MSU-B logo  Portfolio Handbook for Advanced Certification 







This handbook is designed to assist you as a graduate student in developing a professional portfolio. A professional portfolio will provide you with the opportunity to organize and reflect upon your continued professional growth.   Essentially, this portfolio process will encourage you to evaluate the contributions of your courses and other experiences to the development of knowledge and skills needed to be successful in your chosen area of study. 

How will the portfolio process relate to my graduate program?           
Your individual graduate program and the portfolio process are both designed around the MSU-Billings’ Advanced Conceptual Framework (Appendix A).  This common link will allow you to see how your learning experiences and your selections for the portfolio relate across the program as a whole. As you progress through the graduate program, many of your courses will have activities that will be directed toward meeting one or more of the Advanced Conceptual Framework outcomes.

In this handbook we will take you through the processes of:

 

Form:

MS Word
Microsoft Word

Adobe Acrobat Reader
Adobe Acrobat
Appendix A:  Advanced Conceptual Framework
Appendix B:  Artifact Rationale Form & Scoring Rubric
Appendix C:  Progress Chart
Appendix D:  Itemized Conceptual Framework
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)  
Examples of Artifact Rationale  
Glossary

 

Organization of the portfolio
The professional portfolio will be organized around the goals of the MSU-Billings’ Advanced Conceptual Framework.  The Advanced Conceptual Framework has embedded within it the INTASC standards, state standards for professional preparation, and standards for national board certification.  These goals will serve as a guide through your graduate experiences and continue to guide you in your professional career.  Thus, one of the main directives of the professional portfolio is to demonstrate to others that you are achieving success in meeting the high standard of student excellence set forth by MSU-Billings.  

The Advanced Conceptual Framework contains four major areas with fourteen sub-areas.  During the course of your program you will progress through the conceptual framework based on three competency levels (Level 1: Professional Studies, Level 2:   Specialization, Level 3:   Synthesis).  You will be expected to present evidence in each of the fourteen sub-areas within each of the three competency levels.

Using a 2”-3”, three ring binder, you will begin setting up your portfolio.   Purchase fourteen large tab divider sheets and label the sections as follows:

FRAMEWORK AREA 1:  RESEARCH 
& PROFESSIONAL INQUIRY
Sub-Area 1.1:  Research & Evaluation

FRAMEWORK AREA 1:  RESEARCH 
& PROFESSIONAL INQUIRY
Sub-Area 1.2: Critical Inquiry 

FRAMEWORK AREA 1: RESEARCH 
& PROFESSIONAL INQUIRY
Sub-Area 1.3: Data Collection & Analysis

FRAMEWORK AREA 2: HUMAN 
DEVELOPMENT & LEARNING
Sub-Area 2.1: Human Development

FRAMEWORK AREA 2: HUMAN 
DEVELOPMENT & LEARNING
Sub-Area 2.2: Learning

FRAMEWORK AREA 2: HUMAN 
DEVELOPMENT & LEARNING
Sub-Area 2.3: Criticism

FRAMEWORK AREA 2: HUMAN 
DEVELOPMENT &LEARNING
Sub-Area 2.4: Diversity

FRAMEWORK AREA 3: PROFESSIONAL 
KNOWLEDGE BASE
Sub-Area 3.1: Technology

FRAMEWORK AREA 3: PROFESSIONAL 
KNOWLEDGE BASE
Sub-Area 3.2: Methods of Practice

FRAMEWORK AREA 3: PROFESSIONAL 
KNOWLEDGE BASE
Sub-Area 3.3: Theory & Content

FRAMEWORK AREA 4: PROFESSIONALISM 
Sub-Area 4.1: Communication

FRAMEWORK AREA 4: PROFESSIONALISM 
Sub-Area 4.2: Collaboration & Team Building

FRAMEWORK AREA 4: PROFESSIONALISM 
Sub-Area 4.3: Service

FRAMEWORK AREA 4: PROFESSIONALISM 
Sub-Area 4.4: Dispositions  

Next, competency level tabs must be labeled and placed under each of the fourteen framework sub-areas.   You will need fourteen sets of three small divider tabs labeled as follows (42 total small tabs):

Level 1: Professional Studies

Level 2: Specialization

Level 3: Synthesis

These three tabs will be placed as separate sections within every conceptual framework sub-area tab.

Building your Portfolio
Upon entry to the graduate program you will begin collecting portfolio artifacts.  An artifact is a piece of evidence from your various course work, school experiences, or life experiences that shows you have met a certain conceptual framework outcome at one of the three competency levels. These artifacts will come in various forms (lesson plans, papers, tests, letters from supervisors, etc.) and an Artifact Rationale (Appendix B) form that explains why the artifact was chosen and how it meets the conceptual framework outcome must accompany each piece of evidence. 

The artifact rationale is a crucial piece of the portfolio process.  Once you select an area in which you wish to include a piece of evidence, your rationale or reflection must focus on how the artifact is representative of that area of competency.  The reflections are a key component of the portfolio process and the success of your graduate program, as well as your continued growth.

Keeping Track of Portfolio Progress
Artifacts and rationale statements must be reviewed and approved by your graduate committee. You will meet periodically with your advisor to discuss and review your developing portfolio.  During these meetings your advisor will record your work on a Portfolio Artifact Progress Chart (Appendix C), which will be kept in the front of your portfolio binder. This chart will ensure that you are successfully progressing through your graduate program in light of the Advanced Conceptual Framework outcomes. 

 Assessing the Portfolio
Your graduate program will be organized around three benchmarks. A benchmark is defined as a point in time when your achievements are assessed. The following three benchmarks will serve as checkpoints to ensure that you are progressing successfully through your graduate program in line with the advanced conceptual framework.

Benchmark 1: Entrance into the graduate program
Complete your plan of study with your committee and complete the GRE.  (See Graduate catalog for complete details.)

Benchmark 2: Mid-way point 
Halfway through your program, approximately 20 credits,  you will have finished a large portion of your portfolio, almost progressing completely through competency levels one and two. At this point you will schedule a meeting with your graduate committee. During this meeting you will submit the artifacts completed in your portfolio. Your committee members will individually score your artifacts and offer recommendations/advice to ensure your continued success throughout the remainder of your program.

Benchmark 3: Program completion/Oral Comps
Program completion marks the point where you have finished all coursework and completed your portfolio in its entirety.  You will be required to schedule an oral defense with your graduate committee of your completed portfolio, with artifacts from competency level three (synthesis). This is the highest level and most refined version of your portfolio. You must orally explain/defend your artifacts, rationale, and how each artifact will impact your future in the profession. The committee will score your final portfolio and recommendations on your graduation status will be discussed.
Your professional portfolio must satisfactorily meet the assessment criteria at each benchmark. The rubric that will be used to score your artifacts can be found at the bottom of the Rationale Form in Appendix B

See Appendix D  for an itemized version of the advanced conceptual framework that will assist you in organizing your portfolio around the conceptual framework.