If you are going to develop a regular portfolio, place into a 1" loose-leaf binder with appropriate dividers showing each of the following sections outlined below.  Please do not use a larger binder - it will simply have too much material in it to make it useful.  Additionally, remember that your presentation portfolio is geared to a particular interview situation so feel free to take out and add material that is appropriate for the specific interview.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND and other Personal Information

• A current resume -

Be sure that the resume looks professional - it does not hurt to use a good quality paper.  You might want to bring some extra copies of your resume; if your interview is going to be by a committee, some members may not have had an chance to review your resume and it is thus helpful to have some additional copies that you can give them.

MS Word has several sample templates that you can use as a starting point for yours; sometimes, however, it is easier to start your own.  Link to the following page for some additional suggestions on writing your resume; you will also find some sample resumes posted.

• Your Educational Philosophy -

More and more employers want to see your educational philosophy; often this is required to be submitted along with your application. In some cases when the application is submitted on-line, you will see that the space provided for you to enter your educational philosophy is rather small - adhere to these expectations.

Writing your own philosophy can be a challenge - you will want to make it personal, expansive enough to provide some specificity yet limited your philosophy to no more than two pages.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Copies of your transcripts -

Again, be aware of the requirements of the district to which you are applying; most districts will want you to have official transcripts mailed directly to them.  In other cases, the school district may be willing to work with student copies of transcripts at the preliminary stages of the selection process but may then require official copies before the interview. 

It is important to provide sufficient time for transcripts to be processed - sometimes that will require a phone call to your University as a follow-up.  In any case, be sure that the copies of the transcripts that you may provide are of a good quality - avoid making copies of copies.

• Log of Field Experiences -

Schools are interested in knowing about your field experiences and practica placements; include a list of these placements in your portfolio.

• Community Involvement -

Involvement in your community can be viewed as an indicator of your involvement in the life of the school.  Obviously, your most important task is to provide the education to your students. However, education is viewed in a much broader term - you are expected to become involved in the life of your school.  While this involvement may vary based on the grade level at which you are teaching, it includes things such as: chaperoning dances, sponsoring clubs, being involved in school committees, and attending school activities.

• Professional Development -

Educators need to be active participants in their professional lives. The information that you list can include:

• courses that you have taken above and beyond the degree requirements

• professional conferences that you have attended

• presentations that you have made at professional conferences

• publications

• workshops that you have attended

• Awards or Certificates

ARTIFACTS

This is going to be the most expansive section of your portfolio and should be broken down, based on the material that you have in your portfolio.  Again, the important task is to select the key products that best demonstrate your competence.

For each of the items, you should include a separate tabbed area in your divider. Base the criteria for the items to include partially on the philosophy of the district to which you are applying; for example, if the district emphasizes technology, provide documentation that demonstrates that competence.

Some of the items which can be included in this section are:

• Assessments

• Bulletin Board ideas - some of these can be documented with pictures

• Copy or picture of your classroom rules

• Evaluations of  your teaching

• Exceptionalities within your classroom and how you specifically address these

• Field trip plans

• Grading policies

• Grade reports for parents or progress reports

• Guest speakers

• Instructional contract you created

• Letters to and from Parents

• Lesson Plan samples and how you address Virginia SOL's

• Log of discipline referrals

• Newsletters to parents

• Photographs or pictures of activities

• Professional Development

• Teacher made game or manipulative

• Teacher made activity requiring students to apply critical thinking skill

• Technological competence

Note that you are not expected to include a copy of everything listed above - these are only suggestions - and, if course, be sure to include your BEST example.