Portfolio Handbook
Introduction

In this "Handbook for Professional Education Portfolios at Oklahoma State University " you will find the requirements for assembling and keeping your portfolio; an explanation of the philosophy, mission, and conceptual framework of the professional education degree program; and an explanation of the portfolio requirements set by the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation and the Oklahoma Department of Education.

For the most part, the portfolio is a collection of work and evidence of your progress towards becoming a teacher with opportunities for you to reflect on this process. As you take your course work in professional education, begin to collect your "artifacts"--projects, papers, journal entries, tests, photographs, etc. Then you will select the ones that represent your progress toward the competencies and OSU Core Values. Finally, you will reflect on these Core Values and the relevance of your work. Since we may receive updates and clarifications from the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation and the Oklahoma State Department of Education, there may be changes and updates as you move through the program. When this occurs, we will advise you of those changes. Be sure to ask your advisors or portfolio specialists and check the professional education web site as you prepare your portfolio for each submission.

Group meetings are scheduled to help you assemble your portfolios at admission (Submission I), prior to student teaching/clinical practice (Submission II), and at the completion of student teaching/clinical practice (Submission III). Watch for notices to be posted and listen for announcements in your classes. Check with your portfolio specialist for additional information. We hope this handbook will be a helpful guide to the professional education portfolio process at OSU. If you have any questions or comments, stop by our offices in 327 Willard or call 405-744-2247.

Good luck! Just remember to collect, select and reflect!

Professional Education Unit Staff
325 Willard

INTRODUCTION

Professional Education at Oklahoma State University prepares and develops professional educators who facilitate life long learning and enrich quality of life for people in public schools and other educational settings. It is committed to the development of professional educators through the integration of theory and practice in a range of experiences and settings. Throughout the program, candidates develop a professional portfolio in which they record, reflect upon and integrate their knowledge from their pre-service experiences.

Rationale and Philosophy

In Oklahoma State University 's Professional Education Degree programs, a portfolio is a set of materials that provides evidence of the candidate's learning, growth, and development toward becoming a professional educator. These collections of authentic, learner-specific documents are also acknowledgment that the development of a professional educator is an individualized process. They reflect the candidate's progress over a period of time and provide useful information in assessing the success of the programs in meeting their goals. The portfolio has four major uses:

An OSU professional education degree provides a comprehensive experiential base of information, research, observation, practice and reflection. The program faculty understands that their candidates are active participants in their encounters and interactions with their environment and the world. The faculty recognizes that candidates may need assistance in understanding the importance, validity, utility and meaning of these experiences. They also need assistance in integrating and synthesizing knowledge and skills from different sources to solve problems and to enhance their perspectives. The development of portfolios can provide the reflective experiences needed to achieve these important goals. The program should enhance the ability of the future professional educator to respond appropriately to students in terms of their needs and interests, the needs and interests of society, and the standards of the specialized professional associations.

Candidates exiting the Professional Education Degree Programs at Oklahoma State University should present appropriate documentation of the attainment of the competencies of their programs in the form of a portfolio. The portfolio development process should be a positive experience, addressing many professional activities through assignments, class interactions and field experiences.

Purpose

The Professional Education Portfolio demonstrates the talents, skills and experiences of each teacher candidate. It indicates each candidate's professional growth toward becoming an effective teacher, and it provides evidence of progress toward:

Additionally, the portfolio should be a useful tool in seeking employment by providing prospective employers with evidence of the candidate's professional growth. Portfolios will also assist candidates in developing reflective skills they will use throughout their teaching career(s) as they continue to document their professional development.

Teacher candidates should consider this portfolio as unique, fluid and changing, an evolving display of life-long learning. Once candidates enter the profession in the first teaching position, their portfolios will be based on their personal goals as they relate to state standards, the local school district and their communities during the Residency Year.

The portfolio is defined as a documented profile of an individual's accomplishments, learning and strengths related to the Oklahoma General Competencies for Teacher Licensure and Certification and Oklahoma State University 's Professional Education Unit mission and core values. The portfolio is required by the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation for licensure and, for purposes of institutional accreditation, is a unit of measure which presents evidence that the institution is providing initial, on-going, and focused opportunities and avenues which lead to the candidate's achievement of competencies, standards, and outcomes.

The Role of Portfolios in OSU's Professional Teacher Education Programs

Graduate and undergraduate candidates in teacher education should be aware that there are many types of portfolios and that throughout the candidates' experiences at Oklahoma State University they will be asked to develop portfolios for several different purposes. Because a portfolio's purpose and audience affect its contents, there is not a single all-purpose portfolio. The content or evidence in a portfolio depends on the purpose.

During their academic careers at Oklahoma State , candidates will be required to present their Professional Education Portfolios at three checkpoints: admission to professional education (Submission I), prior to student teaching/clinical practice (Submission II) and at the completion of student teaching/clinical practice (Submission III). The handbook outlines the requirements at those three stages. In addition, the OCTP may request a sampling of portfolios for program accreditation. Guidance will be given to candidates interested in completing a portfolio for job placement.

The table below explains the four major purposes for portfolios.

Purposes of Portfolios

THE PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION DEGREE PROGRAM PORTFOLIO
SUBMISSIONS AND POLICIES

The portfolio will provide candidates with a personal tool for reflecting upon their teaching skills, knowledge and understandings. This portfolio is an edited collection of the teacher candidate's evidence of learning and professional growth and reflections representing progress through the entire professional education degree program. This portfolio differs from individual course portfolios in that it represents the integration of learning in all courses. Portfolios should show the candidate's progress toward professional goals, Oklahoma State University Professional education degree program Goals, the Oklahoma General Competencies for Teacher Licensure and Certification, and standards of specialized professional associations. These are explained later in the handbook. The portfolio will provide the basis for assessing the candidate's progress in, and completion of, the program. Upon graduation, the completed portfolio may be edited and used as a dossier to help the new teacher in employment interviews. Throughout the program, the candidate is responsible for the safekeeping of the portfolio, but must make the portfolio available upon request for admission, prior to student teaching/clinical practice, at the completion of student teaching/clinical practice, or for program accreditation purposes.

Policy for Portfolio Development & Assessment

Candidates will compile their OSU Professional Education Portfolios throughout the years at OSU and may continue them into their Residency Year. The portfolio will be submitted for admission to professional education, prior to student teaching/clinical practice and at the completion of student teaching/clinical practice. It may also be requested for OCTP accreditation review. The steps involved for each submission are listed below. Detailed explanations of the requirements are in the next section of the handbook.

Per Title 712. Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation (OCTP), Chapter 10. Teacher Preparation, institutions shall require all initial and advanced certification program candidates to develop a portfolio following the guidelines listed below.

The portfolio development process will begin with enrollment in the professional education course work. This requirement is spelled out in the policy below.

Resolution passed by the OSU Professional Education Council

Be it therefore resolved that the Oklahoma State University Professional Education Council hereby requires that all candidates in the following categories present a professional portfolio in accordance with the guidelines of the Oklahoma State University Professional Education Handbook.

a. Degreed candidates seeking initial Oklahoma licensure who were admitted to an accredited Oklahoma teacher education program during or after Fall 1997.
b. Candidates who are entering freshmen beginning Fall 1997.
c. Candidates already enrolled in an Oklahoma institution prior to Fall 1997 and
admitted to an accredited teacher education program during or after Fall 1997 who will graduate after September 1, 1999 .
and
d. Candidates holding a valid Oklahoma credential and seeking to add an advanced
certificate who will complete certification area requirements after September 1,
1999 .

Candidates are required to submit portfolios for full admission to professional education, prior to student teaching/clinical practice, and at the completion of student teaching/clinical practice. Furthermore, candidates will make their portfolios available for OCTP review with one week's notice.

SUBMISSION I: APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION TO PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
Applicants should begin these processes with the first professional education course taken. A detailed explanation follows in this handbook.

SUBMISSION II: PRE-STUDENT TEACHING/CLINICAL PRACTICE
A detailed explanation follows in this handbook.

SUBMISSION III: STUDENT TEACHING/CLINICAL PRACTICE
(Completed during student teaching/clinical practice semester and submitted before OSU can recommend for licensure) A detailed explanation follows in this handbook.

ADDITIONAL CHECK: REVIEW FOR PROGRAM ACCREDITATION

The Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation (OCTP) will select a list of candidates at random for portfolio review. The OSU Professional Education Unit will notify those candidates whose portfolios must be submitted. Candidates will then have up to 10 days to submit their portfolios to OSU's professional education unit. The OCTP will not be evaluating the work of individual candidates. They will use a sampling of portfolio work to assess the Professional Education Unit at OSU. Upon completion of their review the portfolios will be returned to the candidates.

OSU'S PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION UNIT MISSION AND CORE VALUES

The Professional Education Unit (PEU) prepares and develops professional educators who facilitate life long learning and enrich quality of life for people in public schools and other educational settings. OSU's Professional Education programs are based upon the L.E.A.D.S. conceptual framework: L eadership; E thics and Professionalism; A cademics and Professional Roles, including Content Knowledge, Integration, Human Growth and Development, Learning Environment, Technology, Teaching/Professional Practice and Assessment; D iversity; and S ervice Orientation/Community Outreach.

Candidates' attainment of unit and program goals is assigned and assessed in schools and communities in which continuous professional development for pre- service candidates, in- service school professionals, and university faculty is valued.

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Last Updated Tuesday, March 14, 2006