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Special Education Graduation Portfolio

 

Candidates for the MSEd degree in Special Education will, during their last semester, submit a Graduation Portfolio that demonstrates competence as a special education teacher. Students are urged to become familiar with the requirements for the Graduation Portfolio (see below) at the start of their program so they preserve all course papers and projects, any of which may turn out to be the best representation of their work for a particular competency.

 

A Portfolio Workshop is offered each spring to assist students in preparation of the Portfolio. Students should plan to attend the workshop the year before they intend to graduate; this gives students time both to complete some of the coursework on which their portfolio will be based and to work on their portfolio over the summer. See Portfolio Workshop for more information.

Each fall, dates will be posted for the spring workshop and for the weeks when portfolios are due that year. Portfolios will only be accepted during the fall and spring semesters, not summer. During the last semester of their graduate program, students will file a Declaration of Candidacy with the Graduate School and notify the School of Education of intent to submit a Graduation Portfolio.



Portfolio Due Dates for Academic Year 2008-09:


During the 2008-2009 school year, the Special Education Graduation Portfolio will be due on the following dates:

 

Fall semester: week of December 1, 2008

Spring semester: week of April 27, 2009

 

Please note: Portfolios MUST be submitted by the Friday of the specified week. We cannot grant extensions.

 

If you intend to graduate in the 2009-2010 school year, please plan to attend the Portfolio workshop on Saturday, April 25, 2009. Registration for the workshop is at the site above.

 


Each portfolio will be reviewed independently by two or more faculty members, using the Portfolio Evaluation Form. Ratings of the two reviewers will be compiled. Any competency rated as 2 or 1 by both reviewers will be “failed” and the competency must be revised. If the reviewers disagree about whether a competency has been failed, it will be reviewed by a third faculty member and the majority opinion will prevail. In the event that any competency has been failed, the student will be contacted immediately.

Students may pick up their portfolios, with copies of the evaluations, in the School of Education Office after results are posted each semester.

The Graduation Portfolio is intended to be an authentic assessment of each student’s competence as a well-rounded teacher, and to reflect knowledge and skill developed while a graduate student. Therefore, assignments completed for coursework, with or without instructor comments, are welcome as part or all of the portfolio.

>>Printable Portfolio Guidelines in PDF format