement, “All children can learn”? Address the teacher’s role in your response.
Product: You are to create an approximately 3-5 page (typewritten,
double spaced) beliefs about teaching and learning document:
Your beliefs about teaching and learning
provide the foundation for your Exit Portfolio. Your beliefs should provide
evidence of your disposition to teach.
More specifically, it should reflect the values infused throughout our
conceptual framework, Professionals for the Future, and the Arkansas Standards
for Licensure of Beginning Teachers:
§
a
belief that all children can learn,
§
the
commitment to cultivate a positive learning environment,
§
a
belief in student-centered learning,
§
a
commitment to reflection and lifelong learning,
§
a
foundation for teaching and learning,
§
a
knowledge of issues in the learning process,
§
a
positive view of the teaching profession,
§
the
value of theory in practice, and
§
the
ability to communicate well in writing
Exit
Portfolio Task #1 My Beliefs about
Teaching and Learning Rubric
Standard Criteria |
3 Highly
Effective |
2 Acceptable
|
1 Unacceptable
|
Comments |
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Teacher believes that all children can
learn albeit in different ways. |
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Teacher recognizes importance of a
positive learning environment and provides evidence for how this will be
achieved. |
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Teacher believes learners can
contribute to the learning of others and provides evidence to support this
belief. |
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Teacher believes reflection, lifelong
learning, and self-improvement are vital to classroom success and provides
evidence to support this belief. |
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Teacher provides a good summary and
clear foundations of his/her view of the teaching/learning process. |
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