The following guidelines are intended as tips for ease of assembly and effective organization of a portfolio. Most will apply to whatever general pattern of organization is followed.

1. Use a good quality three-ring binder. Choose a colour that does not soil easily.

2. Begin with an identification page that includes your name, address, and telephone number. Pictures are optional.

3. Place multiple-page or otherwise irregular shaped entries in plastic sleeves or pockets. Do not damage any artifact in order to include it. For example, do not hole-punch a certificate rather, put it in a plastic sleeve.

4. Remember that portfolios are representative, not comprehensive. For example, choose one or two representative notes from students: do not include all thirty cards received! Make sure all entries are securely attached within the portfolio. Bulky artifacts should not be included. A picture may be substituted for real items.

5. Include a Table of Contents that identifies the overall organization of the portfolio. Indicate and label the sections clearly. Colour-coding and/or oversized dividers may be helpful.

6. Within each section include a Statement of Rationale. Its explicit purpose is to lead a reviewer to make a valid interpretation of the evidence of teaching and learning.

It is up to you to choose how to show your list of contents and rationales. One possible way is in a table format as shown below.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Teaching Competencies

Another is to place the rationale alongside each entry. If choosing the later, it is recommended that rationales appear on coloured pages (the same colour throughout the portfolio) to distinguish them from the artifacts.

Explain the reason for inclusion (rationale), that is, why the artifact is there and what it represents. Be specific in reference to the concept/skills represented. For example, "represents my organizational skills" is too vague. Better to say, "represents my ability to organize students for efficient problem-solving and cooperative report writing." As appropriate, explain the link between the artifact and your stated goal. For example, "shows progress toward my goal of using cooperative learning strategies in social studies."

7. If using journal entries, supervisors' observations, or other written documents as evidence, highlight the sentence or two on the page that directly applies to the point made in your accompanying rationale or reflection.

8. If using academic papers as evidence of subject area knowledge, add a brief abstract of the paper to the cover page and insert the whole paper in a plastic sleeve.

9. Many teachers who engage in portfolio development include a video tape of teaching/leadership episodes recorded over time. The inclusion of such a video is optional.

10. In general, arrange your portfolio in a way that makes it easy for you and reviewers to identify the goals you set and your subsequent progress or achievement.

11. Remember that portfolios are dynamic. To facilitate easy changes, set-up word processing files for your statements of rationale, reflections and tables of contents, etc.