Senior Portfolio for Secondary Certification Students
Angelo State University
Department of English
Senior Portfolio for Secondary Certification Students
General Description of the Senior Portfolio
The Department of English has adopted a portfolio requirement for its upper division students pursuing secondary certification in English. The portfolio provides a tool to measure our joint successes. You will be better able to judge how well you have met the goals of the department, and the faculty will be better able to make decisions on the curriculum based on the information the portfolios provide.
The benefits of the portfolio project are many. It will clearly show your own growth as a developing secondary English teacher by keeping your work in one place as you progress through your upper division courses. It will help build a strong relationship between students and faculty and ensure timely progress toward completion of your degree. It will provide you with a collection of your best work in a format that you may be able to adapt as part of a job search.
The Portfolio Development Process and Deadlines
The portfolio will be a selection of your writing produced in your upper division coursework and a single piece of writing created specifically for the portfolio. You may begin selecting the portfolio's contents during the first semester of your junior year. After compiling your work in conference with your instructors, you may submit individual portfolio items any time before the appropriate deadline.
If you are graduating in December, the completed portfolio must be submitted by 15 November.
If you are graduating in May or August, the completed portfolio must be submitted by 15 April.
Guiding Principles
The portfolio requirement is based on the following general principles:
Portfolios address the goals of the department. Students select materials that show they have accomplished these goals.
- Portfolios rely upon student initiative and responsibility. In consultation with instructors, students select and assemble the portfolio's contents.
- Portfolios are flexible. They must meet certain requirements, but they are designed so that students can address the goals in a variety of ways.
English Department Goals
Graduates of the Angelo State University secondary certification in English program should:
1. know how to analyze a literary text . They should be able to apply literary concepts and terminology in their interpretations and analyses of literary texts;
2 . know how to produce rhetorically, stylistically, grammatically, mechanically,and conventionally effective writing. They should know how to choose audience-appropriate organizations and styles and follow common standards of written English;
3. know how your ASU course of study in English provided you with the fundamental content knowledge necessary for an English major seeking secondary certification. They should know how to discuss specific examples drawn from a variety of classes and may include specific student teaching activities.
Submission Requirements
You must submit materials for the portfolio in MS WORD (2003) files saved on a 3.5 disk or jump drive. A coversheet (see the attached form) accompanying the disk should contain:
• your name;
• the title(s) of the submission(s);
• the category(ies) of the submission(s);
• the name(s) and number(s) of the courses in which the submission(s) was (were) written;
• the name(s) of the instructor(s) of the course(s).
The disk and coversheet should be turned in to the Department Secretary.
The portfolio's table of contents must be saved in a separate, clearly titled file.
NOTE: YOUR NAME, A FACULTY MEMBER'S NAME, OR A COURSE NAME SHOULD NOT APPEAR ON THE TABLE OF CONTENTS OR ON ANY PORTFOLIO ITEMS.
Introductory Material
The introductory material will include a table of contents for the portfolio.
The Body of the Portfolio
The body of the portfolio must include:
1. one submission from Category One;
2. one submission from Category Two;
3. one submission from Category Three.
The categories for submission are:
1. Responding to Literature: one short (3-5 pages in length) paper. The submission must be taken from one of the following advanced areas: American literature, British literature, or literature representing other cultures. Within the paper, the writer must
• apply literary concepts in the analysis of a literary text;
• use literary terminology to discuss literary concepts.
2. Writing Competency: a paper (different from that paper submitted for Category 1) from any advanced English course whose
• organization is characterized by fluid expression; ideas clearly stated/supported; succinctness; logical sequencing; cohesion;
• style is characterized by an authentic voice; sentence variety; effective word choice and usage;
• grammar and mechanics are characterized by a mastery of spelling, capitalization, punctuation, agreement, tense, pronoun usage, prepositions, and the use of negatives.
3. Reflective Essay: a discussion of how your ASU course of study in English provided you with the fundamental content knowledge necessary for an English major seeking secondary certification. You discussion must include specific examples drawn from a variety of classes and may include student teaching activities that demonstrate
• your understanding of effective written expression;
• your exposure to a wide range of literature representing many time periods and genres;
• your ability to read critically both literary and nonliterary texts;
• your knowledge of the English language.
Instructors' Roles in the Portfolio Development Process
While selecting and submitting the portfolio's contents are your responsibility, your instructors can be sources of clarification during the process. Instructors expect to see student progress during each academic term and can therefore help assemble the portfolio's contents.
Confidentiality
Once submitted to the Department of English, the portfolio and its contents become the property of the Department of English and will not be distributed beyond the faculty assessing departmental effectiveness. Further, the portfolio and its contents will not be returned to students who submit the portfolios.
The content of each portfolio will be archived by the Department of English and reviewed only by faculty assessing the department's effectiveness. All portfolio materials will remain in locked files to protect the integrity and privacy of those materials.
Cover Sheet
Senior Portfolio for Secondary Certification Students
Department of English
Angelo State University
Your Name:
Please fill in the table's columns with the appropriate information :
1. your submission's title
2. the course number (e.g., 3331, 3332, etc.) in which the submission was written;
3. the last name of the instructor of the course;
4. the category number (e.g., 1 or 2) of the submission.
If the submission is for Category 1, please put a checkmark in the column titled “Literary Analysis.”
If the submission is for Category 2, please put a checkmark in the column titled “Advanced English Course”
If the submission is for Category 3, fill in only the title and category columns.
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Submission Title |
Course Number |
Instructor |
Category (1, 2, 3) |
Responding to Literature |
Writing Competency |
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