design considerations for a multi-purpose teacher education portfolio template

Design Considerations

for a Multi-Purpose Teacher

Education Portfolio Template

Carolyn Jo StarkeyAssistant Professor, Library

Education MediaAlabama State University

LiveText Alabama Users Group Meeting

October 26, 2010




October 26, 2010

Digital revolution of the Read/Write Web has

transformed the face of librarianship and

education as we knew it.




October 26, 2010

In Fall of 2007, American Association of School Librarians (AASL) released new standards that emphasized participatory learning in a global world through inquiry using emerging technologies.




October 26, 2010

In Fall of 2009, the Alabama State Department of Education followed with the release of updated standards for Alabama School Library Media Teacher Education programs.




October 26, 2010

Prior to October 2009, the LEM A Level Program was collecting and assessing data for a total of 33 Alabama State Department of Education Standards: 22 Knowledge and 11 Ability.




October 26, 2010

Standards Before October 200922 Knowledge + 11 Ability= 33

Standards After October 200955 Knowledge +41 Ability =96




October 26, 2010

What did this mean for assessment in ASU’s

LEM A Level Program?




October 26, 2010

In addition to the normal task of assessing teacher candidate performance for a course grade, each semester ASU faculty must complete several other assessment tasks:




October 26, 2010

1) Assess student progress toward meeting individual Alabama State Department of Education teacher education standards.




October 26, 2010

2) Assess embedded field experience and internship reflections to ensure connections are made between theory and practice.




October 26, 2010

3) Collect assessment data and artifacts that close the SACS assessment loop.




October 26, 2010

4) Collect assessment data and artifacts to document NCATE standards and conceptual framework outcomes and dispositions.




October 26, 2010

5) Assess teacher candidate weaknesses to provide Praxis II and comprehensive exam preparation guidance.




October 26, 2010

Prior to October 2009, data submission requirements for teacher candidates:1) Course CD 2) Individual assignments submitted to instructor’s LiveText account.




October 26, 2010

Problems:1) Lack of conformity in assignment arrangement on CDs2) Difficulty in tracking overall student performance through core courses




October 26, 2010

Problems:3) Inability to adequately compare performance among course members4) Sheer number of CDs collected each semester




October 26, 2010

Problems:5) Sheer number of assignments being submitted to the instructor’s LiveText account




October 26, 2010

The problems of data collection and assessment were compounded in October 2009, when the revision of the Library Media A Level Program standards by the Alabama State Department of Education tripled the number of standards.




October 26, 2010

Obviously, the amount of data submitted by teacher candidates using the current method of course CDs and individual LiveText assignment collection was overwhelming.




October 26, 2010

There were simply too many individual pieces that needed to be assessed for too many purposes to make for the current method to be practical or even workable.




October 26, 2010

An additional concern—The artificial divisions in the school library media knowledge base created by the alignment of standards with particular courses.




October 26, 2010

Teacher candidates sometimes experienced difficulty in forming an overall mental picture of the 21st Century School Library Media Specialist.




October 26, 2010

Solution:

A LiveText portfolio that documents the ASU LEM A Level Program




October 26, 2010

Next Question:What type of portfolio would best suit the program’s needs?Answer:We needed a combination of portfolio types.




October 26, 2010

We needed a working portfolio,“a vehicle for documenting growth and development towards performance standards and teacher education program standards……




October 26, 2010

…..The intent of this type of portfolio is to integrate academic coursework and field experiences so that there is a meaningful connection between theory, practice, and the documentation in the portfolio…..




October 26, 2010

…..The materials included in this portfolio provide evidence of a teacher candidate’s accomplishments at various benchmarks throughout the program…..




October 26, 2010

…..They reflect work in progress and growth over time and are not intended to be polished documents.”

(Constantino, 2009, p.3)




October 26, 2010

We also needed a professional teaching portfolio, “an organized, goal-driven set of documents that provide evidence of a teacher’s knowledge, disposition and skills…..




October 26, 2010

…..It is a collection of carefully selected or created documents that are accompanied by reflection and self-assessment…..




October 26, 2010

…..In general, the teaching portfolio provides authentic evidence of a teacher’s work and is a vehicle for fostering reflection on the art and practice of teaching.”

(Constantino, 2009, p. 2)




October 26, 2010

We also needed a portfolio that offered accreditation agencies a look at our program in context.




October 26, 2010

What does the scaffolding structure of

the LEM A Level Program Portfolio look like?




October 26, 2010

1) A Level Program Context Snapshot2) Working portfolio based on the ALSDE LEM standards3) Professional portfolio that provides an internship capstone and post-internship reflections.

Three portfolio segments:




October 26, 2010

A copy of the portfolio was linked to the LiveText

Community Library to allow for closer examination:

http://www.livetext.com

http://www.livetext.com/




October 26, 2010

Acknowledgements1) Screenshot title page: LiveText website at http://www.livetext.com.2) Constantino, P. and DeLorenzo, M. (2009). Developing a professional teaching portfolio a guide for success (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.3) Screenshot opening page of Carolyn Starkey’s Sample A Level LEM Program Portfolio.

design considerations for a multi-purpose teacher education portfolio template

Documents