Portfolio and Presentation

Purpose
The final examination is an opportunity for students to reflect on and synthesize their
experiences in the program in light of their professional goals as scholars and educators.

Process
The final comprehensive examination for the M.Ed. in English Education consists of 2
components: (1) a portfolio, which comprises the written examination and (2) a presentation to
faculty and students, which comprises the oral examination.

Schedule
Portfolios will be accepted at the end of Fall and Spring Semesters but not during the Summer
Semester. Students who plan to graduate Summer Semester will submit their portfolios the
preceding Spring Semester. The student’s Advisor and the English Education Program Head
should be notified of intent to submit a portfolio no later than the third week of the semester in
which the exam is scheduled. Two copies of the portfolio should be prepared. Two weeks
before the Final Exam Reading Day at the end of the semester, the student should give one copy
to his or her Advisor and the second to the English Education Program Chair. The presentation,
which will last approximately one hour, is held on Reading Day.

Portfolio (Written Exam)

The development of a portfolio is an on-going process that begins as soon as students enter the
program. Students are responsible for saving materials from coursework and other degree
requirements that demonstrate significant learning. As students near the end of their programs,
they should select the best samples of their work for inclusion in the portfolio. The final
portfolio should be divided into the sections listed below, with each section clearly labeled. An
overarching theme/strand/connection regarding the student’s understanding of teaching and
learning should be developed and sustained clearly in each of the 5-7 exhibits, 5-7
abstracts/commentaries, and in the synthesis paper described below.

Contents of the Portfolio

1. Title page with name and date
2. Student’s resume/vita formatted according to guidelines of the university’s Career Planning
and Placement Office.
3. Program of study (numbers and names of all courses taken, semester taken, and final grades
if available)
4. A 10-page synthesis statement that does the following:
a. Identifies and describes significant learning based on 5-7 exhibits of projects, written
work assignments, or other activities from coursework that helped to shape or fulfill the
student’s sense of self as teacher and personal and professional objectives in the program.
A research project or curriculum project must be one of these activities.
b. Describes professional objectives for the future.
5. A one page abstract/commentary for each of the 5-7 exhibits described above.
 Presentation (Oral Exam)
Students who have passed the written portfolio examination will meet with English Education
professors and designated others for a final oral exam and defense of their portfolios. Here,
students will have an opportunity to engage in a dialogue with their instructors about issues and
questions that may not be covered in the written component of the exam because of constraints
imposed by the portfolio format. Students will be asked to reflect upon the theoretical
connections they have made across their entire program of study, to articulate their goals for
continued learning, and to provide additional evidence of their understanding of theory and
research in literacy education.

Evaluation Criteria for Portfolio (Written Exam)

Portfolio grades will be awarded according to the following criteria:
 Unsatisfactory/Fail will be awarded to portfolios that
 are turned in after the specified due date
 are turned in on time but do not include the minimum components (cover page, resume,
program of study, 5-7 exhibits with a one-page abstract/commentary for each, and 10-
page synthesis paper that explores how those experiences contribute to the student’s view
of self as teacher)
 the minimum components do not meet minimum expectations (e.g., the synthesis paper is
under 10 pages long or does not provide a synthesis, the commentaries are less than a
page long or do not indicate reflection on learning, the resume does not conform to the
guidelines recommended by the university’s Career Planning and Placement Office.)
 connections are not evident across the portfolio as a whole; that is, an Unsatisfactory
portfolio might include 5-7 reflective abstracts/commentaries on the exhibits, but they
appear to be discrete and do not serve to contribute to an overarching
theme/strand/connection regarding the student’s understanding of teaching and learning.
 Satisfactory/Pass will be awarded to portfolios that are turned in on time, include the
minimum components, meet minimum expectations for each component, and in which an
overarching theme/strand/connection regarding the students’ understanding of teaching and
learning is evident for the most part but not clearly articulated and sustained across the
portfolio as a whole.
 Satisfactory/Pass with Distinction will be awarded to portfolios that are turned in on time,
include the minimum components, meet minimum expectations for each component, and in
which an overarching theme/strand/connection regarding the student’s understanding of
teaching and learning is developed and sustained clearly in each of the 5-7 exhibits, 5-7
abstracts/commentaries, and in the synthesis paper.

Evaluation Criteria for Presentation (Oral Exam)

Unsatisfactory/Fail will be awarded to presentations that
 are not presented at the agreed upon time and date
 are presented but do not include the minimum components (reflection, articulation of
future goals, and evidence of understanding of theory and research in literacy education)
Satisfactory/Pass will be awarded to oral presentations that
 are presented on time
 include the minimum components
 meet minimum expectations for each component