Frequently Asked Questions
ARTIFACTS / EVIDENCE FOR PORTFOLIO ENTRIES
1. Which artifacts
or kinds of evidence are best to submit with my portfolio, and how
do I choose the artifacts and evidence that I submit?
Each portfolio requires you to submit
several kinds of evidence and artifacts. The artifacts you submit
should be directly related to the featured lesson and should provide
assessors with convincing evidence of what you are trying to convey
about that lesson. Artifacts can serve different purposes, and you
must make careful choices about the artifacts you submit. Some artifacts
might simply show the students displaying a completed project. Other
artifacts may reveal a depth of understanding about the featured
lesson. For example, a photograph might show your students displaying
a finished project, but copies of journal entries written by the
students after the project ended may reveal more about what the
students learned during that lesson. You will probably want to submit
artifacts that reveal a deeper understanding of a situation. It
is your responsibility to submit the evidence you feel best represents
the teaching featured in each entry.
When you are evaluating a piece of
evidence or an artifact you would like to submit, ask yourself the
following questions:
- What does this item reveal to a
person who was not in my classroom during this lesson?
- Does this artifact show assessors
something more than what my classroom or students look like?
- Does this item add information that
is essential for understanding this lesson?
- Does this item complete the picture
that I am trying to convey in my Written Commentary?
Consult the definition of "Artifacts" in the Glossary
in the Getting Started section of your portfolio for guidelines
about how to represent artifacts that are not two-dimensional, 8.5
x 11 inch items. Consider your options carefully before relying
heavily on photographs as artifacts. Remember to explain the significance
of all evidence and student work you submit. If you are uncertain
about which artifact provides more convincing evidence, consult
with a colleague or mentor.
2. Is it okay for
me to photocopy artifacts or student work samples to fit more than
one on a page?
You may not photocopy full-size pages
of text or images in a reduced format in order to fit more than
one page of text or images onto a single sheet of paper. This means,
for example, that you may not reduce two full pages of text in order
to place both pages of text onto a single sheet. Doing so would
make the font of the reduced text smaller than 10 point, and would
make it unacceptably difficult for assessors to read. If you attempt
to fit two full pages of text onto one sheet of paper by photocopying
the pages in a reduced format, assessors will count that sheet of
paper as two pages; if the reduction has made the print so small
that it cannot be read, that sheet of paper will not be scored.
You may, however, place more than one small piece of an artifact
or student work (related to the same activity/assignment) on the
same sheet of paper. For example, if one photograph is not sufficient
to show both sides of a three-dimensional artifact, you could mount
two small photographs onto the same piece of paper to count as one
artifact. For student work, if a student wrote one short paragraph
on one page and a second short paragraph of the same assignment
on a second page, you could photocopy the text and place both paragraphs
on one sheet of paper. Do not cut and paste student work from one
assignment to be on the same page with student work from another
assignment.
Keep in mind that, whether a piece
of student work or an artifact has been photocopied or not, if it
is not legible, assessors will not be able to read it or understand
it and it will not count in your score. If you photocopy several
photographs and reduce them to fit on one page, for example, assessors
will not be able to see any detail of the individual photographs.
In submitting student work and artifacts, remember that it is best
to choose carefully and submit student work and artifacts that clearly
show the teaching and learning in your classroom. The page limits
for student work and artifacts have been established with care.
Remember that for all of your portfolio submissions, simply submitting
more material does not increase your score. If an entry allows you
to submit three pages of instructional artifacts, the better choice
would be to submit three full-size copies of meaningful instructional
artifacts rather than photocopying six pages of text and images
and trying to fit those onto three sheets of paper. It is the quality
of what you submit, not the quantity, that determines your score.
You may not reduce the size of any
original writing to be smaller than the equivalent of a 10-point
font. Remember that you must stay within the page limits specified
for each entry. You may not submit pages with information on both
sides of a page. If you submit pages with text or photos on both
sides of a page, each side of those pages will count as one page
toward your page limit for that entry. Remember that you must meet
the requirements for each entry, and that you should focus on the
quality of evidence you submit, rather than on the quantity. Do
not submit more student work than is required for each entry.
3. Should I staple
my student work samples to my Written Commentaries? Should I submit
student work samples and artifacts in plastic sleeves or special
binding?
You must follow the directions in the
Format Specifications for how to submit each part of your portfolio.
Do not use staples to attach cover sheets to your papers. Use paper
clips only. Neither written work nor other artifacts should be submitted
in plastic sleeves or special binding. Read and follow the directions
contained in the Instructions for Packaging and Returning Your Portfolio
to NBPTS.
4. Can I submit
work that students produced at home as student work samples or artifacts?
Yes. Assigning and collecting homework
is part of a teacherĂs normal classroom routine. In addition, samples
of writing, art, or other work produced voluntarily by your students
may reveal the depth of learning your students have achieved.
5. May I submit
materials in another language?
Your Written Commentary for each entry
must be in English. Student work and videotapes must be in English
and/or Spanish for all certificate areas except EA/ELA and AYA/ELA,
which require that student work and videotapes be in English. We
recognize that languages other than English and Spanish are frequently
used in the classroom. Therefore, as in previous years, student
work samples and videotapes may include brief expressions or phrases
in a language other than English or Spanish. The inclusion of such
expressions or phrases must be limited since assessors will not
have fluency in languages other than English or Spanish. If expressions
or phrases in languages other than English and/or Spanish are included,
candidates should include brief explanations in their written commentary
that accompanies each portfolio response. Candidate responses containing
student work samples and/or videotapes that require assessors to
have fluency in a language other than English or Spanish, or which
require significant explanations or translations, cannot be scored
in this administration.
6. Why are the rules
regarding the use of names and locations in Entries 1“4 different
from the rules in Documented Accomplishments I and II?
The two major reasons that we ask you
to remove identifications of people and locations are (1) to protect
the identities of third parties, especially students and their parents;
and (2) to ensure that assessors do not draw any conclusions about
your response based on their ideas about where you teach. In entries
1“4, the focus is on your teaching accomplishments in the classroom,
and the evidence of this¤student work samples, instructional artifacts
and your own understanding of your teaching¤is found in your classroom.
Your name, the names of your students, their families, and your
colleagues, and the name of your school are not needed by assessors
to evaluate your teaching.
Entries 5 and 6, the Documented Accomplishments
entries, focus on your accomplishments outside the classroom and
require that you submit documentation of your accomplishments. Your
name must appear on the documentation that you submit so that assessors
can confirm that this was your accomplishment. Persons signing Verification
Forms will also use their first and last names. The name of the
state or school district will also often appear on documentation
that is submitted. The reason for the difference is simply the difference
in the nature of the materials that are submitted.
7. Can I single-space
my typing on the Caption Sheet?
The following documents require double-spacing:
the Written Commentary for Entries 1-4 (including the Record of
Reflection for EAYA/Art), the Descriptions for Documented Accomplishments
and the Interpretive Summary for Documented Accomplishments. You
may single-space on Student Work Caption Sheets, Instructional Artifact
Cover Sheets, Verification Forms, Communication Logs, and similar
documents.
8. Can I include
a student artifact completed as a group project?
Because the Written Commentary is geared
towards an analysis of individuals, it is difficult to discuss one
student's development within the context of a group artifact. It
is only acceptable to submit group work when the sample is the result
of an individual performance within a group.
9. Are questions
in the Written Commentary considered subheadings, and should they
be typed as such?
The questions in the Written Commentary
section of the entry instructions should be responded to, but do
not type the questions themselves as part of your actual response
for the entry. Use the bolded section titles for your headings,
and then type your answers to the questions for that section.
10. The class that
I am featuring meets the age range for the certificate area that
I am seeking. I would like to feature work from a particular student
in that class, but the student is not in the age range of the certificate
area. Can I submit his work since the class as a whole meets the
age requirements? Can he be in the whole class videotape that I
submit?
Classroom-based entries that ask for
an analysis of student work samples require the students whose work
is submitted to fall strictly within the age parameters of the portfolio.
Individual students who appear in videos do not have to fall within
these specifications, but the class as a whole does.
11. Can graphics
be included in my Written Commentary?
Graphics that are connected to your discussion and/or your analysis
may be included. Candidates are encouraged to reserve most of the
page allowance for this in-depth analysis, which counts more than
any other factor in scoring.
12. Do my assignment/prompts
have to be personally created by me?
A candidate may utilize the many sources available in choosing prompts/assignments.
Writing workshops, composition systems, conferences, and curriculum
publications are just a few viable sources a candidate might use
in constructing lessons.
13. What is the
difference between the description of the assignment/prompt for
a cover sheet and the assignment/prompt itself?
A brief description of the assignment/prompt should be written on
the cover sheet or an attached sheet (as stated on the cover sheet).
The assignment/prompt itself would be the actual assignment sheet/handout
that you gave to your students, or your transcription of an assignment
that you wrote on the chalkboard or gave verbally.
14. For AYA/ELA
Entry 1, does the Internet qualify as nonprint text?
Nonprint text includes film, a work
of art, a staged production, or a recording. You may use the internet
as a source for nonprint media.
15. Do I need to
type classroom materials such as study guides?
Your Written Commentaries must be typed,
but instructional materials should be submitted in the same form
as they are presented in your classroom.
16. Must the two
writing assignment/prompts for Entry 1 be related in the MC/Generalist
portfolio?
The Fictional Narrative prompt and
the SS-History prompt may or may not be related. It is up to the
candidate to decide.
17. Is it acceptable
to refer to organizations, groups, tests, or systems by their acronyms
in my Written Commentary?
Although assessors have the necessary
educational background and are experienced in their field, candidates
from almost every state submit their portfolios for scoring. Too
many regional differences exist for assessors to know state specific
tests, local organizations, and district mandates. If candidates
refer to these items in their Written Commentaries, it is suggested
they spell them out in order to avoid confusion and to facilitate
the scoring process.
18. Should quoted
material within the Written Commentary be placed in footnotes?
Quoted material should simply be referenced
in parenthesis in the text. Footnotes are not required.
19. I have chosen
the same writing assignments for both students in Entry 2 of AYA/ELA.
How do I avoid redundancy in my analysis, specifically regarding
my goals for the context question?
While goals sometimes apply to all
students, you may have specific goals for different students. You
may organize your Written Commentary so that the information that
applies to more than one student is presented first with an analysis
of individuals coming afterwards. You will not be penalized by assessors
for "reorganizing" the outlined questions.
20. What happens
to a performance that is written in a font that is smaller than
10 points?
A performance that is written in a
font that is smaller than 10 points is not disqualified. If the
font is 9 points or less, the decision is made to score an equivalent
amount of the original translated into 10 points. This usually means
that a few pages will not be scored. If a Written Commentary is
typed in a compressed font, a similar solution is found. A performance
with text in both a compressed and an undersized font may be disqualified.
21. What if you
exceed the page limit for a particular section in the Written Commentary?
Suggested page lengths for each section
of a Written Commentary are included for each entry to help you
make decisions about how much to write for each section. These suggested
page lengths are merely provided as a guide for you to use as you
prepare Written Commentaries. If you find that you are able to complete
a section using fewer pages than the suggested page length for that
section, you can use the remaining page count for that section to
complete another section of the Written Commentary. Keep in mind
that your Written Commentaries must not exceed the maximum total
page lengths established. (Pages in excess of the maximum will not
be scored.) However, you are not required to submit the maximum
number of pages in order for your entries to be scorable.
22. Should the
grade or grade feedback be included on student artifacts?
Feedback is specifically mentioned
in the standards for the Early Adolescence and the Adolescence and
Young Adulthood/English Language Arts certificates. However, NBPTS
recognizes that all accomplished teaching involves the specific
use of feedback by orally communicating instructional objectives
to students or by providing a rubric or written notations on student
work. For student work-based entries, very often the questions for
the Written Commentary include a query about what feedback the candidate
provided to the student. Feedback should be frequent and supportive
and encourage and enhance student learning.
23. Are optional
instructional artifacts scored?
No, optional instructional artifacts
are not scored. They simply help assessors understand your assignment/prompt
and the lesson you are featuring in the entry.
24. My assignment/prompts
produce much more than the page allowance for student responses.
What are my options?
Assessors are looking for a "fit"
between your evidence and your discussions. Therefore, you should
definitely include the pages you reference in your Written Commentary.
If your assignment requires an abundance of prewriting, you might
consider a combination of pages from the rough draft and pages from
the final draft. Wherever possible, include student work that shows
both problems that the student had with the assignment/prompt and
progress that the student made.
25. For Entry 4
of the Exceptional Needs portfolio, should I submit a set of three
artifacts for one question and three artifacts for the other question?
There are 3 (total) artifacts which
may be submitted: one representing each major part of the evidence
(one or both questions, instruction formulated in response to one
or both of the questions, and analysis). There can be no more than
a total number of six (6) pages representing all three of these
artifacts. It is the candidate's choice whether to distribute the
pages evenly between the three artifacts (2 pages relating to questions,
2 pages relating to instruction and 2 to analysis) or unevenly between
them.
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