Purposes of the Portfolio

The portfolio represents a summation of the M.A.T. candidate's work spanning the entire period of the program with special emphasis on the internship experience. The portfolio is, in actuality, a practically oriented master's thesis that chronicles the intern's experiences and demonstrates the degree to which he/she understands and can apply the Interstate New Teachers Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) Principles. The INTASC Principles are the standards used in the MAT portfolio. Developed by the Chief State School Officers (State School Superintendents) and several professional organizations for colleges of teacher education, these standards are to represent the knowledge, dispositions and performances of a beginning teacher. The Portfolio must successfully be presented before the degree can be conferred.

Additionally, the Maryland State Department of Education has recently identified Technology Outcomes for Beginning Teachers that will be incorporated into the Hopkins portfolio process. The specifics of these new outcomes are currently in development. Currently, we are developing a matrix to guide the candidate’s development of mastery at these 7 standards.

The Portfolio contains artifacts (lesson plans, unit plans, photographs, video clips, student work, etc.) and rationales or reflections that illustrate the INTASC principles at work in the classroom and school placement. Upon completion and presentation, the Portfolio also becomes a valuable credential that the candidate may elect to use in interviewing for a teaching position. The portfolio can also serve as evidence of continued professional growth and development as many systems are now including the portfolio as one component of their teacher evaluation system.

M.A.T. Portfolio Standards

Each course at Johns Hopkins addresses specific INTASC principles, as well as the Maryland Technology Outcomes, as part of a systematic approach to standards-based instruction. The syllabi for each course notes the INTASC principles addressed in the course. Additionally, course products are developed that provide students opportunities to create artifacts that address the INTASC principles. Student should begin saving course materials that relates to the principles prior to the internship experience. These will be used in the development of a pre-internship portfolio required before acceptance into the internship.