Secondary Science Education

Two Phase E-Portfolio Project

Type: Assessment and Presentation

Phase I: Implement an assessment matrix to collect five projects or assignments needed for NCATE accreditation. Accreditation needs include: Evidentiary support that students have mastered all 10 NSTA standards (SPAs for NCATE). This portfolio spans two semesters, involving 2 courses (SCEN 491 and EDUC 400), and about 20-40 students each year. [Implemented in 2007/2008 academic year as one of our first pilot projects.]

Phase II: Implement a presentation style matrix that provides an opportunity for students to create an online presence to demonstrate their teaching skills and knowledge to future employers or graduate schools. An e-portfolio helps students make connections between their academic experiences and their futures while at the same time documenting evidence of learning. [To be implementing in spring 2010.]

In describing her goals for the project, Kate Scantlebury stated:

• For students graduating from the Secondary Science Education program, an e-portfolio will provide them the opportunity to present themselves and their teaching skills and knowledge to future employers.
• Faculty - My goal with the project is to provide the candidates (as teacher education students are called by NCATE) with a forum so that they could effectively share the work they have done with selected school and district administrators. We are working towards developing an infrastructure in which the candidates could also use audio and video samples to show their teaching skills to a diverse group of learners. As many of these products are required to assess our teacher education program, with the SSE assessment portfolio the candidates can showcase their individual achievements.

Images of the two matrices are provided below. Check back as students create their e-portfolios; we hope to provide a showcase of their work.

SSE NCATE matrix:

SSE E-Portfolio matrix:

This results in a web-based e-portfolio that looks something like the image below. Remember each portfolio will be different depending on what a student creates.