WHAT ARE COMPETENCIES AND WHAT IS A COMPETENCY PORTFOLIO?

The Iowa State Legislature, in conjunction with the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners, has mandated that all teacher education programs develop a comprehensive set of required competencies. Before students can be recommended for teacher licensure in the state of Iowa, they must both satisfactorily complete all required courses AND demonstrate their competency. The Competency Portfolio is the system that allows students to demonstrate proficiency in required competencies.

 

The Simpson College Teacher Education Program is based on 11 broad competencies. For each of the eleven competencies, behavior samples or indicators have been defined. These indicators reflect the essential knowledge, skills, and dispositions that a student must be able to demonstrate to be an effective teacher. For each of these indicators, students need to collect artifacts that will document their proficiency. Students will collect, organize, and compile these artifacts to create their Competency Portfolios.

 

Development of portfolio artifacts and reflection sheets will occur primarily in education and methods classes (i.e. art, music, and physical education). Instructors will require that specific competency indicators be addressed and that reflection sheets be submitted; faculty members will sign the reflection sheets, stating whether or not this artifact and reflection sheet successfully represents evidence of competence (with regard to this indicator). Students may also submit artifacts and reflection sheets, for their portfolios, from other classes and/or experiences.

 

Artifacts must accompany each reflection sheet. Ideally students will provide a wide variety of artifacts including, but not limited to, observation feedback of micro-teaching or practicum teaching, video tapes, disks or CDs with PowerPoint presentations or use of specific software, peer feedback, faculty feedback, test items, papers, etc. Artifacts must demonstrate the students proficiency. The reflection rationale is a critical component that ensures that students can make a logical connection between a specific assignment and the more global aspect of the overall teaching and learning process.